The Witcher is well-suited to play Reigns’ Tinder-like role

I never knew how easy it was to die in an orgy. But this is just one of the many threats Geralt of Rivia faces in his latest adventure. The studio is behind the Yesod A series of “choose your own adventure” games similar to Tinder I have adapted now The witcherafter a handful of original titles and Take on game of thrones. For François Alliot, Creative Director at… Yesod Studio Nerial, the structure of the series actually makes it a perfect way to ease players into sprawling fantasies like this. “There’s something about the way you can bring really complex universes and lore and stories into simple actions,” he says. “It can work in a lot of contexts.”

What makes Yesod Very approachable is the way every action is converted into a binary option. As you play, cards are presented to you, and you can advance either by swiping right or left. in case The witcherFor example, a dwarf might ask Geralt for protection, and your options are simply to say yes or no and then deal with the consequences. Each run through the game involves making a number of these decisions to progress through the story until you die.

The idea was to Covenants: The Witcher To work on two levels. For existing fans, it’s a fun way to get around and experience the world. “It’s not new Witcher“But for those who might be intimidated by the franchise, which spans numerous books, games and TV shows, it’s also a good place to start,” notes Elliott. “It works well as an entry point because you can really feel the tone of the world and the rules, or lack thereof,” says narrative designer Oscar Harrington-Shaw. “But you don’t have to commit to a complex RPG.”

There are several aspects to Yesod The formula had to be modified to work with it The witcher. One of the core conceits in gaming is that you can die; originally Yesod You played the role of king, and when that was over you were chosen as their successor. But that doesn’t really work when you’re playing a character like Geralt who can’t die. So you’re not playing as Geralt; Instead, you are his bard friend Dandelion, who sings tales of Geralt’s exploits that may or may not be true. This allowed the Nerial team to “liberate ourselves from tradition,” as Elliott describes it, and enjoy things. This is especially evident in deaths, which come in the form of the aforementioned orgies or even from Geralt drinking himself into an early grave.

“It really helped in two ways,” Harrington Shaw says of coming up with the dandelion idea, which came from discussions with Witcher CD Project RED studio. “One is that it helps explain the episode; it gives a really cool ending point. And we can have a lot of fun deaths because it’s just a satisfying ending to a song. But we think it adds a really fun tension because you’re playing as Geralt and trying to survive, but you’re also trying to write good content.”

While playing, this setup made me more open to experimenting. Instead of trying to roleplay as Geralt, I often made strange choices just to see what happened. This in turn helps unlock new stories, giving some reward for making the seemingly wrong decision. Even an early death can lead to an interesting place in the future.

Another notable addition in Covenants: The Witcher It is a combat system. It won’t be so The witcher Not only was Geralt slaying some monsters, but the idea of ​​battles also had the potential to complicate a otherwise simplistic game. Yesod building. The team settled on a kind of rhythm game, where you move Geralt side to side on the board to attack or avoid monsters. What makes this system work within limits Yesod is that you are still using the same commands; Whether you’re making a pivotal decision or staring down a Striga, it all boils down to swiping left or right.

Despite these changes, Harrington Shaw says so The witcher The universe is almost suitable for Yesod With its dark humor and bleak world filled with opposing factions. But more important than that is the master magician himself. “Geralt is always faced with these difficult binary choices,” he says. “world The witcher Full of ambiguous and gray morals, the translation seems perfect.

_{Covenants: The Witcher Available now on computers and mobile phones.}