The Witcher: Sirens of the Deep and Bogota: City of the Lost

Movies with ... colons in the title?

The Witcher: Sirens of the Deep

This animated film follows everyone's favorite Witcher, Geralt as he gets embroiled in basically a much darker version of the Little Mermaid. Sorry, the parallels are just too obvious! That said it has a good deal of violence, adult themes and an important Witcher spin on the whole thing that keeps it interesting. While the animation is ok, too much spinning can be found in Geralt's depicted combat style. Not bad but I'd recommend this only to Witcher fans, especially the game version of the Witcher since its the same voice actor.

Bogota: City of the Lost

En route to the USA, a Korean family is robbed of their money and travel documents in Bogota and they are forced to live there. Wishing for a better life the son decides to get involved with petty smuggling and working his way up the crime chain because this is one of those movies where crime pays. Outside the interesting Colombian environment this is a pretty stock standard and mostly predictable crime flick with backstabbing aplenty. Not terrible but not great either.

Warrior Nun and Witcher: Blood Origin

Girl power fantasy!

Warrior Nun

This two season show follows a girl (Alba Baptista) resurrected by a holy plot device who is then pressured to become the titular Warrior Nun to use her blessed powers and lead an order of murderous nuns into battle against the forces of hell.

While there are some nice and gory fight scenes the story and a noticeable amount of the acting is quite shaky, with multiple occurrences of forgetting simple logic and plot holes galore. As long as you set your bar low and expect the protagonist to be almost useless most of the time you might yet enjoy it.

Witcher: Blood Origin

"Diversity!" is the first word that comes to mind when trying to explain this four episode show that prequels the Witcher which explains the world before the conjunction.  

That magical world which only contained elves of all kinds (like, American Elves, Asian Elves, European Elves, Black Elves, Elves of various disabilities etc) and exactly one dwarf was not so magical. These elves are industrious city builders and field toilers that enjoyed political manipulation and warring among each other. No tree hugging Scoia'tael here!

It falls upon a small group of protagonists to try stop an evil empire (who have a severe soldier shortage) and their plans to leverage magical obelisks that can open gateways to other worlds. Props to them for acknowledging their short content to fit everything into four episodes and while it is a bit wierd and possibly lore breaking, its an OK ride with some nice singing. I always give extra points for music. :P

By no means does that make this mandatory viewing though, not even for Witcher fans.

The Witcher (Netflix) vs The Wheel of Time

Two pretty good fantasy series.

The Witcher (Netflix)

Henry Cavill stars as Geralt of Rivia, a monster hunting witcher in this high budget series that has some really good visuals, casting and world building. Pacing seems to be the main problem with is show as season 1 has numerous time skips per episode which thankfully is lessened in season 2, but still present. There are also episodes where things just move way too slowly and some where magic is incredibly OP (I guess mages are just lazy otherwise there's no need for witchers) and lastly, despite the title the show doesn't focus soley on Geralt which might be a problem for some as they take a more Game of Thrones approach at times. Still very good and recommended as I look forward to season 3.  

The Wheel of Time

Rosamund Pike stars as Moiraine, an Aes Sedai in search of the Dragon Reborn who is prophecied to be the one to either save or destroy the world. The budget is clearly not as high as the Witcher, but this fast paced tale gets its hooks in you quick and brings a more exciting story all up for season 1. Obvious problems here seem to tie in to political correctness where people in a remote village are cast super diversely where infact they should almost all be cousins by now sharing "the old blood" and most of the time girl power is the only way to save which I think is baked into the source material. Don't expect this (or the Witcher) to follow the books though. Still very entertaining and in my opinion, the superior of these two shows for now. Looking forward to season 2.

Moiraine wins.

Nightmare of the Wolf, Soul of the Dragon

Two animated movies, one set to the Witcher and the other to Batman!

The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf

Focusing on a young Vesimir, this tale encompasses flash backs from Vesimir's pre-Witcher days all the way to why Kaer Morhen is the way it is in the time of the more widely known Geralt. The art and animation are good with gore aplenty and the story has some welcome surprises. If anything, my only question would be "where does Vesimir get all his hair gel?" but in this world of potions and sorcery I'm guessing he just makes it... from monster goo. :P All up a decent film especially for Witcher fans. Three medallions out of five and yep, I'd watch this again.

That would be a strange fight.

Batman: Soul of the Dragon

When super spy Richard Dragon discovers that bad dudes have gotten their hands on a dangerous magical gate, he seeks help from his old time friend and martial arts classmate in Nanda Parbat: Bruce Wayne. Set in the era of bell bottoms and funky groove, this interesting take is heavily focused on martial arts and has the animation to back it up. Obviously it's still a Batman / superhero show though so don't expect realism in any extent, but the story is still quite entertaining as Bats is paired up with characters who are regularly considered villains and each of those get equal screen time to the caped crusader. As I didn't expect much going into it, I was pleasantly surprised and would definitely watch this again. Three soul breakers out of five.

December 2019 Review

Wow, that year just flew past. Putting this early as I'm going to be away for a bit - no need to worry though, my automated services should keep posting if I set it up right! Haha. Game backlog has expanded again thanks to the all the freebies of the Christmas season. I'll have to tackle them when I get back!

    End 2019 with less weight (FAIL +3 kg from last month, running total: +6 kg)
    Make 1 web comic page (nada)
    Make new board game idea (nope)
  
BACKLOG
Borderlands 2 [gift]
Try Shroud of the Avatar [free on Steam] (priority NWO: Infernal Descent Mod)
Soma [free from Epic Games] (done)
The Messenger [free from Epic Games] (had enough)
+Jotun [free from Epic Games] (done)
+Wasteland 2 [free from GOG] (done)
+The Escapists [free from Epic Games]
+The Wolf Among Us [free from Epic Games]
+Postal 2 [free from GOG]
+Into the Breach [free from Epic Games] (done)
+How to Survive 2 (gift)
+Towerfall Ascension [free from Epic Games] (had enough)
+The Wolf Among Us [free from Epic Games]
 +Superhot [free from Epic Games] (had enough)
+Little Inferno [free from Epic Games] (had enough)
+Ape Out [free from Epic Games] (had enough)
+Undertale [gift]
+LISA: The Painful [gift]
+Rimworld [gift]
+Metal Gear Solid V: Phantom Pain [gift]
+Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes [gift] (done)
+Totally Acurate Battle Simulator [free from Epic Games]

Board games:
Zombicide: Black Plague Campaign (10/11)
London Dread Campaign (1/4)
Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage (0/13)
Firefly Adventures: Brigands and Browncoats (4/4)
+Love Letter
+Black Orchestra

BLOG STATS

One Year Ago

Neverwinter Online released a crappy professions workshop and I started "The Cursed" story which began with the old D&D game - Curse of the Azure Bonds. Also Netflix started axing a whole bunch of Marvel superhero TV shows!

Five Years Ago

I am still very much into Vindictus and Tiamat first appears in Neverwinter Online.

Most Viewed Posts last Month
The Wild Hunt
The Wild Hunt: Rats
The Wild Hunt: Generals

I'm guessing this was helped by the recent release of the Witcher series on Netflix. ;)

Top Search Terms last Month
rurouni kenshinn
neverwinter drowned shore heroic encounters fountain of fear
what level do you get a workshop in neverwinter

It's nice to see rising interest in Neverwinter again, but Kenshin just came up out of nowhere with literally 32 times more hits than both of those!

The Wild Hunt: Retirement

[Part of the Wild Hunt story]

With the Hunt destroyed and no tactical genius like Radovid to oppose them, Nilfgaard conquered the rest of the Continent, apart from the vassal state of Temeria which Ves and Vernon fought so hard for. Having realized his vision the Emperor did as he had initially promised, and abdicated his throne to his daughter - Ciri.

You mean I have to wear more fancy shirts?

Thanks to her, the Skellige Isles too were left alone and prospered under Queen Cerys, who stopped their raiding ways. Meanwhile Zoltan helped Dandelion run his new cabaret at Novigrad and Letho surprisingly inherited Kaer Morhen which presented an opportunity for rebuilding his school of the viper there. As for Geralt, he and Yen eventually retired far away to a place of solitude to live out their days together in happiness. 

Of course, this doesn't mean they never saw Ciri again, for the girl could teleport to anywhere at will and on occasion would sneak out to play Gwent with the White Wolf, much to the annoyance of her handlers.

Insight: As expected, this is but one of multiple endings to this game. It's great when your choices matter!

The Wild Hunt: Conjunction

[Part of the Wild Hunt story]

With Radovid out of the way, Nilfgaard turned its attention directly to Skellige. Among their massive armada sailed Geralt and company, with an Emperor approved plan to lure the Wild Hunt into battle for one final confrontation.

As Avallac'h expected, they took the magical bait and arrived right into the prison dome maintained by the lodge sorceresses where Geralt, Ciri, and the Nilfgaard army ambushed them. Not one to sit out of a fight, the Skellige fleet also arrived with Crach and Hjalmar at the helm.

None could match the King of the Hunt though, with even Crach falling victim to his blade. Unfortunately for him, the White Wolf's reflexes were better than his magic and the witcher avenged his fallen friend with style.

His death did not end the threats though, as their arrival had begun another Conjuction of Spheres - where the gateway to other worlds opened to let numerous creatures teleport in. The worst of these was the White Frost, a world killing magical storm who prophecy claimed could only be defeated by a child of the elder blood. Ciri.

So this is what it's like inside a snow globe...

Having been trained by Avallac'h for exactly this purpose, Ciri stepped through a gateway to face this unstoppable threat... and won.

Insight: The King of the Hunt is a pansy compared to his generals. Just dodge often and igni his frost armor off to deal some good damage.

The Wild Hunt: Politics

[Part of the Wild Hunt story]

Upon his return to Novigrad, Triss and Yen enlist Geralt in rescuing the few remaining sorceresses they can track down. One is freely released by the Emperor of Nilfgaard, one saved from Radovid's dungeons in Oxenfurt, and one about to be murdered by Dijkstra.

Freeing the last one comes with a price: the witcher is forced to agree to aid Dijkstra's conspirators, which surprisingly include Vernon and Ves, to assassinate King Radovid. However the mad king is no fool, easily foiling the plan but an unexpected attack ends him on the spot.

Regrouping at the hideout, Vernon reveals the conspirators had made an arrangement with Nilfgaard - kill Radovid and become a vassal state and in exchange the Black Ones would take the war elsewhere. Of course, Dijkstra openly declares to renege on that deal - intent on taking Radovid's place instead. Naturally that also means killing Vernon and Ves.

Well, that's not going to happen.

Dijkstra invites Geralt to leave since witchers don't get involved with politics, but the White Wolf opts to stay with his allies who helped him at Kaer Morhen. The battle is short and bloody, and at the end of it Dijkstra and all his goons lie dead.

Insight: If you opt to fight skull level baddies, make sure you use the appropriate preparations first. I still think it's not worth it however.

The Wild Hunt: Generals

[Part of the Wild Hunt story]

Intent on counter attacking the Wild Hunt while they were weakened, Ciri and Geralt left Kaer Morhen in hopes to catch one of their generals in the Velen region. Avallac'h had said this particular one had become the master of the swamp crones who regularly enticed him with offerings of the flesh.

The information was good and while the witcher burned the general's face to death, Ciri slew the majority of his evil crone cohorts. Having earned a measure of trust from the White Wolf, Avallac'h next took him world-hopping to reach that of the Wild Hunt's origin.

Beauty in far flung places.

There, another general is encountered but instead of killing him Avallac'h, who also originates from that world, instead reveals proof that Eredin - the Wild Hunt leader, had killed the previous Elf King. Being a friend and a loyalist to the deceased leader, this general agrees to no longer send troops to reinforce Eredin. Avallac'h is confident he will keep his word.

Insight: The world jumping bit is really cool. In the cold world, fire will restore your health so look for ignitables.

The Wild Hunt: Siege

[Part of the Wild Hunt story]

By the time Ciri and Geralt return to Kaer Morhen, all the allies have gathered - now including Letho, Keira Metz and Triss. As expected, the Wild Hunt are not far behind so while Yen shields the castle with magic, Triss provides fiery artillery support for the three volunteers who go out to attack the enemy: Geralt, Lambert and Letho.

Witcher Strike Team!

The fighting is fierce and despite their best efforts and various traps, the sheer numbers of Wild Hunters gradually force the defenders back towards the keep, with Vigi, Folan and Vesemir being killed. Seeing the old witcher get his neck broken triggers something in Ciri, and she loses control for a few minutes wailing like a banshee. The sound proves fatal to the Wild Hunt and they are forced to retreat after catastrophic losses.

Having won the day, the team spends some time mourning before they go their separate ways. Hjalmar and Ermion return to Skellige, Vernon and Ves to Velen, Zoltan to Novigrad, Eskel to Lormark, and Keira and Lambert to gods know where - as a couple.

In hopes to better protect Ciri, Yen and Triss head off as well to try rebuild the Lodge of Sorceresses, leaving only Geralt, Letho and Avallac'h to watch over the girl.

Insight: So... she could have just yelled at them this whole time? Mmhmm. In any case, if you run out of dimetrium bombs, Yrden can also shut down the portals.

The Wild Hunt: Allies

[Part of the Wild Hunt story]

Once everything is prepared, Yennefer's magics finally lift the creatures curse - revealing him to actually be an elf sage named Avallac'h, who happens to be Ciri's mentor. The elf tells Geralt how find Ciri at the magically hidden Isle of Mists.

Vesemir warns them that they'd need a plan first though, as no doubt the Wild Hunt would be nipping at their heels the minute Ciri leaves that island. Geralt agrees, and states the plan is to bring Ciri home - luring the hunt into a battle at Kaer Morhen.

While the others prepare, Geralt goes to seek other allies first - being turned down immediately by Dijkstra, Crach, Cerys, and the Emperor of Nilfgaard. Fortunately Zoltan, Vernon, Ves, Hjalmar, Vigi and Folan all agree to fight. Surprisingly so does the Skellige druid Ermion, who is zen enough to put aside his hate of Yennefer.

The White Wolf then sails to the Isle of Mists, and without too much fanfare finally locates Ciri.

Been looking for you, kid.

Insight: Ahh this part is great, as it is one where all of your previous decisions either pay off or bite you in the butt!

The Wild Hunt: Witchers

[Part of the Wild Hunt story]

Acquiring the ugly critter turns out to be rather easy once Geralt returns to the Continent as the late Baron's successor is more than happy to part ways with his "useless jester" who is actually the victim of a powerful curse.

The White Wolf decides to take him to Kaer Morhen where Yennefer, having received his summons for aid, was already preparing after teleporting ahead - much to the annoyance of the resident witchers, Eskel, Lambert and old man Vesimir.

While Vesimir looked after the new "guests", the younger witchers went about collecting materials for Yennefer's spell during the day, and spent their evenings getting absolutely hammered with various forms of alcohol. It was a fine change of pace, and one that happened all too rarely.

We need more stories with Lambert and Eskel!

Insight: Speaking of drinking, Golden Oriole potions and White Raffard decoctions are two important ones you will likely drink often. Make sure to have them in stock before taking on tough and/or poisonous enemies.

The Wild Hunt: Bears

[Part of the Wild Hunt story]

While the feast starts off as a normal rambunctious affair it quickly sours when a number of guests suddenly shift into bears and slaughter all but three candidates for the crown before Geralt can put them down.

Fighting without gear was the only way Geralt could give the bears a chance.

Hjalmar immediately decides to hunt down the bear related clansmen but the witcher opts to stay and assist Cerys in actually investigating the crime scene, discovering that those that transformed were actually poisoned to do so by the mother of the third contender and son of the previous King.

The guilty party is arrested and for her intellect Cerys is voted the first ever Queen of Skellige. During the coronation celebration, the witcher unexpectedly finds another trail to follow on his hunt for Ciri. That of a hideous man creature he and Yen previously heard about.

One of the Jarl's actually knew of such a monster, having sold the misshapen tyke to the Continent to a trader who worked for the Bloody Baron.

Insight: While it's fun to aim the crossbow by holding the button down, it's often more useful to just tap the button which will let Geralt auto aim and fire at the nearest enemy.

The Wild Hunt: Kingmaker

[Part of the Wild Hunt story]

With Yen returning to Vzima to report to the Emperor, the White Wolf decided to remain in Skellige for some witcher's work - freeing a cursed gladiator spirit by letting it win, appeasing an ancient leshen to protect a village, and destroying a regenerating werewolf by forcing it to eat itself.

On his travels he also aids the children of Crach who, like many others, were off trying to accomplish heroic deeds in hopes to be crowned the next King of the isles.

Crach's daughter, Cerys, didn't need much help while trying to cure a neighboring Jarl of a demon possession. In comparison, his son Hjalmar took an entire boat load of warriors to a monster inhabited isle and lost almost all of them. Geralt was hard pressed to save the hot head prince, Folan the archer and Vigi the Fool from certain death.

Only someone named "the Fool" would wake an Ice Giant.

Crach is overjoyed at this, and allows Geralt to attend the election feast that follows.

Insight: While none of the horse racers in Skellige are that good, their fist fighters and duelists are fantastic. Make use of small dodges for the former to strike while they are open and counters for the latter. In both, don't just attack like crazy or you will regret it.

The Wild Hunt: Djinn

[Part of the Wild Hunt story]

Geralt found sharing the small skiff with Yen to be quite pleasant. Just the two of them, sailing out in the middle of nowhere. It wasn't without purpose however, for Yennefer did have a destination in mind - a shipwreck that she deduced was the home of a djinn.

One of the more dangerous fights in the game.

After a difficult battle, the pair managed to capture the air spirit with Yen making but one wish before letting it go: To undo Geralt's last wish made with a previous djinn, a wish that the two of them would always be together.

The creature accepted before flying off, leaving the two wondering why their feelings for each other remained despite having their magical link removed. It doesn't take long for them to realize that the magic of true love is much stronger than any wish, and they share a kiss while watching the sun rise.

Insight: Uh, you probably could have used the djinn to... I don't know... destroy the Wild Hunt, find Ciri, and win the game but sure - lets use it to resolve feelings instead. Be sure to prep for this fight though, it's one of the hardest you will face!

The Wild Hunt: Outlander

[Part of the Wild Hunt story]

By the time Geralt returned to Novigrad, his beard had grown too much for his liking so he had it shaved clean before finally deciding to the Skellige isles and meet up with Yennefer. The one ship willing to take him didn't fare well in the crossing, but all things considered, the witcher arrived in one piece on the isles - just in time to join Yen for the King's funeral.

Those "birds" are actually sirens!

The sorceress hadn't managed to investigate Ciri's whereabouts as thoroughly as she liked, having been hindered by the druids led by Ermion in these parts despite permission from Crach an Craite, jarl of the largest village and Geralt's friend.

In fact most of the locals treat them coldly, mainly due to them being outlanders from the Continent. Tired of trying to be nice, the pair instead use guile - stealing an artifact from the druids and desecrating one of their sacred sites to search for Ciri. Unfortunately her trail ends up vanishing into the cold, wide sea once more.

Insight: I mentioned this in the last post but just so it's clear - drowners and sirens are "weaker" underwater because the crossbow is overpowered while swimming. Especially for sirens (who can fly in this game) that attack while you are on a tiny boat, it's often better to just dive into the sea and wait for them to go into "swim mode" and shoot them there.  

The Wild Hunt: Explorer

[Part of the Wild Hunt story]

Having heard of Geralt's previous success as a horse racer, Cleaver hired the witcher as his rider in the big four three's night time race. Unfortunately the small fortune he wagered was lost as Bedlam's rider won by a neck, leading the frustrated dwarf to tell Geralt to piss off.

This suited the White Wolf just fine as he was done with Novigrad for the time being, opting to head out and explore the rest of Velen, taking care of any beasts and brigands he came across. One particular bandit group stood out as they were humans following a werewolf leader... a rare occurrence that made Geralt wish he knew how to dual wield.

Every area in fog is probably home to these tricksters...

Due to the war, there was also a great deal of treasure and equipment just lying around for the taking - including some underwater chests. As expected, drowners who are rather easy foes on the surface have quite the advantage underwater. Luckily, it turns out a crossbow works even better when fully submerged.

Insight: Reaching the edge of the map gives a "end of the world" message, followed by a quick travel option. While it takes away from immersion, the convenience results in good design!

The Wild Hunt: Doppler

[Part of the Wild Hunt story]

Needing something other than Dijkstra's offer to think about, Geralt looks for the doppler Dudu who is believed to be in hiding within Novigrad. While it takes a lot of leg work, it isn't actually difficult to find him and get his help in freeing Dandelion. Dudu simply has to look like the Eternal Fire boss Triss immolated, bark some orders, and the bard is freed.

Dandelion is overjoyed at his rescue, but informs Geralt that Ciri had teleported herself out of Novigrad during his capture. Since Geralt's searched most of the mainland, odds are Ciri has gone to Skellige island - which is where Yen is looking.

Somewhat relieved, Geralt decides to take it easy for a bit - helping his friend Zoltan get out of debt from Bedlam by tracking down collectors edition Gwent cards, Dandelion in setting up his new cabaret club, and an elf cook in regaining sword making privileges from Cleaver which earns the witcher a master blade, all while hunting down a mass murderer on the side.

Ugh, I'm terrible at this game!

Insight: Gwent is a fun card game you can play at numerous locations. If you are serious about winning though, you will need to make sure to buy new cards when you come across them and most importantly keep your deck thin by replacing out the weaker cards!

The Wild Hunt: Escape

[Part of the Wild Hunt story]

With Triss more hunted now than ever after her pyromania episode, she asks Geralt to help her and a few other mages finally flee Novigrad. The witcher soon learns that "a few" is an understatement, as there are around thirty mages to escort from the basement of a mage friendly inn all the way to the docks via sewers crawling with drowners and rats, mostly attracted by all the corpses Cleaver has been dumping.

The sewer monsters have no chance against this duo.

The White Wolf clears the path, and is surprised when Dijkstra himself helps at the dock end to slay a witch hunter patrol. With the way clear, all the mages board and Triss bids farewell to Geralt, leaving him and Dijkstra at the pier.

At this rare moment Dijkstra speaks plainly to the witcher, admitting he had been helping the mages in hopes to ally with them one day, and then about his hatred at the current ruler of Redania - suggesting Geralt aid him in assassinating the mad King Radovid. Knowing what the witcher's immediate answer would be, Dijkstra instead implores him to "think about it" before leaving.

Insight: It seems named allies are in no danger of dying if their health bar doesn't appear on the screen. Your mileage may vary with nameless henchmen support though.

The Wild Hunt: Junior

[Part of the Wild Hunt story]

Since an assault on the temple is out of the question, Geralt hunts down Whoreson Junior next with the aid of Cleaver's dwarves but the wily scum always seems to just be out of reach - with his clowns thwarting any takeover Cleaver had in mind.

Skilled in brawling and in make-up application.

It takes contacting the spy, Vernon Roche, hiding out with what's left of his Temerian company and saving his favored soldier, Ves, from an unsanctioned suicide mission against a Nilfgaard unit to finally find Whoreson at a safe house provided by King Radovid himself in Oxenfurt. He had been passing the time by murdering strumpets in various ways.

During his beating, Whoreson divulges that Dandelion, Ciri, and the doppler Dudu were to bring him Dijkstra's hoard as payment to repair a phylactery. The robbery didn't go as planned and Whoreson admits to exchanging blows with Ciri. Unimpressed, Geralt mercilessly kills the bastard who attacked his "daughter" before taking the repaired phylactery for himself.

Insight: Ciri's charge up attack is very powerful, just make sure you dash away to give you time before using it. Despite teleporting everywhere you will always finish right where you start.