Is the buzz getting to you? Have you been itching to see what all the fuss around The Witcher is all about? Got a PC with Steam loaded up? Then this news is for you: The Witcher Enhanced Edition and The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings are free to play on Steam until Sunday at 9PM GMT.
CD Projekt RED sure do know how to drum up some hype, huh? Ahead of the release of the hotly anticipated The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, the Polish developer has decided to offer would-be fans a glimpse of the franchise to Steam users at no cost this weekend.
The Witcher franchise has grown by leaps and bounds since the initial title was released in October of 2007. The series progenitor was quite rough around the edges, suffering from many bugs, horrendous voice acting, and laughable writing. Thankfully, it was saved by an enthralling game world ripe with hours upon hours of quests complete with deep RPG elements. The Enhanced Edition followed (the version found on Steam) which offered numerous bug fixes and re-written dialogue, making the entire experience far more enjoyable.
Regardless, it was the title’s sequel – Assassins of Kings – that really put Geralt of Rivia on the map. Lazygamer scored it at 9.0/10, and virtually all major publications shared in the praise. The polish missing from the first title was present from top to bottom, and seemingly no concessions were made even while debuting the franchise on consoles.
Both of these titles are quite lengthy, so it’s unlikely that either could be finished in the short time that it is available for free. But if you haven’t yet experienced these games, why not hop in for a few hours and get a feel for them? Maybe you’ll find them worth your hard-earned cash after all, and you can share in the excitement that the rest of us have for the third game’s release later this year.
Last Updated: February 15, 2014
Rags
February 15, 2014 at 15:31
Installing Witcher 2 to give it a go. I’ve never played any of the two, would it be advisable to play the first one or not? For story progression etc?
Emhyr Var Emreis
February 15, 2014 at 15:41
i would say just understand what happened in the first one. Pay really close attention in the 2nd one because that will be the one that gets transferred to witcher 3.
I played witcher 2 first without playing first one and i still knew what happened. THen i tried witcher 1 but the combat is lame.
Willem Swanepoel
February 17, 2014 at 07:03
apparently your choices in Witcher 1 and 2 will have an impact on 3 if you import your games.
That is why I am pushing through 1 😉
GalacticLordCaptainAwesomeness
February 17, 2014 at 07:14
Yup, and you have the WTF moment at the end of 1… Sure the combat is not that great, but the story in the game…. wow
Willem Swanepoel
February 17, 2014 at 08:03
That is what keeps me going through every lame combat fight, it is the story!! 🙂
Same with Dragon Age Origin, bad bad combat system but the story just kept me moving forward.
Exalted Overlord Geoffrey Tim
February 15, 2014 at 15:55
Yeah..you can read about the story. Witcher 1 hasn’t aged well, and as stated has pretty kak combat.
Warren Ross
February 15, 2014 at 15:58
I’m 15 hours into the Witcher (which I got on sale solely to get the background for Witcher 2) and it’s a bit of a slog TBH. Geoff is right.
Willem Swanepoel
February 17, 2014 at 07:00
yeah, it is actually a huge pain in the ass to play 1 again. Witcher 2 made the game so much better so it is very hard to get back into 1 but I want my saved game so I have to push through it …
Alien Emperor Trevor
February 15, 2014 at 17:51
You don’t need to play one, but if you do you can import your save into 2 & you get some nice starting equipment & there are references to what choices you made in the 1st game.
Brian Murphy
February 15, 2014 at 17:37
Haha, I bought the 2nd last night cause I figured what the hey, it’s only 3.99. Plus, I’ve been selling my cards left and right so, this edition of Witcher is funded entirely by steam cards 🙂
GalacticLordCaptainAwesomeness
February 17, 2014 at 07:15
Remember your Combat rebalance Mod, that kicks the game into overdrive, changes the combat, making it smoother and harder
Brian Murphy
February 17, 2014 at 07:25
S’ok, I’ve got several other games to knock out before I’ll tackle Witcher 2. Still working on Sleeping Dogs, then Dishonored, then Witcher 2 after that maybe 🙂
Mossel
February 17, 2014 at 08:30
LOL I also do that! I think I’ve made about $10 on steam card sales!
Brian Murphy
February 17, 2014 at 08:40
It’s great, you know you can just launch multiple instances of steam and idle in 4+ games (depending on your PC, helps if they’re all indie), and gain all the eligible card drops just by sitting there?
Mossel
February 17, 2014 at 10:01
Haha nice I will try that!