The originalWitcherwas first released in 2007 for PC. The game has, unfortunately, aged quite poorly for a myriad of reasons. However, CD Projekt Red plans to reawaken the community’s love for the originalWitchergame as the company recently announced its intentions to release a remake. If anything,The Witcher Remakeshould improve the original game’s combat, taking the outdated mechanics and reworking them for a more modern game.
It’s unclear whenThe Witcher Remakewill be released, but it’s certainly gotten fans of the IP excited. If CD Projekt Red and Fool’s Theory want to impress the community, the companies definitely need to improve the combat, among other things. Perhaps the developer can emulate certain features fromThe Witcher 3while still innovating on the old system.
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Reimagining Combat for The Witcher Remake
The Witcherdid not age well– that’s for sure. As the first title in the series, its gameplay and storyline are very different when compared toThe Witcher 3. One of its most dated features, however, is undoubtedly the combat. It involved three fighting styles that the player had to choose from when fighting specific enemies. Not only that, but the controls also weren’t the usual sword fighting mechanics players grew accustomed to inThe Witcher 2and3.
Instead of Geralt swinging with every click of a button, the player needed to adhere to the game’s internal rhythm. In other words, they had to click at the designated times, which was signaled by the cursor changing in shape. Failing to do so would interrupt Geralt’s combo. This particular mechanic was one of thebiggest reasons why fans ofThe Witcherseriescouldn’t (or wouldn’t) play the first game.
CD Projekt Red and Fool’s Theory can change this perception, however.The Witcher Remakesimply needs to modernize its combat mechanics. Obviously, the rhythm game aspect needs to go and be replaced with a system more likeThe Witcher 3’s combat. This would get rid of the community’s biggest gripe with the originalWitchergame, ensuring that more players give the remake a shot.
That said,The Witcher Remakedoesn’t have to copyThe Witcher 3’scombat entirely. The developer can – and should – innovate on the most recent combat system, especially since many players have said that it’s not quite as complex as they’d wanted it to be. Fool’s Theory could even try implementing moreSoulslike combat inThe Witcher. Doing so would make the combat feel much better and up the challenge for particularly competitive players.
Alternatively,The Witcher Remakecould draw from the original title. As mentioned earlier,The Witcher’s combat system involved picking from three different attack styles – the Strong Style, the Fast Style, and the Group Style. The Strong Style is often used against hulking or armored opponents. Meanwhile, the Fast and Group Styles are for smaller, weaker opponents.The Witcher Remakecould make its combat more varied and challenging by reworking these mechanics into the new system.
At the end of the day, CD Projekt Red and Fool’s Theory need to create a more modern, player-friendly system that players – both new and old – can pick up and enjoy. This demands reworkingThe Witcher’scombat as well as potentially innovating onThe Witcher 3’s. This will undoubtedly bring in more players and help fans appreciate the original titles in the series. Additionally, it’s a great way to prepare for therelease ofThe Witcher 4or the newest title in a newWitchersaga. Regardless, fans ofThe Witcherseries have plenty to be excited about.
The Witcher Remakeis currently in development.
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