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The Witcher is arguably one of the most popular franchises among the ones that have had book, video game, and TV adaptations. With the books being the original source, it is often hotly debated whether the games or the Netflix series is the best adaptation, with there being good and sound arguments in favor of both sides.
Both formats have drawn from the books for general guidance, with the world and locations being the same, but in terms of story and characters, varying liberties have been taken, whether that be with design or application. Many characters from the books have been tweaked and changed somewhat from how they are presented in the books, with some even being omitted entirely from either the show or the games, and in some cases, both.
10 The TV Show Brings The Universe To Life, Literally
As fun as The Witcher games are, there is something special about having an incredible game get a real adaptation with actors rather than just the voices, and working with real-world locations. Video game and book adaptations always garner that extra bit of pressure, especially if the original format was well-received and popular with the masses.
Even as a separate entity to the games, the Netflix series of The Witcher brings that realism that the games couldn’t quite muster, despite being as good as they were.
9 The Games Are Flashier & More Extravagant, Rather Than Focused On Reality
The realism that the Netflix adaptation brings to The Witcher also reduces some of the aspects that made the games so captivating. The number of monsters on show has been reduced greatly, but not entirely. With Geralt being a monster hunter, it could be argued that the show needs to feature more monsters and beasts.
The other main thing that seems to have been reduced to a realistic scale is the flashy weapons and costumes. This includes Geralt and his swords, with him having two on hand at all times in the games, but instead leaving one on his horse in the TV show. Once again, it’s a realistic detail to change. General costumes and weapon setups are not as flashy as they are in the games, but they are designed to look more practical from the perspective of a character’s application.
8 The TV Show Condenses The Content, So Most Of What Is Shown Is Important To The Overriding Story, In Contrast To The Games’ Side Quests
As good as the side quests and secondary missions are in the games, especially in Witcher 3, they only have value in game format. They bulk the game out and provide hours of extra content, but ultimately they do take away from the main story. This would not translate well on a Netflix series, due to time constraints and limited episodes per season.
While the Netflix series does have the occasional episodic adventure, incorporating more side quests into this would essentially just make it filler and push the main bulk of the story even further apart. Focussing on situations, characters, and locations that have relevance to the main storylines is crucial for a TV adaptation of such a suspenseful and enthralling franchise.
7 The Games Added The Intriguing & Engrossing Love Triangle Of Geralt, Yennefer, & Triss
While Henry Cavill has had a lot of praise for his performance as Geralt in the Netflix series, the general consensus is that Yennefer and Triss were better characters in the games than in the show. The show opted to steer closer to the books’ version of Triss, where she doesn’t feature too prominently, whereas the games elevate her to actively make the love triangle situation with Geralt and Yennefer.
Those who just watch the Netflix series and don’t play the games won’t understand why there is often a debate of Yennefer versus Triss, as she just isn’t featured as much. While the games and the show took liberties in terms of Triss’ character, the games mostly stayed true to the books in terms of portraying Yennefer.
6 The TV Show Is More Accessible Than The Games
The formats of television and movies are far more accessible to the masses, as not everyone has the interest, let alone the skill, patience, or application to get the most out of a video game and its story, not to mention needing to buy the game and console as opposed to just having a Netflix account.
When it comes to Netflix’s The Witcher drawing inspiration from the books in terms of story-telling, the format of near 1-hour episodes to progress gradually through the story is a more efficient way to digest The Witcher.
5 The Games Allow The Player To Become Immersed In The World Of The Witcher
With the player being able to control Geralt of Rivia in the games, the Witcher experience is arguably more immersive and interactive than its TV series counterpart. The player can feel like they are truly the Witcher, slaying monsters, building up a reputation, and making choices, whether they are good or bad.
This experience complements the fact that the games have the creative freedom of being set after the books, perfectly, in the sense that drawing a story from the original book source and putting it in game form would limit or even nullify the usage of choices and decisions, due to the linear story structure.
4 Dialogue & General Character Delivery Can Be Conveyed Better In Real-Time On The TV Adaptation
Different aspects of the TV adaptation of The Witcher can be debated, disputed, and compared to the books and the games. The main thing that the TV adaptation has that the others don’t, is the luxury of having real actors not only deliver vocal performances like in the games, but to also add a whole new dimension to their characters with body language and more expression.
The dialogue of The Witcher is often underrated and rather unnoticed amidst all the fighting and constant action, but a well delivered acting performance can add subtleties and finesse to a character, that animation and voice acting cannot quite match.
3 The Games Were Given License To Create New Stories Beyond The Source Material
While the Netflix show has been largely basing its story on Andrzej’s Sapkowski’s The Last Wish and The Sword Of Destiny, from the 8-part series; the games, Witcher 3 especially, took all the characters, locations, and world-building from the Witcher universe, and made its own story. This was simply done by basing Witcher 3 after the events of the books.
The Wild Hunt, for example, are the main antagonists in Witcher 3, but are barely mentioned in the books. This freedom to be creative within an already built world is arguably what made Witcher 3 the big hit that it still is today. Those that have read the books, will already have an idea of what major events are going to occur and unfold in the Netflix series, which isn’t exactly a bad thing, it is just what happens when an adaptation sticks to an existing story.
2 The TV Show May Loosely Follow The Story From The Books But It Also Has The Opportunity To Eventually Move On From It
If lovers of the books and the source material are wanting a visual adaptation, depicting the stories as they went down in the books, then the TV show is instantly going to appeal to them. The books have some great moments that do and will translate well on the screen, and while the new stories that the games introduce are still captivating and intriguing, it would be a waste to not use the original content as well.
Loosely using the original stories in the TV series does not even have to rule out branching off into new narratives in the future, it is simply just starting the show with a basic story that already exists, and then there is plenty of room to expand upon.
1 The Games Offer Actual Mapping Of Locations To Be Able To Piece Together Every Locale
Andrzej Sapkowski never made a map for the world of The Witcher, unlike J.R.R. Tolkien with The Lord Of The Rings. However, any open-world game that is worth its salt is going to have a map, in order to help the player navigate the game and prevent them from finding the tedium in aimless traveling. Having the likes of Skellige and Novigrad on a map in Witcher 3, despite not being completely to scale in the realms of the Witcher, make it feel like a complete world to travel around.
While books often allow the reader to use their imagination, the TV show gives concrete images of these locations. They are certainly breathtaking in the Netflix series, but they are often just presented as individual places with no known link. This is what a map can fix, unless the reader or viewer possesses an incredible imagination to plot their own map.
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