9 Awesome Video Game Moments That Didn’t Need To Happen

CD Projekt Red’s The Witcher franchise is arguably one of the best RPG series ever made. Following its stoic but layered protagonist Geralt throughout, each instalment takes us on politically charged high fantasy adventures; from battling mythical creatures to wading through the Nilfgaardian war. 

The series is heavily influenced by European folklore and mythology, especially evident in the beasts which you fight and in particular characters that you meet. 

A standout famous mythical character from Arthurian legend is The Lady of the Lake, who makes a reoccurring appearance throughout the series. However, it is her appearance in the first Witcher game which gives us a truly epic moment.

Following the questline ‘The Paths of Destiny’ to completion leads you to The Lady of the Lake at her shrine at a lakeside. After engaging in conversation with her regarding Geralt’s destiny, she offers a gift to you before a cutscene takes over. 

This sequence goes hard and is incredibly cinematic! 

The water around you rises up as The Lady of the Lake slowly walks towards you, with aethereal music swirling behind. She asks Geralt to kneel and delivers a powerful speech on the importance of truth and becoming a worthy protector, before knighting him with the silver sword Aerondight.

Once Geralt rises a knight, she gifts him the sword and disappears into the lake, leaving you with a very powerful weapon.

The whole sequence could have played out as a short transaction in the way we’ve seen countless times before in video games – you click the dialogue, the NPC gives you the reward, it appears in your inventory, quest completed – with no cutscene at all. 

However, CD Projekt Red are known for giving that extra touch of finesse to their games and this is a prime example. The entire scene is beautiful in its delivery, further drawing you into the epic world of the Witcher and making its mythology all the more engaging.

The Lady of the Lake returns in The Witcher 3’s Blood and Wine DLC in which we see her thrusting the sword from a lake to present to you once again. 

Leaning more heavily into the Arthurian legend motif here, this scene effectively builds upon that initial 2007 sequence which, even back then, demonstrated just how far CD Projekt Red will often go to deliver that extra good stuff within their games.