On October 20, 2018
“Blood enmity: Witcher. Stories "is a good story, but the bad advertising" Gwint "
I didn't want to write about a drop about "Blood hostility". Not out of hostility to KKI, I respect them; Consider this to my "Chuyka". In the end, just think: “Blood enmity” is Spinoff Spinoff. Offspring "Gwint" , which, in turn, was born only thanks to the popularity of the third "Witcher".
Independent role -playing game, in which the whole battleship works according to the rules of "gvint"? I will not know what can go wrong! After all, Gwint is so good and popular (no offense, CD Projekt Red ) that the developers went for the capital processing of the very concept of the game to make it at least some competitive. Skepticism occurs as if by itself.
And, I must say, not in vain.
Rivian horse
My colleague Lev Levin in his preview called “blood enmity” by a classic role -playing game, but this is not entirely true. The CD Projekt Red experiment cannot be entered into the strict framework of one genre. And, in general, no need. If you played, say, in The Banner Saga or Pyre , then you perfectly understand what we are talking about. "Blood enmity" is just such a hybrid. A hybrid of a visual novel, strategies and, in this case, updated Gvint.
The developer himself positions his brainchild as an independent project, but the true goal of “blood enmity” can be seen for a mile – it should attract a new audience to Gwint. The release is dedicated to the exit "Return home" – Global renewal, which shoves Gwint almost beyond recognition. And the “blood enmity” was initially supposed to become its part and start directly from his client.
In large gilded chests that need to be found on cards, they lie … "buns" for "gvint". It seems like a good cross-country, but it’s a shame: there is nothing useful for Mavu in chests
The idea that (in fact) “promo” for not the most popular card game is pushed out as something big and serious, can be distorted by someone. Understand. For example, she tagged significantly. But one cannot help but give CD Projekt RED due. As the game grew up in size and ambitions, the developers did not cut the corners to squeeze it into the Gvint client. On the contrary: the Poles were not exchanged for trifles and did not compromise for their own comfort. Not every developer will decide on such risks when it comes to release not at all the first importance.
Some characters who have not devoted much time in books and games in “blood hostility” directly flourish. Here you have to make a “story” by a constant format
Therefore, "blood enmity" does not look only a dining to the existing IP. Therefore, it does not look cheap or "secondary". The studio, apparently, meant that she would not regret him, and did not deceive the independence of the project. All “blood enmity” is drawn on itself that it has long become signature chips of the authors of the “witcher”: aesthetics, presentation and texts.
A fairy tale for the night
I don't know why, but I did not expect a worthy plot from the game. And in the end, it was thanks to him that the “blood enmity” did not spend my time in vain. The Queen Majow Campaign in the Second Nilfgaard War echoes the penultimate novel "Saga about a witcher" , "The lady of the lake" , – And not only events, but also with the spirit. Maeva, like the book Geralt, faces a seemingly insurmountable problem and goes on a campaign in order to attract as many allies as possible and repuls the Nilfhaard occupiers. And along the way, of course, he meets new Sopartians and solves the problems of the local population.
Mauche satellites are slightly superficial, but charismatic is all like a selection. I want to chat with them constantly, but, alas, they have not many replicas as we would like
The script itself is simple as a stick, but it was not required more from it. You won’t find incredible plot turns in “blood hostility” (although I admit, a couple of times it surprised me), because history lures not with its turns, but with imagery and color – the favorite instruments of Pan Sapkovsky. The developers focused not on the end point of the path, but on the very journey, having stuffed even so modest and closed (by the standards of the “witcher”) under the tie, with trifles, personalities, situations and difficult dilemma.
Therefore, although I knew how it would end, it was still interesting to follow what was happening on the screen. The events have an illusory, but the meaning, weight is exclusively thanks to the efforts of the scriptwriters. The Mavi army every few minutes falls into alteration, and no matter how much he loves Geralt from two evils, Mave, on the duty of the monarch, you will have to choose constantly. Swing their soldiers with hunger or embrace the already suffered peasants? Actually commit a war crime or give Nilfhaard an advantage? Whether to indulge one of the Sopartians, just so that he does not leave?
The peaceful troll and its "gift". There are only a couple of similar situations in the game, but everyone is breaking through to laugh
Naturally, all solutions have consequences. Sometimes instant, sometimes – delayed, but (most often) insignificant. Took pity on the elf, whom the tramps were beaten on the city square? A surprise, beaten for a reason-the elf was a spy of Szoy’taeal; Now he will pay for your kindness, poisoning part of the soldiers. True, this will not affect the development of the plot. Just an ugolchik in your back, so you know how much a pound. But even such urgenchiks are enough to plunge in the situation and think about solutions sometimes for 10-15 minutes.
Important detail: All dialogs in the game are voiced. The localization is not perfect, but it helps to imbue the events – thanks to the narrator, for example, in Divinity: Original Sin 2
I can shower narrative designers with compliments for a day, but in a nutshell the narrative of “blood enmity” can be described as follows: affordable and pleasant. Nothing superfluous. It is built so that you sailed with the flow without hesitation at all, as if you are reading the book at three in the morning. It instantly addicts, thanks to a wonderful visual design and soundtrack. It seems to be simple, but with a sustained sense of taste, with style. And, answering an unnecessary question: yes, the story reminds of the "witcher". But not characters or scope, but rather a mood. Manner.
Unfortunately, this is what puts the cross on the “blood hostility” as on an expensive and pompous advertisement “Gwint”.
Cards for three hundred
Until now, I haven't said anything about gameplay, because there is practically nothing to talk about. Each of the five acts of the plot unfolds on a separate map: Liria, AEDIDIRN, Mahakam, Angren and Rivia. They are perfectly painted, but there is nothing to do on them. The structure of the acts is the same: you start in one corner of the card and slowly march in the other until the game dialogue window orders to stop.
The camping camp will eventually be enriched with functions and new tents, but there is not too much meaning in it. Pumping is rudimentary: Know yourself improve the buildings to shove more pumped cards into the deck
Formally you can explore the area, but in fact there is almost no research. This is not a royal thing – to shy down the mud: just pay the scouts a penny, and they will celebrate all interesting places for you on the map. All that remains will reach them. In other words, the movement on the global map could be calmly replaced by the same animation in about Yska on the march, a la The Banner Saga, and the game would not have lost anything. On the contrary, without isometry, artists would have more scope for creativity.
But damn it with him. The discharge of the march is discharged exactly two things: beautiful plot scenes and … "Guint". And just with him, with the main (as planned) point of the agenda, the game has big problems.
The game, to put it mildly, does not bother much with a mile and convenience of information
The essence of the vast majority of well games, regardless of mechanical subtleties, is unchanged: collect your own deck and check how it will manifest itself in action. The beauty of the genre is revealed not only in the process of the party itself, but in everything that precedes it. Within Temptation. Have you picked up synergies correctly? Will it work? Did you think about the most obvious "counterattack"? How to rebuild the deck after a deafening defeat, so as not to step on the same rake again?
If we consider “blood enmity” from this point of view, as the Ambassador of the Great Gwint, it fails with a bang. In theory, in order to attract the audience, she should show all the most exciting aspects of mechanics. The variety of strategies and accessible tactics, unimaginably cunning interactions of cards, luck, excitement, rage! But none of this.
The field sometimes looks loaded and full of tactical information, but this is all a fiction. Make him units stronger, and victory in your pocket. No tricks or tricks
The list of chips, of course, indicates “more than 250 cards”, but do not be deceived: you will get a third of them in your hands in your hands. Everything else is in the hands of AI-Bolvanchiks. Among the available cards, unusual specimens come across, but you can not even think about some intelligible column building. No matter how hard you try, at the exit you will still get the same aggro-column. So, no actual diversity is only imaginary.
In this case, probably, opponents constantly throw surprises in battles, and you need to find an approach to each with small forces? Alas, no. Monsters, Skoy’tai and Nilfgaardians behave approximately the same and do not abandon absolutely no call. In 18 hours of passage, I felt the need to rebuild the deck twice, and both times – on fights with bosses. And then I solved problems not by the capital revision of tactics, but by removing literally one or two cards.
Removal! Half a kingdom for a mass removal!
In ordinary battles there is absolutely no variety and depth. The fact itself drives me crazy: CD Projekt Red is trying to advertise Gwint, showing how bored it. And bored with their diligence. Having strongly embarrassed the player in capabilities, they show him only the top of the iceberg, on which nothing remarkable happens at all. Because of this, the user's attention immediately switches to something more exciting: plot. And you are waiting in the end not another dull battles, but a conversation with comrades in the tent.
In other words, “blood enmity” is trying to attract a new audience to “gwint”, offering something that is not in it and has never been.
Naturally, the white wolf will look at the light. Where without him?
It is doubly disappointed because the “blood enmity” is not afraid to experiment at times at times. Many quests, in addition to money and resources, give either a new card or its fragment: find the remaining ones – replenish the deck. Simple and understandable reward. Moreover, some of your decisions directly affect the power of available cards. Satellites are not just talking heads. These are your "legends". And if you do something that they do not like, the Sopartian will leave, slamming the door, and you will lose a good card. Or vice versa: if you earn the trust of the character, his card will become much stronger than the standard version.
What did the technique reach! Your Hearthstone Now both here and there are shown!
But the main find of the studio is puzzles. Special battles with a given deck and conditions, kind of chess tasks for understanding the mechanic. If ordinary battles cause boredom, then puzzles, on the contrary, regularly throw something new. It is they who show the true flexibility of the Gwint mechanic and prove that the engine is able to generate difficult situations over and over again, without using hundreds of cards. Some of them are tied to mathematics, others-for positioning cards. But the solution is always painful. I felt like an idiot when I was able to solve one of these puzzles, only showing the screen to a colleague. And it was great.
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"Blood enmity" creates an interesting precedent in the industry. CD Projekt Red deserves praise for not “finishing” the single to the old IP through the sleeves, but approached the matter with all responsibility. However, it is the binding to the Gwinta that creates an internal conflict tearing the game into parts.
There are too few cards and “Gwint” for his hardcore fans, but at the same time there are too many “unnecessary cards” for those who came for history. Therefore, the game is in principle to recommend to anyone. Especially given colossal (in my opinion) an overstated price tag of 1000 rubles.
“Blood enmity” is unlikely to cause you a desire to play “Guint”, but she satisfies the longing for a typically “witcher” plot. And this is small, but still success.