The Witcher: Remake – Is it worth playing the original game that was never released on consoles?

There are interesting facts related to the creation of the original Witcher game. A few years ago, a documentary was produced describing the behind-the-scenes creation of the game. And more than one, as the material includes many authors who did their best to properly transfer the characters and world written by Sapkowski to the world of digital entertainment. This was only possible in 2007, thanks to the Warsaw company CD Projekt. Today we expect the return of the white wolf thanks to the announcement announced in the birth. Renewal of the first game. Although The Witcher was never released on consoles, it was given a chance to appear on seventh generation consoles.

“Production of The Witcher: Rise of the White Wolf has been suspended due to financial problems between the various partners involved in the project. We regret this turn of events, especially for the fans who were waiting for the match” – Oliver Maskliffe, director of widescreen games, said in April 2009. When the information was published on the popular site Kotaku, the matter had not yet been fully clarified. A few days later, Michal Kicinski, head of CD Projekt Group, commented on the situation..

“It is unfortunate that we have to communicate with Widescreen Games through the media and not through business conversations. This is completely against our business policy” – Kiciński admitted in a company statement. “It is true that payments were made later than scheduled, but that was due to delay on the part of the developer. The delays were getting worse, and Widescreen Games still couldn't meet the deadline“- Kiesinski explained. The businessman stressed that such actions are unacceptable from the point of view of CD Projekt's board of directors. We're just sorry that the original Witcher game never made it to consoles. Only The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings changed this situation.

White Wolf

Raw Slavic atmosphere. These are very distinctive features of the original Witcher. The creators focused on an independent story, although they had great respect for the literary original. Geralt, completely devoid of memory of what happened after the massacre committed by humans in Rivia (1270), regains his strength. The Witcher is known for its ridiculous dimension. The characters written by the game's authors look very original against the background of a fantasy world. In other words, the team that created the game followed Andrzej Sapkowski's lead – so they built the world around the characters. We see the exact opposite relationship in Tolkien's world, where the characters revolve around the world presented.

Even before BioWare's proprietary engine, Aurora, was even seriously considered, Metropolis Software was first on the mod list. The group disbanded in 2009. One of the founders turned out to be Adrian Chmielarz, and in 1997 the company was working on a game about Geralt, the continent's most famous monster slayer. This project never came to fruition. Several advertisements for the game along with a range of screenshots appeared in the press at the time. The game was abandoned due to other projects. It seems that it was decided that The Witcher would not attract enough customers. Well, it's a bit like the author of the saga demanding payment in advance from CD Projekt, isn't it?

The story of The Witcher begins in 2003. Already last year, we were able to read the first advertisements for the game created by authors from the CD Projekt studio in the press. “Our team consists of several people. I was responsible for creating the vision we wanted to do” – recalls Michal Madej, one of the creators of the original The Witcher. The team had its own way. In complete opposition to the old premise of Metropolis Software, whose writers tried to recreate collections of short stories (hello Netflix!), CD Projekt RED followed its own ideas. Geralt awakens in the year 1270, and Kaer Morhen is soon attacked by members of the Salamanders. The story written in the game is full of interesting themes and characters. Geralt can participate in boxing fights and learn interesting information in the inn. The Witcher has a more Slavic vibe. It's a shame that Assassins of Kings turned out to be a more Western title, as evidenced by its stylized visuals. The second part cannot be denied a fascinating plot, but the original “Witcher” has retained its original Slavic atmosphere.

Track the monster

The Witcher respected all assumptions made in the source literature. Geralt tracked monsters, accepted orders, and fought. The combat system is an interesting issue here. Due to its adaptation to the PC environment, it will never pass the test on consoles. For this reason, Widescreen Games was supposed to rebuild the combat in Return of the White Wolf. It's unfortunate that this port never made it to the finish line. That's why we're looking forward to the much-advertised renewal. Unfortunately, it is not known when he will appear. Taking into account the studio's very tight schedule, including the number of projects and announcements released, let's not expect miracles. I'm also a little concerned about the fact that CD Projekt chose Unreal Engine technology. Nowadays, a large number of development teams use the engine developed by Epic Games. Will there be a situation where most games will look the same? In a few years we will verify these predictions.

The original Witcher is already 17 years old. Time has left its mark on the game, but you can still enjoy it. Yes, the locations feel a bit long and the optional quests feel formulaic, but the title still stands behind its history, atmosphere, and unique damage system. Most of its creators are not currently within the ranks of CD Projekt. After Dziki Hunt's debut, there were several employee migrations in the company. How will a new generation of creators approach rewriting this story? Will it be more spacious or will it retain its original proportions? At the same time, it's worth going back to Geralt's origins in computer culture and video games. you will not regret it.