The Witcher 2: 15 Reasons It's A Hidden Masterpiece You've Ignored
14. It Has Confidence In The Player
Once you play enough video games in your life, you start to realise a terrible truth: most video games have terrible, by-the-numbers stories. Half of the time they are downright stupid. For a medium that desperately wants to be seen as equal to the others, this isnt helping the cause. Most video games, expecting the average player not to care too much, just shove in an overly simplistic revenge or invasion story to get to the action. One of the best things about The Witcher 2 is that not only does it present the player with an intelligently complex story; it expects you to keep up as it shoves you into the plot with absolutely no hand holding. Suddenly you find yourself being barraged with plot points and terms you have no clue about, and its up to you to pay attention so that you come to understand what is going on. It takes more mental work than you expect out of the average video game, but man is the reward satisfying. Eventually, you find yourself engrossed in a really great story that you want to see through to the end. It treats the player with intelligence; giving you the benefit of the doubt that you can follow along. There is no watering down of plot or simplification of explanation. This trust in player ability even extends to the gameplay mechanics, which take getting used to. This is especially true because the game doesnt even provide a thorough tutorial level; it literally just throws you into the thick of things. The game isnt overtly hard or anything, but it definitely doesnt hold your hand quite as tightly as most games do nowadays. Very rarely does one play a game so confident in itself and the player, and the result is an extremely engaging and rewarding experience.
