Combat Has Not Been Simplified in The Witcher 2

With Dragon Age 2 now out and played by millions of gamers, the next big role-playing game launch of the year is The Witcher 2, the game developed by CD Projekt that is set to be launched on the PC on May 17.

The developers have shown quite a bit of the game, emphasizing that players will have a lot of choices for each situation and showing off the new game engine and the vistas that it can produce.

And recently, designers sought to dispel fears that the combat mechanics have been in any way simplified.

Speaking during a Question & Answer session Tomasz Gop, who is the senior producer working on The Witcher 2, has answered, “First of all, the combat has absolutely not been dumbed down,” when asked about the influence that console development might have on the game.

He then clarified his position saying, “Nor has the game been consolised.”

The Witcher 2 will have the same two main combat styles, a fast one which can be used to deal with nimble enemies and groups and a heavy one needed to deliver the strong blows that will take out the more powerful opponents.

The development team at CD Projekt has taken out the need to switch between the two by linking them to the right and left mouse buttons, making the experience feel faster and more satisfying as a player can switch quickly as the combat situation changes.

The need to carefully time attacks in order to chain combos is gone in The Witcher 2 and Gop says that Geralt will need to use more of his magical “signs,” especially when dealing with mobs of enemies or with magic users.

The senior designer has not offered any new information on whether The Witcher 2 will be launched on console and when that might happen.