The Witcher series of video games has been a huge success in Poland, and the upcoming game The Witcher III: Wild Hunt is the most ambitious game in the series to date. So when CD Projekt RED invited us on-site at their studio in Warsaw, I was excited to learn more from the game’s lead writer and director, Damien Monnier.
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The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is a solid RPG. It is a game that lives up to the hype and delivers an experience that is long on size and replayability but short on story. With a high level of polish and a decent story, it’s not a bad game, but it’s not a good game either. I’m not even sure it’s good enough to compare with the previous games in the series, which is a shame because I really wanted to like it.
The Witcher franchise is growing by leaps and bounds, and after a long wait, fans can finally see the latest addition to the canon in Netflix’s new anime film The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf. Nightmare brings Geralt’s mentor Vesemir into the spotlight, giving fans a look at the fan-favorite Witcher in his prime and shedding new light on foundational events in the Witcher mythology that were still a bit shrouded in mystery. The result is a thrilling ride through Witcher history full of style, pulse-pounding action, and often brutal choices that no Witcher fan dare miss, and I couldn’t recommend it more.
Director Kwang Il Han and Studio Mir inject each and every scene with outstanding style and flare, while Beau DeMayo and Lauren S. Hissrich are able to maintain a comparable feel and tone to the live-action series. Nightmare of the Wolf, like the main series, is based on Andrzej Sapkowski’s novels, but unlike its live-action sibling, it makes a few changes to the mythology.
(Photo courtesy of Netflix)
When dealing with a beloved series, it may be risky to take narrative liberties, but the modifications here simply add to the mystery and provide welcome background, and they don’t contradict or butt heads with what’s already been established in the main series, so they seem to have pulled it off once again.
The voice cast is fantastic on many levels, but Vesemir carries a lot of the weight, and Theo James is absolutely amazing in the part. This is a Vesemir who is still in his prime, free of the wisdom he will ultimately gain, and he is a joy to see. While he’s arrogant but not annoying, and while he’s intent on getting as much money as possible, his sympathetic heart shows through enough to keep you on his side, and James masterfully brings all of those aspects to life throughout.
(Photo courtesy of Netflix)
There’s a delicate layer underneath the confident façade, and Mary McDonnell’s Lady Zerbst is the one responsible for bringing it out. While Vesemir’s connection with Graham McTavish’s Deglan is responsible for some of the film’s most memorable scenes, Zerbst’s bond with Vesemir is responsible for some of the most crucial and forms the core of this epic tale.
DeMayo and Hissrich, on the other hand, use Deglan and Lara Pulver’s Tetra to go into the mythology surrounding Witchers, whether it’s about how they’re formed, the ripple consequences of that creation, or how those they guard perceive them. After all, witchers are controversial, and Nightmare spends some time delving into why they are so divided, as well as whether or not those views and preconceptions are based on truth.
(Photo courtesy of Netflix)
It’s a sight to see when the swords start swinging and the signs start pulsating. Vesemir dazzles in each action sequence as he swiftly vaults across the battlefield with an impressive elegance while cleaving enemies and leaving bloody corpses and decapitated heads in his wake, and Studio Mir fills each action sequence with a supreme sense of scale and motion, and Vesemir dazzles in each and every sequence as he swiftly vaults across the battlefield with an impressive elegance while cleaving enemies and leaving bloody corpses and decapitated heads Yes, Nightmare is cruel, and that goes for the action scenes as well as the sequences that are more directly connected to the Witchers’ origins, and it will make an impact in both instances. Everything comes together for a final act that could never be done live-action, at least not without a huge budget, and you’ll be on the edge of your seat the whole time.
(Photo courtesy of Netflix)
To be honest, I don’t have any complaints about Nightmare, even if they are little. I just want more, and by more, I mean more of everything. More creatures, more Vesemir’s exploits, and more of what occurs between now and the main series’ first meeting with Geralt. That’s not a list of nitpicks; it’s a sequel, and I’m ready to join up right now.
This is a wonderful introduction to the universe of Sapkowski’s books or the live-action series if you’ve been curious about what The Witcher is all about. If you’re a fan of The Witcher, this is a must-see, and I’m going to need more Vesemir in my life as soon as possible.
5 out of 5 stars
On August 23rd, The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf will be available on Netflix.
It’s been ten years since the release of the original Witcher game, and ten years is a lot of time for a game to pass without a new entry. When CD Projekt RED announced that they would be making a new game, the entire gaming community held their breath for whatever the studio would come up with. Fans were hoping this would be an expansion of the base game, a sequel, or something completely new. So what happened?. Read more about what mythology is the witcher based on and let us know what you think.
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