E3 2010: The Witcher 2 Preview

Anyone who played CD Projekt RED's The Witcher, a fantasy role-playing game, will find quite a few things different about the sequel, called Assassins of Kings. The timing-based combat system from before where you had to time button presses properly to pull off combo chains has been removed. The conversation system has been tweaked so it flows much more naturally. The game engine has been rewritten, which should make it feel like quite a different experience.

We didn't get to play at E3 2010, but we did get a chance to see some of the game in action. Choice and consequence still factors into The Witcher 2's progression, as the choices you make in conversation affect how events play out further down the line. While in conversation you'll see the interface is much different, with a handful of short dialogue options appearing in the left middle of the screen as interactions play out. You're also given a limited amount of time to input each option, so you'll need to think fast as to how to approach each situation since the decisions can have far reaching effects.

Overall the effect of the new system makes character interactions feel more cinematic and natural than in the first game. Also in the sequel is a new combat system, shown off as the protagonist, the white-haired Geralt, took on groups of hostile elves in a forest swamp. To survive the onslaught of arrows being fired, one of Geralt's traveling companions put up a magical sphere that protected him. To advance to safety, Geralt had to stick close to his slow-moving companions who were projecting the shield and fight off any elves that walked through the magical barrier.


Geralt can still pull off combos, but they look much more natural on screen than before. For customization, you can develop Geralt along lines that improve his sword skills, magic use, and alchemy. It was also interesting to hear that there will be far, far more items to find to equip on Geralt than in the previous game, which should please fans who were looking for more ways to customize the experience. For minigames, you'll find a new optional alchemy challenge. If you choose to engage in it you'll brew potions manually, which gives you a percent chance to produce a special, powered-up version of the consumable. A dice game will also be in there, as well as some other systems.

To finish off the demo CD Projekt showed a boss fight against a huge squid creature. To bring him down, Geralt had to run around and avoid tentacle swipes and place magic traps on the ground. When activated the traps caused a tentacle to stick to the ground, letting Geralt hack it in two. Occasionally the boss would switch up its attack pattern, spitting at Geralt and pinning him to the ground. To break free, you have to slam a button repeatedly. After three tentacles were removed Geralt had the ability to jump up onto the creature's limbs and swing around the environment. Holding on required Geralt to again hit a button repeatedly, which eventually guided the tentacle into a nearby stone bridge, bringing it tumbling down onto the creature's main body. Geralt can then run up the downed structure and deliver the killing blow to the boss.

With a game like this there's a lot to learn and see, so we'll be sure to keep you updated as the game's 2011 release date approaches. It should also be pointed out that the demo was done using an X360 controller on a PC and that gamepad specific prompts were popping up onscreen while the demo was playing. The game's PC-only for now, but maybe that could change in the future.