The Witcher Preview and Videos

In addition to some new gameplay videos at IGN, the editors at Destructoid have tossed up the latest hands-on preview of The Witcher.

The combat feels like a mixture of Diablo, rock-paper-scissors, Knights of the Old Republic, and Taiko Drum Master. I’m tempted to limit my explanation of the combat mechanics to that one sentence and that one sentence only, as I’m quite proud of it, but the fighting warrants further discussion. Essentially, combat in The Witcher takes place in real time and, keyboard shortcuts notwithstanding, can be more or less controlled with the mouse and the mouse alone. Left clicking an enemy initiates a physical attack, and right clicking executes a magic attack, a la Diablo II. The action can also be paused at any time, not like KOTOR or Baldur’s Gate or Planescape or whathaveyou, so as to allow the player more time to think tactically and make decisions without fear of having his face caved in by a mace.

But that’s all standard, right? Where The Witcher sets its combat apart from the pack, and where it implements some new and unusual stuff, can be found within the rock-paper-scissors and rhythm mechanics. While The Witcher may initially seem to borrow several pages, if not an entire chapter from the book of Diablo II in its mouse combat scheme, the introduction of the rhythmic attack makes the fighting feel much more unique.

Apparently they were able to find a way to compare it to Diablo II, which I really don’t agree with.