Three Things That Make the Witcher a Superb Game to Television Adaptation

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The Witcher has had a long progression. Starting as a series of books, it was then adapted into a highly successful videogame. With these instalments, it was then turned into a television series, leaving the screenwriters to filter through the huge canon to handpick the best moments. Arguably one of the best games for television adaptions, we give three reasons why it worked so well below.

The Sense of Humour

As a character, Geralt is quite a dour character inhabiting a grim world. Yet throughout the game, there is an inherent sense of dry humour. Luckily, the television show producers noticed this and did brilliantly when placing it onscreen. Much of this comes from Jaskier, who is a perfect counterpoint to the lead.

One thing that wasn’t alluded to, or seldom was, are the game’s many glitches. The game became known for its bugs, many of which went on to become an integral part of the Witcher canon. Included in CyberghostVPN’s top ten video game glitches, one of those is Roach, Geralt’s trusty steed, and their ability to defy physics. You can often see her in the game walking through walls, or more famously, standing on rooftops. The studio’s excuse was that the original design was so good it gave people motion sickness, so they had to adjust it to be more glitchy. A nod to this or its many glitches in the series would have been undoubtedly hilarious.

The Characters 

Another reason the show had a fantastic adaptation was the love it gave to its characters. Geralt gives little away, so much of the show’s warmth came from the interesting people around him. While Jaskier offers the laughs, other characters like Mousesack are killed off despite staying alive in the game. Yet this is always done to further plot points. Unlike Game of Throne’s last two seasons where characters were quickly offed for little reason other than contracts were ending, characters like Mousesack have meaningful deaths.

Other characters are given large roles to make the plot thicker. Minor characters like Duny the Hedgehog suddenly end up tying into the larger political atmosphere. This minor character ends up being the heir to Nilfgaard.

Final Narrative

Many people did not like the multiple timelines at play in the Netflix adaptation of The Witcher series. It could often leave a single episode confusing, with little closure and few reasons to draw you back next time. This is not that different from the game, where sprawling sidequests can often obscure the main plot. Yet in the end, they all converged perfectly to make a perfect ending.

Once the moment hit that showed the timelines converging, the show began to hit its stride. It managed to get the right blend of chronological hopping and moved into a steady pace show that left people clamouring for the next series.

Of course, there are many other reasons why it was so great. With a new actor in the lead, if the show continues its arc it may just go from strength to strength. Stay tuned for more action from The Witcher.