I Talk For Far Too Long About The Witcher | A Retrospective

Hey Dad,
This week we'll be taking our first big step into The Witcher series. Let's dive deep into this game and see if The Witcher stands the test of time.
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CHAPTERS
Intro 0:00
Development 2:39
Notes 6:59
Prologue: It's All About Video Games 13:16
Chapter 1: Begin Again 55:13
Chapter 2: A Mystery 1:29:35
Chapter 3: Secrets & Conflict 1:53:55
Chapter 4: A Mystical Detour 2:10:34
Chapter 5: The End & The Beginning 2:25:54
Epilogue: It's All About Monsters 2:34:07
Final Thoughts 2:43:43
Outro/Credits 2:46:13

[@YourFavoriteSon1]

How do you feel about The Witcher? ⚔

[@li32150]

Good games, not a great TV series (Henry Cavil and Joey Batey were great though) and I hate the books. Since I read the Elric of melnibone saga before I read the witcher books (loved the saga) then played the game before I read the witcher books, I came intro the series with high hopes only to realise everything about Geralt and his world was almost all plagiarised, and that the things i did like only came from the games.

[@HasanBabasi]

Didn't play the first one, the second was so confusing to play that I never finished, the third i like but geralts run animation is so ugly that i can't play.

[@BL00DYME55]

@@HasanBabasi This comment tells me all I need to know about you lol. Witcher 2 is too confusing? Was it your first video game ever? And if a single animation turned you off Witcher 3, one of the best RPGs of all time, I don't think the issue is with the game. PEBKAC!

[@HasanBabasi]

@@BL00DYME55 🤣are you autistic?

[@Rylands-Rhodecus]

Played the second randomly because one of my best friends randomly gave me the game and i fell in love. Then i played the 3rd in front of my 86+ year old Grandpa and he just thought i was showing him a movie. He loved it as far as i know. I never got to play the first but i shall when the remake comes out eventually

[@jacobsquare4812]

Son, we don't care if everyone else has made a video about it. We love your perspectives, the part of you that you put into your work!

[@don_shoti804]

Now that’s a good father lol 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾

[@kikicoot]

Epic dad moment

[@ThommyofThenn]

Nicely said. If we love a channel and the style the host has, they can read the phone book and we will be there for it. This one channel was playing a game I'd seen videos about probably dozens of times. But that particular channel approached the game from a unique angle that I had come to love the channel for so I enjoyed very much

[@dougtheheavy]

Your dad is right, Son. We're proud of your work and we'll always appreciate its depth and sincerity.

[@spicyluvsyou]

W​ to w😂😂

[@Loli-Knight]

I gotta say Son, while your more typical hour or so long videos are just fine I do like these really long ones where you're just given so much more time to delve into something.

[@YourFavoriteSon1]

Lately I've been able to focus on one project at a time and make longer videos, which I really like as well. Going to try and keep that the standard moving forward.

[@glowyrm]

​@@YourFavoriteSon1I know this just came out, but are you able to say if the next ones are far off or was work on them started before this one even finished, if that makes sense? I'm happy rewatching this for a while if they are still a ways off :)

[@YourFavoriteSon1]

@@glowyrm Working on the second one already, but it will be a bit. Have a lot of other projects already in the works first. But I promise the series will be done by Q1 2024.

[@RIlianP]

The thing about Geralt is he does take sides, however this sides are just always the sides of the people he cares about, the Witcher code is just a façade, a way to stop people of harassing him into their petty squabbles, try to recruit him as an assassin or worse a spy. By pretending there is a actually a Witcher code he keeps everyone, but those closest to him away and insures an aura of professionalism into himself, so those who hire him to do apply his trade have some modicum of respect for him.

[@elgatochurro]

yeah, hard to take a side when you're just a copy paste of another character

[@hocuspocus111]

at least i now know somebody will release a 2 hours + video about the witcher 3 by the end of next year

[@Kiwi-Araga]

This comment, luckily, aged like milk. You underestimated Your Favorite Son.

[@ShyFonzi]

I'll call it now. This man will release a Witcher 3 video before Joseph Anderson

[@Manleydanley]

Couldnt be prouder of you. Injured my shoulder reaching for a cord this morning, very kind of you to upload this for your old man. Youll always be my favorite son.

[@Nachosbroheem]

Somewhere in Canada, for no obvious reason that he could discern, Joseph Anderson just had a shiver run up his spine. Fantastic video son.

[@jcdenton2907]

Hey man I just wanted to let you know that your retrospectives are really good and you have a great presentation and speaking voice. I know you'll keep growing and you deserve all the success that's coming your way

[@TheMechaMessiah]

Almost 3 hours of my favorite son talking about The Witcher? I ❤ you. Can't wait to see the rest of the series as well! --MechaDad

[@YourFavoriteSon1]

Hope you like the video!

[@Demon-cleaver]

After rewatching Joseph Anderson's Witcher 1+2 videos (the sum of which are a little over 9 hours combined) over and over again in the wait for his Witcher 3 video promised to be 10+ hours, an option to listen to a different person with a similar breadth of knowledge, decent takes, and a pleasant voice is a breath of fresh air. Here's hoping you get to make and upload your video before he does, cause that guy has been frustratingly unaccommodating for the past 3 years.

[@Viroh]

Sounds pretty autistic

[@neocores]

1:39:09 'a dwarf that has lost control of his bank' and his beard too

[@Nosttromo]

I think that not telling the player directly that Jacques was Alvin is a brilliant move. It rewards players who paid attention, while serving as an extra detail for those who didn't, who will eventually come to this realization.

[@aristoddle8932]

Man taking on Joseph Anderson at his own game Godspeed my guy

[@justinsmith9213]

Honestly man, having a really bad and and just sitting and chilling to you talking about games I love help so much. Thanks so much for all your work.

[@Skotzenn]

As someone who's attempted to produce an episodic KZbin channel I continue to be baffled about how you manage such a volume of output at the quality you do. Seriously well-made.

[@photographerleia]

This is the game that taught me to stop "playing" and start feeling a character. The structure of consequences within the game made it impossible to "correct" the "wrong decision" without losing hours and hours of play. That is if you even had a save back that far. Also, there were very few "correct" decisions. Before playing this in '09 I often reloaded conversations in games that didn't go as intended. I'd also either go all "good" or all "bad" so I could take advantage of the benefits that come with each. The Witcher 1 is the definitive point in my life where I stopped doing that. I began living with unintended decisions (even if it was due to bad game design) and I focused on character based choices instead of achievement based ones. Most CRPGs aren't made with that in mind, but I've found my personal overall experience to be much better in the long run. This is a flawed game with flawed mechanics and structure, but easily #1 or #2 on my list depending on my mood. CDPR has talked about plans to revive/re-release this game and I honestly hope that happens. I'm not a a huge fan of that generally, but more people need a chance to experience The Witcher. I can't blame those people for finding the original unapproachable. Even in '09 I barely made it though Kaer Morhen before putting it back on a shelf for months. Only force of will, and perhaps a healthy dose of boredom, made me give it a second try. Best thing I've ever done from a video gaming stand point. 11/10 Will Play Again.

[@awsomeboy360]

I agree. This game is pretty insane and most folks have no idea what happens in it since they start with Witcher 3 and even play Witcher 2.

[@Trinthegay]

I could honestly listen to you talk about dirt, your voice is so soothing. And I love how detailed you get about everything you talk about. As someone who has never played any Witcher games, or hell, even watched the show (I am pretty obsessed with Cavill though) you've got me hooked.

[@BtheVictor2015]

1:41:39 when you say Ciri, apparently you have a close enough voice to me that my phone thinks I’m asking for Siri! Love the video, and keep up the good work. 😂

[@picahudsoniaunflocked5426]

1:54:41 Those wildflowers + other flora in the background look so wonderful I want to lie down in them. Like I can almost feel + smell the greenery.

[@scbgamingpresents]

"I won't pull a Joseph Anderson" We really need more people calling him out on that promised (and paid for) Witcher 3 Anyway, this was a fantastic watch, I've not played this since the Enhanced Edition was released and it took me right back

[@Shane_Bozelie]

As you stated at the end, this game is not about fighting monster, but about fighting evil. And the quote from the last wish summarized it best: “Evil is Evil. Lesser, greater, middling… Makes no difference. The degree is arbitary. The definition’s blurred. If I’m to choose between one evil and another… I’d rather not choose at all.” ― Andrzej Sapkowski, The Last Wish

[@alexsingh9942]

Your videos are actually just in a different class, so much information and so cleanly delivered. Can’t wait for the next part, Love the videos man.

[@stevejakab274]

One amusing thing about The Witcher is it's the source of the PC Master Race/Console Peasant meme, from the review by Yahtzee Crowshaw. Also, the hair glitching can evidently be fixed by adjusting the vsync settings of your graphics card.

[@aintsam9952]

23:27 this animation is actually pretty cool. Never seen that before

[@eppinizer]

Joseph Anderson peers at you from across the void, a solemn look on his face as he determines your fate. It is time for judgement. Ignore me, Son, I'm sick and loopy today. Thanks for the content!

[@onelilred5171]

Hi Son, I'm so glad you're making this series! I love all of your in-depth retrospect videos. Keep up the great work. We are proud of you :)

[@Makverus]

1:42:09 Apparently, Sapkowski didn't allow them to use Yen or Ciri in the first game. At least, that's what I've read. Some people think that Truss originaly was supposed to be Yen, that's why she has some of that patented "Yennefer bitchinees" in her.

[@sontahj3508]

I love the mix of content on your channel lately thanks for another banger cant wait to watch.

[@YourFavoriteSon1]

Glad you're enjoying it!

[@cormoran2303]

I remember getting it on release, well before the enhanced edition patch. The janky dialogue was glorious! The story was intriguing and the focus on potions was very different to what I was used to in fantasy RPGs. Been my favourite game series ever since. I grabbed up the books as soon as they were translated, too. Were you able to get a hold of the Polish Wiedzmin TV show? It's cheap as heck but I actually prefer it to the Netflix show.

[@paradigmcoterie2606]

Im a big fan of retrospectives as a genre of content and i must say yours are among my fav. I watch every video when i see them post as quick as i can. Keep up the good work son.

[@whynot8837]

Please continue this series!! I love your takes and setup of the videos sm

[@earlofderp687]

I hope making these long videos are worth it for you because I really enjoy them.

[@Beeyo176]

Oh lord the full retrospective video is gonna take a full workday to watch Good job Son

[@mustardmagee7342]

Joseph Anderson has failed me, I knew my son wouldn’t.

[@Neko123Uchiha]

Ohh, a Witcher retrospective! Looking forward to the other two games, with The Witcher 3 being my all-time favorite game. I think the biggest strength of The Witcher 1 is its atmosphere, and especially the music. Man, I just love the music in this game so much! The story is also surprisingly good, I actually enjoyed this more than the second game. It can be clunky at times, but the narrative is great. Truly underrated, and I hope the upcoming remake will let more people experience this game.

[@genemcallister2697]

Your best video yet. This goes deeper than your other reviews and has some keen insight. Keep up the good work!

[@takeOnlyGreatness]

FINALLY. I've literally been waiting for this from you. So happy to see it, good shit, son.

[@lukebaker1998]

Well son you did your old man proud. Oh and I love the witcher games. Played 2 and 3 to death, loved them both!!

[@trazymachzchalkedonu1545]

I'm really glad to have found your channel. You're covering all the most important titles of my childhood. Solid nostaliga trip. I wonder about your take on the second Witcher.

[@iNNoitora]

I have waited for this series to be on Your channel Son. Good work.

[@michaelcohill2261]

Great another Witcher video *sees who made it* ayyy! A Witcher video!

[@TheProtosnipe]

Oh man I just finished the Witcher last week this is pefect!

[@YourFavoriteSon1]

Hope you like the video!

[@SGTHedrick]

Another amazing video Son. All your dads are so proud of you.

[@VasaYaga]

Excited to hear about this, ive only ever played Witcher 3. Thanks, Son!

[@zachthompson9976]

I tried so many times to get I to this game over the years, the first being back on release. Sadly I've always bounced of it, but I'm still so grateful for it. The world was so interesting that I decided to give the book a shot, and continued reading them as they released in English. It quickly became my favorite book series and the wit her 2 became one of my favorite games when it released. Had a lot of fun with the Witcher 3 as well but 2 is def my favorite. It just felt more like the world I had spent so much time reading about than 3

[@daxydankage]

Finally! I will talk no smack because life happens to all of us but Joseph Anderson left me TWEAKING for a full retrospective on this series. I absolutely love your work and can't wait to see your side and opinions on the Witcher!

[@TheKarabanera]

17:35 - Geralt's white hair is not the result of normal witcher mutations. If anything, he handled the "normal" mutations the best out of all witchers, that's why he was selected for extra mutations. THOSE ONES are responsible for his trademark white hair. Also - pure Igni build is so overpowered by Chapter 4 you don't even need to draw your sward most of the time.

[@ZERODIS0]

I’m 90 mins in, you are killing it!!! Love your work. I am big Witcher fan. The books is probably my fave series. I can’t wait for the next video, part 3 better be 5 hours 😂

[@mattfick5502]

Son, I really enjoyed The Witcher. It was one of the first PC exclusives I really got into. It was flawed, but I had a great time. But my favorite memory is unique to me. There's an... Adults-only reward to a quest in the village area. You need to escort a woman somewhere, and she tells you to meet at the mill for a reward. From then on, "Going to the mill" became my term for all the rambunctious conquests that followed. It's a term I love using, but never can, because it would take so long to explain. Looking forward to your Witcher 2 video, proud of you son.

[@Makverus]

I'm gonna fall asleep to this video for so many nights!

[@NoobFromRomania]

Same😅

[@epyjacek]

What a great video! Took me through memory lane as well.

[@mordi9286]

I have never played or read anything about The Witcher but I'm completely sold by your way of talking about games with its stories interlinked as an overview of the media.

[@spinningjesus]

As o Polish person with somewhat close ties to the fandom and being familiar with Sapkowski's writing really well, I can unfortunately say that you are wrong - we do not think of him as our Tolkien and we do not hold him in high regard. Most of the folks really love the books, the games and the lore, but not the person because he just is not a very pleasant person. In fact, he was frequently banned from conventions for insulting press and sexist remarks. THIS IS NOT a call to cancel the guy in any regard, rather a sad realisation that even the best authors can be really unpleasant human beings...

[@blairfujin]

Oh I remember the first thing about him as a person and not about his books... it was my uni roommate calling him a greedy old prick

[@nemesissombria]

Sometimes, good books are written by shitty authors

[@UwUImShio]

Not necessarily related but the only thing putting me off from reading the books is the sex/sexism. I can take unlimited gore and emotional hardship in fiction but sex is a big trigger of mine and the first book literally starts with an explicit scene like c'mon

[@nemesissombria]

@@UwUImShio you should probably steer away from smut books then.

[@UwUImShio]

@@nemesissombria the thing is, I sometimes read explicit stuff for the exact purpose of "exposure therapy", but when I get emotionally invested in a character it feels bad to see them in bed (pun intended). It's complicated and I've yet to understand exactly what or why some things trigger me and others don't. But yeah I should stay away from that stuff

[@manashieldmedia]

You giving honest critique and retrospectives is helping me design my game. Appreciate these

[@stephenblackman9462]

I don't think I ever would of got around to playing this game so I'm very thankful for your anaylsis on it, thank you for the upload Son :)

[@chrisditoro3876]

I missed this when it first came out! So excited to hear what you’ve got to say son!

[@DonutSwordsman]

This is an amazing critique deep dive. Super cozy and a must watch imo

[@gillianlangtree9203]

Love this game and your video of it. I am going to have to play it asap... Had a long comment about everything it made me feel and think about it but it went away so to sum up - game is awesome and deep and so is your take, thank you again

[@pdpMASTERP]

Man the hair wigging out in every cut scene tho😂🎉🎉 ICANT

[@ragingchaosgod]

Incidentally, I just started playing The Witcher 3 so this is timely! Thanks for the catchup with the first game, Son. Love your work.

[@awsomeboy360]

Love this game. It might even top Witcher 3 in story department. I wonder how they're going to do the remake. I know it's going to be open world, but beyond that what else? I'm sure damn happy that we're getting more of Geralt.

[@Nehonat]

"The books are a step above the games, and EVEN above the Netflix show", come on, man!

[@DmT922ha]

Loved this video but honestly, I think the games are a step above the books...

[@IAMPAUL2021]

Damn you! Now you’ve made me want to replay this game (which I played when it released). Well, there goes my summer. That shelf she wants will have to wait.

[@AngelofGrace96]

this was super informative, I've always heard people talkin about how the Witcher games were the best games ever, but I didn't know much about them. This was so in depth!

[@phyynproductions]

best parts of the video- the hair and janky physics. I love seeing Gerald swing wildly while his limps clip through each other and laugh hard at jiggles like 1:05:02

[@jolanpiep]

I assume this is the start of reviewing all Witcher games. I'm very excited. The Witcher 3 is my favorite game of all time and I look forward to hearing your praises and critiques. Good luck, son!

[@YourFavoriteSon1]

Of course! 2nd one is next

[@lurtiskoe]

cant lie i loved this game back in the day. good summery my guy

[@smok40]

Chapter 4 is Polish Romantic poetry meets Arthurian legends meets Lovercraft. It is absolutely brilliant and one of the most creative storytelling in gaming I have ever seen.

[@beebomcgroober9316]

The weird hair glitches can be fixed either by using external v-sync or by limiting your frame rate to whatever your monitor's refresh rate is.

[@YourFavoriteSon1]

I unfortunately only found this out about half way through my first playthrough.

[@picahudsoniaunflocked5426]

Honestly I'm really enjoying the jank.

[@AD3SPG]

Son1 you could never talk too much about anything, enjoyed this even tho others have covered the witcher this is my first time watching and listening to retrospective of the original.

[@vever042]

Thank you, this game's still worth it today and I still love it.

[@k92ful]

As always thank you for your videos

[@gondorianman]

YOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT I NEEDED TODAY! son always comes in clutch 😏

[@DeprestonTM]

Thank you son, this is a perfect gift to listen to during work

[@Nilnot]

I’m glad you got a lot out of looking at this. Curious to hear about the next game because I beat this one, but in the next game I just could not figure out combat

[@thekraken4886]

I can't wait for this entire series!!

[@suawomir]

Oh, Son. Respect. Thank you for your great work in creating this video. Thank you for paying a well-deserved tribute to Sapkowski, whose The Witcher deserves to be known. Thank you for talking about games whose creators wrote great sequels to the books. you beautifully showed that knowing the books brings the quality of the game to a higher level, that it is worth knowing the books before starting the game. I can feel the passion for the witcher in your voice. I also love Sapkowski's work, greetings from Poland. And I recommend Netflix's desecration to everyone as an incentive to read books. now you understand why Henry Cavill left. He loved this story too❤

[@iseein4d]

Nice surprise, my evening is booked. Looking forward to watching, son.

[@jamesabernethy7896]

You could have warned me that this would be a long one, something in the title or a disclaimer at the start. Sheesh! Seriously thought, great video. I love long videos like this and it does take talent and effort to keep it engaging for nearly 3 hours. Witcher was one of those games that skipped me by, I was aware of it but never picked it up. I fell i love with Dragon Age because of Mass Effect, I played a few RPG's but generally they weren't my jam. Fantastic work.

[@joeflosion]

Daaaamn son,you friggen killed it with this

[@powderedbuns8251]

I honestly love the graphics… it captures that era perfectly! I miss those days

[@MelancholicKnight_]

I played through all the Witcher games myself in one big go a few years ago. I had played Witcher 3 to completion before and loved it but all of the others were new experiences for me. I really enjoyed all 3 and each have something to love that is unique about them. This is the absolute best review/retrospective I've seen on Witcher 1! You did it justice, loved this, looking forward to the other videos coming out on Witcher 2 and 3! Do you think you're gonna cover the spin off Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales? I still have yet to play it but it looks great too!

[@lukeserrinha7423]

Man i live for your viceos keep it up

[@LiminalMan777]

This is definitely enough to warrant my investing in your Patreon

[@mrl2h2]

Played this a few years ago and absolutely loved it, the clunkiness is a big part of the charm for me

[@AlexanderGriff]

just what I needed , thanks 🙏🥂

[@YourFavoriteSon1]

Hope you like it!

[@hansschoefisch2200]

Great video man

[@eS_35]

Great video son, waiting for the other two

[@1mlister]

The best thing about Dice Poker is the music. Wish they'd kept it for later games

[@lopezalehandro1666]

Ah its videos like this that make time fly when im tinkering with stuff.

[@gaalanonim4503]

Witcher 1 is the part I've beaten the most times out of the entire trilogy - 5 full playthroughs. I adore it greatly and I can NOT wait for the remake, because I know a lot of people bounced right off W1 due to how dated it looked. And it has so much lore, such a great story, a lot of amazing dialogues which I hope a broader audience can appreciate :) The whole investigation in 2nd Act is one of my favorite questlines of the whole trilogy truthfully - it was amazing. Confusing, hard, expecting things of me I didn't know how to do at the time of my first encounter. I was still in grade school playing it for the first time.

[@ronaldood4678]

My absolute favourite of the whole series. I love 2 and 3 for different reasons, but this captured so much magic of the books and the gameplay was unique for a CRPG. Excited to watch. Which if you haven’t read the books yet “son” you should give them a go, easy reads and really gripping.

[@YourFavoriteSon1]

The books were fantastic! Read them for this video, and they were a great read.

[@ronaldood4678]

@@YourFavoriteSon1 fantastic. Cheers mate, can’t wait to hear your thoughts.

[@onatgz]

Dear Mr. Son, Thank you for your great effort on this video. It must have taken an enormous amount of work to write, record, voice and edit. I've really enjoyed it. Best regards,

[@rjnash2610]

DAD?!?!?! Come home pls... ..It's been 14 years.

[@marshallr.8121]

I do seem to remember reading about ciri in this game, i remembered some stuff that was written about here when i played the witcher 3 years later not a big part or anything, but she is definitely mentioned at least that one time in the first game

[@FPoP1911]

Ooh a ray of Sonshine... right what I needed.

[@magneteco]

The hair physics in the first Witcher game are wildin'.

[@Accurate_Vision]

My favourite book series. I even have a custom tat of the wolf medallion and signs that takes up 3/4 of my forearm. Super excited to watch your perspective on it!

[@YourFavoriteSon1]

Hope you like the video!

[@boezerdieser]

Cant wait for this when i go to sleep later ❤