Retrospective: The Witcher 2--Locations, Locations

The figurative Fallout 76 wall that I anticipated hitting at some point finally happened.  I completed the Brotherhood of Steel storyline (which seems to be only an introduction to the faction) and then realized that I didn't really have a lot of meaningful content to keep playing.  There are definitely things left to accomplish--thousands of gold bullion to grind out to unlock the best plans; the entire set of scouting challenges; trying to find more magazines....after playing for hundreds of hours, there are still things left to do!  But, I'm just not feeling it.  Is there a chance that I go back in the future?  Maybe.

For the time being, I've decided to return to the comfort of an old favorite--The Witcher 2.  I've always felt that the second game in The Witcher series doesn't get the praise it deserves and wanted to give it a more thoughtful playthrough.  I've only barely started, but the thoughts are already pouring in!  Weird, right?  (Side note:  it's sort of a weird pandemic thing that I've felt drawn to the old familiar, comfortable options.  I've been rewatching some of my favorite old series on streaming and now I'm playing an old game...but it just feels so nice!)

One of my first thoughts about TW2 was a question--how old is it?  Well, if you're excited about feeling old, TW2 is ten years old this year.  The graphics definitely give off a vibe of being slightly older, but I have always found TW games to include a lot of details and to have some fabulous locations.

If you haven't booted up TW2 since it's early days or are new to the franchise, you'll get to experience one of my favorite (*violent) game introductions--a short cinematic that depicts the death of King Demavend at the hands of the mysterious assassin of kings.  I believe it was added as part of the "enhanced edition" upgrade because I don't recall seeing it when I first played it.  Even after ten years, it's still such a great intro!

Unfortunately, nostalgia can also cause you to forget some of the less awesome parts of your favorite games.  Even though I adore TW series, the combat in the first and second games is decidedly meh.  And, like an idiot, I always opt to do the tutorial in TW2.  The tutorial operates under a good premise--the game walks you through some combat basics and then has you face off against an arena battle against foes of increasing difficulty--the ultimate goal is for the game to base its difficulty off of how well you're able to do against the foes.  Here's what usually happens to me--I get stomped and then it tries to put the game on its lowest difficulty (I've actually finished it on the highest difficulty--Update:  I looked at my achievements and apparently, I have not!  I totally thought I had.  I guess it's something to shoot for in the future...but also, maybe not since the combat is so blech).  So yeah, maybe skip the tutorial.  The rest of combat is generally mashing buttons and utilizing your witcher spells at appropriate times.  You can block attacks, dodge them, but that's about it.  There's a riposte ability that I've never understood.  The combat is definitely a weak point.

Geralt roaming the forest around Flotsam.

After you complete the prologue, you reach the first, more open area where you have some freedom to do some exploring.  The forested, backwater port of Flotsam is one of the many great locations in TW2.  The city itself gives off some decidedly grubby vibes, but it's the forest that gives Flotsam its real flavor.  The city is surrounded by a forest filled with massive, ancient trees that somehow manage to give the area a pleasant, beautiful feeling, but also an ominous and dark one.  During the day, the forest doesn't seem that threatening--you might encounter some scattered monsters or bandits, but the chirping birds make it impossible to feel a truly creepy feeling.  On the other hand, nighttime in the forest is downright unsettling.  Chances are you'll encounter a number of Flotsam's forest-dwelling nasties--groups of burrowing nekkers; endregas dropping out of the trees; or drowners lurking in a beautiful pool near a waterfall.

Even after 10 years, I still find the forest surrounding Flotsam to be a great setting and an environment that manages to convey a tone that aligns with the story.  It's the first of many in the game and I'm looking forward to progressing and getting to experience the others again.