Especially Memorable Aspects
Quest Voice Acting with Many Variants
Absolutely outstanding is the voice acting of the tasks. Almost all quests were designed so that they can be solved in multiple ways. You can first find the quest giver classically, who then tells you that he wants to retrieve an important book from this or that ruin. Alternatively, you can also explore the ruins first, stumble upon the mentioned book and take it, or – because you sense dark magic – burn it on site. If you then find the quest giver later, the dialogues change accordingly and Geralt can immediately say: “Ah, right, I’ve been to the ruins already. I’ll save myself the trip.”
These dialogue changes are little things that won’t be noticed by everyone, but it must have been an enormous effort to design most quests this way. This is something I would never have expected from a game in this day and age, and it will stick with me.
When Geralt is Thirsty…
Despite the dark world, the humorous scenes remain in memory – anyone who doesn’t want to be spoiled should skip the next two paragraphs.
One day, Geralt meets with other Witchers and – as real men do – the group gets drunk to the point of unconsciousness. When the mood is about to shift, the brilliant suggestion comes to arrange for some women for this “social evening”. Since the meeting doesn’t take place in a populated area, the drunken fools decide to disrespect the gear of their sleeping mage colleague to contact other sorceresses. So that the sorceresses don’t get scared, the gentlemen think it’s a good idea to dress up in women’s clothing. And so it happens: three drunken Witchers in lingerie use the artifact and build a connection – unfortunately not to the sorceresses, but to a fanatic Order leader of the eternal flame. This scene is so absurd, so incredibly funny, yet so damn fitting that it ranks among the best things I’ve ever seen in a game.
A Bar Brawl with Consequences
On the islands of Skellige, things are a bit rougher than usual. One evening, I stroll into a tavern to play a round of Gwent with the innkeeper (a mix of HearthStone and Triple Triad) and get bumped into by two rowdy teenagers. After a friendly “Get lost, or there will be blood” didn’t de-escalate the situation as I had hoped, it ended with the death of both. Upon wanting to leave the tavern, I was met by an angry mob outside who handed me over to the guards, who then locked me up in a prison. After a few days of slave labor in the mines, I am brought before the “mad king” to be judged. Without a trial, I am acquitted! Why? Because I helped the king’s nephew one time in an absolutely irrelevant side quest and he is alive thanks to me. There are many such connections – both positive and negative. “One hand washes the other” often becomes Geralt’s doom or salvation during the main story.
