This first quest sounds like standard
Witcher stuff, until you meet the man who sent out the request. Olgierd von Everec is a strange man at first glance, but you can write him off as eccentric and a perhaps gifted with blind luck at first. The strange details of his life start adding up gradually until he reveals himself as an immortal. That’s not where it ends, as there’s more to Olgierd than just being a bored immortal.
That brings you to your meeting with the Gaunter O'Dimm. He attempts to rival even Geralt with nicknames as he’s also known as Man of Glass or Master Mirror. You've actually already met him early on in the game, but it’s likely you’ve forgotten that little meeting. He’s another mystery man with strange motivations. But whereas Olgierd’s strange habits and actions can be sympathized with as you learn his story, Gaunter’s picture becomes ever more sinister and disturbing. Geralt can’t figure out Gautner at first; Is he demon or genie? Is he something entirely unknown to Witcher lore? He claims to despise magic, yet he seems to summon storms. He claims to grant wishes, but enlists the help of Geralt to fulfill his contracts. He shows signs of being manipulative, sociopathic. Perhaps he’s not actually in need of anyone’s help, perhaps he’s a powerful being who amuses himself by putting mortals through pain, terror, and hardship.
Geralt is prominently branded by Gaunter, and demon or no demon, must fulfill Gaunter’s contract to Olgierd in order to remove it. Gaunter’s contract granted 3 wishes to Olgierd, but requires a third party, Geralt in this case, to fulfill them. Olgierd tries to game the contract though, asking for wishes that are impossible for Geralt to grant. Well, they should be, anyway, but Gaunter indirectly helps you out here and there. And of course, Geralt’s no ordinary Witcher.
Maybe it’s the break from the normal "the world ends unless you do this" or maybe it’s just me, but this really does feel like a more personal, character-driven set of quests and characters than you normally find in the main game. It's an enjoyable change of feel to the game. Geralt’s old friend Shani returns as well, allowing you to catch up with her and pursue a romance as well. A word of caution, however, this romance scene can turn pretty embarrassing if you let Shani drown her sorrows in alcohol all night. Ew, gross. That’s all I’m gonna say. Catching up with Geralt’s old friends is fun and adds depth to the characters you already know. Geralt also gets a rather fun bank heist quest where he has to recruit an unlikely group of allies to help pull it off. While the heist is explained, the camera cuts to some scenes of your potential partners in crime. It’s got an "Ocean’s 11" vibe to it and makes the whole thing a lot more exciting than simply listening to a guy explain the skills of various safecrackers and other specialists.
The time spent with Shani is a good example of the enjoyable character interactions you’ll have for a number of reasons. I won’t go into too much detail, but you end up being her date for a wedding. Unfortunately, poor Geralt has to suffer through being possessed by a ghost for most of it. The ghost is a lot more of a party animal than Geralt, and gets him into embarrassing situations such as chasing pigs, dancing, and hitting on women (OK, that last one isn’t too far off for Geralt). The evening ends, the ghost leaves Geralt’s body, and Shani and Geralt get to catch up. She ends up with mixed feelings about the whole thing (the ghost was a pretty huge pervert and party crasher, but Shani wonders if Geralt and, maybe deep down, she was enjoying some of it), and opens up about her family, her mother’s pressuring her to marry, and the drudgery and joys of being a doctor. Geralt listens, and you really do feel like the two are connecting. There’s still some sadness, however, when they both acknowledge that they lead such different lives that it could never work out as a long-term relationship. The Witcher is best when it hits these sweet and sour notes because it does it so much better than a lot of games and stories out there. There’s no real right or wrong, there’s just the tangled mess of sadness and the delights that are life.
