I haven’t read any of the original literature. My knowledge of the Witcher comes from the three video games. I wasn’t too fond of the first one, the second was better, and I really enjoyed the third. I really like Geralt in the game. I like his voice actor. I also enjoyed the collaboration that was done to add him into Monster Hunter: World. That was quite fitting to put the two together.
However, the game’s voice actor for Geralt is not in the show. Although, Henry Cavill does a pretty good job of being Geralt, at least I think so. He speaks kind of like the voice actor in the game, giving Geralt a gruffy kind of sound. I’m pretty sure I read or saw something some where that said Cavill was actually a fan of the Witcher before taking the role and that he wanted to change his voice a bit to match. He is a gamer, actually.
Yennifer was one of my favorite characters in the game, so I was surprised to find out her origin story. I did not know it was so significant. I don’t want to give any spoilers, but you may not recognize her the first time you see her in the show, or at least until someone calls her by name. By then, you’ll wonder what the difference is, which you’ll learn eventually.
Triss Merigold is also in the show. She teams up with Geralt to solve a monster mystery. This episode reminded me of Game of Thrones. Speaking of which, the two shows have some similarities such as “adult” language and nudity. So, this show isn’t “for kids.” Triss later teams up with Yennifer and other sorceresses.
Dandelion is in the show, too, but I don’t think he’s ever called by that name. You’ll know who he is though, he’s the only bard that seeks Geralt’s companionship. I really love his song, "Toss A Coin To Your Witcher." I think it's quite catchy. Search for it on Google. Of course, Roach, Geralt’s horse is there, too.
Of course Ciri is in the show as well. The first season will help you learn about how and why they are bonded, which I thought was good. If I remember correctly, this story differed in the third video game. She's special, not just because she's a princess. You'll see (hint: and hear).
One of the most confusing parts about season one is the timeline. I watched one episode that had a character in it that died and then saw that character again in a later episode. I wondered if it was a twin, but I ended up finding out that we were shown timelines out of chronological order. You’ll see this happen more than once, but when it finally happens, you’ll pretty much understand it. It’s basically just there to give you the perspective of another character at that time, but that first time it happened was rather confusing.
Of course there are also monsters and magic. You get sight of a monster right off the bat, within the first ten minutes of episode one. You’ll see magic later, although it’s more focused around the sorceresses like Yennifer and Triss. Geralt does use it, but not very much. He also drinks potions some times. One thing to point out about magic, too, is the overall understanding that magical use comes with a price (not monetary).
I strongly recommend watching the video posted on the New Rockstars YouTube channel after watching season one. It will clue you into the timeline confusion and point out some things that you may have overlooked, including things that were in the game. You can find it here: https://youtu.be/EkZir-2mjf0
I am looking forward to seeing more of this series and I hope it does well. I think it could. I believe it was received well and I know for certain that it caused a spike on Steam of people buying and playing the third game.
Promoting this to main.
Awesome! Man, I love that song, I think I'll go listen to it again. There's a "metal" cover, too!