The Witcher 2: Assassin of Kings looks better than I remembered. The world is awash in color, hues of red and orange engulfing the burning city I'm clearing on behalf of Temeria's king. I take a moment to remove Geralt's sword from the chest of a La Valette soldier to admire it.
The game just turned 15, and it's been about that long since I played it. It's also one of the few remaining Xbox exclusives – something I only realized a few weeks ago – yet my 2020 HP Pavilion gaming laptop has it looking almost as good as a pre-enhanced Witcher 3. I don't know why so many of us forget about Geralt's second adventure. Myself included, unfortunately. But in the leadup to The Witcher 4, going back to the series' roots feels not only incredibly fulfilling and insightful, but has me more excited than ever for what might come next.
Good to be back
The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings review: one of the best games of 2011
I'm incredibly sorry to inform all PS4 and PS5-only owners out there that The Witcher 2 is a blast and a half. Time has done nothing to diminish the polish of one of the best Witcher games ever, and thanks to the PC version's enhancements, it's a missed opportunity that CD Projekt Red never ported it over to Sony consoles.
It starts off right in the heat of battle, as King Foltest launches an assault on his mistress to retrieve his illegitimate children. It's a great way to remind myself of the events of the first game; much as in The Witcher 3, this can be done through carrying over choices from the previous game or going with the default settings instead. The developer's storytelling chops are sharp as ever, immediately hooking me from the get-go as Geralt pleads his case with Vernon Roche: he did not kill the king, actually, and really ought to be freed.
But the fact that CD Projekt Red has stellar storytellers on-side shouldn't be news to you. What should be, however, is that The Witcher 2 isn't hugely dissimilar to its successor. Here is where the studio ironed out the form and flow of The Witcher, complete with potion crafting, Witcher signs, sword combat, and toxicity. Really the only glaring moments of "oof" I experienced were in having to stand completely still to use my Witcher Senses and the brief loading screens upon entering and exiting even the smallest cottages.
There is one mechanic here that we don't see in The Witcher 3, though: persuasion. I try in vain to talk one of Foltest's men out of roughing up some villagers after selecting the green-eyed icon next to one of the dialogue choices. Maybe force would have been more appropriate, signified by the red-eyed icon next to another? I reload for a closer look and spot an interaction I'd missed completely: mind control.
Choose your Path
CD Projekt is good at delivering brilliance and somehow one-upping itself.
Or, more specifically, Axii. This was always one of my favorite witchering tricks to pull in Wild Hunt, bending softer minds to Geralt's iron will. Blessedly it works, and the soldiers scarper off.
While the persuasion, intimidation, and manipulation mechanic is refined in the third game, there's something about its simplicity in The Witcher 2. It's the building blocks for what comes next, the framework that CD Projekt Red tested out before doubling down on the series' now-iconic choice and consequence moments that can make or break a given situation.
But so too can sticky combat, my biggest gripe with this game. Geralt's forward rolls are slow and cumbersome, and his slower swordstrikes means that being ganged up on is a quick recipe for disaster. Crowd control is not his strongest suit, unfortunately, and with an unreliable target lock-on proving more of a hindrance than a help when focusing my attacks, I quickly get cut down. Swapping over to Igni is a welcome reprieve from Aard's sluggish refresh speed, but of course, I miss the quick sign casting feature added to The Witcher 3 post-launch.
As I roll my eyes at needing to meditate when making or using potions and bemoan the lack of in-combat heals, though, I remind myself that this game is a stepping stone. It's hard to imagine it now, but The Witcher 3 is more or less the same for The Witcher 4. Someday when I hold Ciri's adventure in my hands and am no doubt blown away by all the shiny new baubles the developer has planned for us, I'll probably replay Geralt's last hurrah and gripe over all the things I miss from the newer game too.
CD Projekt is good at delivering brilliance and somehow one-upping itself. Playing The Witcher 2 some 15 years on has reminded me that perfection is futile without the building blocks which take us there. Now if you don't mind, I have some Scoia'tael to slaughter or be slaughtered by.
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