The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings Preview

IGN has slapped up a quick preview of The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings, and as you might have guessed, it’s based on the demonstration being shown at this week’s GamesCom.

The combo system is still being worked on, but what was present in the demo looked smoother and more fluid than the timed mouse clicking from the previous game. For using stealth, Geralt could extinguish the flames of torches, crouch, and post up against walls to see others coming. He could also drop down through hatch doors and hop up over low walls to access new areas, as well as pop enemies in the back of the head to swiftly take them down if he approached undetected. In the first playthrough, Geralt eventually came across a damsel in distress, a mother being held captive by a torturer. He didn’t have to save her, but he did, chopping one enemy in the back of the next and then fighting the torturer. With both of the enemies dispatched he managed to free the woman, and we then found out that she had mixed feelings of gratitude because earlier in the game Geralt had killed her son.

In the second playthrough, Geralt eventually came across a cell containing that same son, who had obviously not been killed earlier. Geralt chose to help him escape in this case, forging ahead and clearing the guards out of the way. Since the son was weak, Geralt had to help him walk out, shuffling forward with the weight of the son leaning on his shoulder.