1. The Witcher
John Ussery Intintolo

2. Background for the Games
Not technically original game series; Adaption of a series of short stories and novels of the same name, by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski
Has also been adapted into a film, television series, and graphic novel series
Games are extension of the original story, but are not considered ‘sequels’
Developed by CD Projekt RED, published by Atari
Known for having an innovative delayed-consequences decisions system
Regarded as having a set of interesting combat systems, as each game has significant differences but all are well-received

3. Background for the Story
Set in medieval-fantasy world that draws heavily from Polish history and Slavic mythology
Follows the adventures of Geralt of Rivia, a Witcher, a.k.a “White Wolf”, just after the events in the novels
Witchers: Monster hunters, monster-like, and generally abhorred but regularly hired by the public
First game begins with Geralt having lost his memory, creating interesting dynamic of the player discovering the world as Geralt re-discovers his
Narrative is formed by “Chapters” the player plays through, the context of which gets narrated by Dandelion, a bard and close friend of Geralt’s

4. The Witcher Released on October 26, 2007 for Windows
Developed using Bioware’s Aurora engine
Introduced the delayed-consequence decision system
Well-regarded for not having a black-and-white sense of morality, but rather putting the player in more realistic scenarios of having to choose the lesser of two evils
Also regarded as having an interesting/novel combat system when compared to other hack-n’-slash ARPGs
Synopsis: Kaer Morhen is ransacked by a group of bandits called the “Salamanders”, and Geralt must track them down to recover stolen artifacts
Ending cutscene ties directly into beginning of The Witcher II

5. The Witcher II: Assassins of Kings
Beginning of the game picks up right where The Witcher left off
Retains delayed-consequences system, but combat system sees significant changes with the addition of tools like traps and ranged weaponry
Again noted for having branching storylines that significantly change the ending based on decisions the player makes
Synopsis of the story: A king is assassinated by someone with cat-like (i.e., Witcher) eyes, and Geralt is blamed for it and must clear his name while also hunting down this assassin.

6. The Witcher III: The Wild Hunt
Best-received of the three, winner of multiple Game of the Year awards
Delayed-consequences still in play, but combat system revised again to be more fluid/action-based, designed to be more accessible to new players but with enough complexities to be rewarding to legacy players
Most notably the game changed to an open- world/sandbox game, affording players an unprecedented freedom to explore the Witcher world (and die by fall damage)

7. In Sum:
Brilliant games that immerse the player in a story-and-lore-rich world where their choices affect the outcome of events, sometimes in surprising and unpredictable ways
Gameplay is both consistent with the lore as well as changing between games to create unique systems for each game
Gray morality of choices and delayed consequences add value to each playthrough while also making it difficult for the player to change outcomes simply by reloading saves
All in all, 10/10 would recommend this series to anyone who enjoys a story-rich world they can immerse themselves in