Beating the Heat with Good ol' Geralt

Where I live we are currently in day 5 or 6 of an "excessive heat" event--it has been over 100 degrees every day this week and it's just too miserably hot to do much of anything outside.  I'm extremely fortunate to live in a home with central air and air conditioning and it's the perfect environment to escape from the heat and the best excuse to spend lots of time gaming.  I'm currently 2/3 of the way through my re-play of The Witcher saga having just finished Assassin of Kings and moved on to the third game.

(The "enhanced edition" cinematic of the assassination of Demavend is still awesome...even more than 10 years later!)

I've always thought that The Witcher 2: Assassin of Kings never got the praise that it deserved.  I have always enjoyed the way they presented the story at the beginning of the game, namely having Geralt relive his memories of what happened as part of his interrogation by Vernon Roche.  It's a clever way to present a tutorial and introduce the major story beats.  From there, it only gets better--the environments (the ancient, dangerous forests of Flotsam; the cursed battlefield near Vergen; and the ancient Vran city of Loc Muinne) are awesome, the music (particularly in Vergen) is some of my favorite, and the way they divided the story based on player choices--there's just a lot to love about it.

It's great, but there are also small things that drive me crazy.  One of the most annoying parts is the save system--rather than having a few slots for quicksaves and autosaves the game keeps ALL of your saves.  It's ridiculous and creates a huge number of files.  My personal method of combatting this ridiculous system was to delete 10 saved games every time I logged on.  I could scroll through social media while casually deleting files (just be careful you don't get too clicky and delete the wrong thing).

You would think after playing through a game many, many times that I would have all the story beats down pat, but I still managed to mess up a minor quest chain.  Toward the end of the game in Loc Muinne I noticed that my armor wasn't quite what I remembered and realized that I had missed out on the quest that grants you the best armor in the game.  I had somehow missed the shipwreck in Vergen...sheesh.  Maybe I'm getting scatterbrained in my old age!

I've just started the third game and it's always fun to see how much the technology had improved between games.  Usually I turn off the more resource demanding, somewhat extraneous features--usually NVIDIA's Hairworks--but I just can't deny Geralt and the characters of The Witcher 3 their beautiful, flowing locks (*we'll see if this lasts...If I have a bunch of crashes it'll probably get turned off).  Watching the wind blow through the trees and seeing the way the sun shines through a thickly forested area is a huge improvement over the first game.  It's too pretty to turn down!

Interestingly I decided that I didn't want to punish myself through the series this time--I usually like to challenge myself and crank the difficulty all the way up.  I'd rather enjoy the experience and since I've already done it, I'm playing on the "blood and broken bones" setting--so a notch above normal, enough to make it somewhat challenging, but not torturous.  It's nice.

Whether you're trying to make it through a heat wave or just looking for a classic to play, give The Witcher 2 a play.  Maybe turn the difficulty down and just enjoy it!

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.     

Character Highlight: Philippa Eilhart

I am still elbows deep in my most recent playthrough of The Witcher 3.  Every time I play through a game that I truly enjoy I try to find something new or something different to ponder.  Last week I posted about the whole Radovid issue and the double-edge sword type of choice players must make.  In deeper thinking about Radovid and the characters involved in the plot, I really started thinking about a character who I mostly like but who is tough to place in your typical "good guy/bad guy" scheme.  Love her or hate her, Philippa Eilhart is one of the more interesting sorceresses in The Witcher 2 and The Witcher 3.

Philippa isn't an easy character to love.  She is cold, ambitious, constantly plotting, and more than confident in her abilities.  Her abilities are so powerful that she is one of only a handful of mages who have ever mastered the art of polymorphy.  This ability to morph into an owl is extremely useful and helps her to evade her captors in The Witcher 3. Her motives always seem to be about what will put her ahead--be it good or be it bad.  She agrees to help Geralt life the curse afflicting Vergen in The Witcher 2, but only as a means to an end.  That end involves saving the life of the poisoned Saskia (who happens to be a powerful dragon in human disguise)...but only so that she can cast a charm spell that allows her total control of the poor woman/dragon's life.

The more you learn about Philippa the more you realize how truly cunning she is.  The Witcher 2 contains several goofy scenes involving a romantic relationship between Philippa and her "leashed" apprentice Cynthia.  It's very apparent that Philippa prefers the ladies.  In The Witcher 3 things become much more complicated as Geralt attempts to locate her as a favor for Radovid.  In his search of Philippa's temporary hideout he finds a series of love letters between the sorceress and one Sigismund Djikstra, the head of Redanian intelligence.  Triss also reveals that Philippa has had other male lovers in the past, but usually only as a way to get her closer to whatever she is planning.  And there's always a plan....

In order to defeat the Wild Hunt, Geralt must restore the Lodge of Sorceresses and request their magical assistance.  This task is particularly difficult since the Lodge has been outlawed by Radovid and it's members, including Philippa, are in hiding throughout the world.  Now that Geralt knows that Philippa has been hiding in her owl form (and right under his nose) he has a better idea about where to locate her.  The rescue gets much more complicated when he learns that Zoltan has lost his friendly own, who he named Polly, in a card game.  The lucky winner was Sigismund Djikstra (AKA Sigi Reuven) who has plenty of reason to want to harm Philippa--she did use him, then discard him, then attempt to have him assassinated.  Geralt and Triss arrive right in the nick of time and track down Philippa who despite being blind is still extremely dangerous.  She's managed to destroy Sigi's bath house and leads Geralt on a brief chase through the sewers.  Geralt manages to subdue Philippa and convinces her to help.  Once they are back in the bathhouse Sigi lets slip the plot to kill Radovid.  Philippa, of course, is very interested and wants in on the plot.  Djikstra does not agree and excludes her from the plotting.

Revenge is sweet.

My favorite Philippa moment comes during the mission to kill Radovid.  Geralt isolates Radovid on the bridge leading to Temple Island but the plot starts to fall apart.  Radovid flees wildly and orders in a large contingent of Redanian soldiers--a fierce battle breaks out and it looks like he might actually get away.  As he desperately seeks a place to hide he bangs on the door of a house and demands entrance.  The door opens to reveal none other than his nemesis, Phillipa.  In a form of poetic justice she blinds him by blowing magical dust in his eyes.  He stumbles away into the street and into a dead end.  Rather than kill him with magic, Philippa plunges her dagger into his back.  Thus ends the rule of Radovid V.  Revenge is sweet!

Philippa keeps her word and along with the other sorceresses of the Lodge helps to defeat the Wild Hunt.  Her help seems to have some strings attached as she tries to convince Ciri to become a member of the Lodge.  There's always something...

I'm not really sure what it is about Philippa that makes her one of my favorites.  She's not a traditional "good guy" kind of character--she's probably more of an enemy than a friend.  The fact that she's so complicated, devious, ambitious, powerful...all those things make her a truly interesting character.  There has been little talk about the future of The Witcher franchise, but if there is another game I hope Philippa is one of the characters.  I would love to see a story that involves the Lodge of Sorceresses.

Favorite Villains #8--Striga

Favorite Villains #8--Striga

Geralt battles the striga.

The Witcher saga contains some really fun monsters to slay.  The thing I like best about the monsters in The Witcher is that there is a very clear explanation as to how the many different varieties of monsters came to be.  I've always liked the lore in the series and the fact that it is somewhat based on real-life myths from eastern Europe.

Out of all the monsters you slay in The Witcher, the striga has to be my favorite.  And, I suppose you don't have to slay her.  Maybe it's the opening cinematic in the first game that makes me remember the striga so much.  There's an epic fight between Geralt and this hideous beast.  The fight lasts till morning and then Geralt attempts to lift the curse.  Re-watch it!

Only females can become striga and the cause of the curse seems to be somewhat poorly explained.  In the case of Princess Adda, the curse was placed on her by a member of King Foltests court when he learned of the king's incestuous relationship with his sister.  As a result of this curse the morher (also named Adda) and the child both died in childbirth.  The child was laid to rest in the same sarcophagus as the mother but continued to grow into a hideous beast within the tomb.  Seven years later a full grown monster emerged, a monster whose only goal in life is to satisfy it's hunger by hunting down humans.

This is where our brave witcher, Geralt of Rivia, is called in to lift the curse.  The only way to lift the curse is to fight the creature through the night until dawn and prevent it from returning to it's tomb.  In the cinematic players see Geralt jump into the tomb and slide the lid closed as the beast pounds on the coffin.  When he emerges, he sees the human princess laying on the floor and he attempts to rouse her to see if the curse has been broken.  It's at this moment that he discovers that the curse is still somewhat intact and he is mauled.

In The Witcher 2, Geralt is called in again because it appears that Princess Adda is still cursed.  Members of the court notice her strange habit of requesting raw meat and realize the curse wasn't fully lifted.  So Geralt returns to the tomb where there have been sightings of the striga and he enters.  The fight largely consists of running away and laying traps to keep her from catching you.  As you watch the candles on the sarcophagus burn down, you realize that dawn is nearly upon you.  The last candle burns down and Geralt hops into the tomb.  This time when he emerges it appears that the curse is lifted and Princess Adda can go back to not eating people.

I like the striga because of the specific details that explain how to lift the curse and the fact that you have the option of lifting the curse rather than simply slaying it.  The fight against the striga is a little annoying if you are used to a straight up type of hack-n-slash monster kill.