The Witcher: Monster Slayer
Violent AR-enabled tale only explains fight rules to gamers.
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The Witcher: Monster Slayer
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this app.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that The Witcher: Monster Slayer is an AR adventure game for iOS and Android devices. The game includes a brief introduction that shows players how to use weapons when fighting monsters. Many of the game's other aspects, though, such as how to navigate around the virtual world, aren't directly explained. Players will need to determine what else is involved through trial and error. A lot of the action centers on battles players get in with monsters. They fight to the death using a sword, bombs, and other items, and the conflicts can be somewhat gory. Players are facing off against mythical creatures in those battles, though, which may help temper the violence a bit. Technically, there's no cost to download and use the app -- and money earned while playing will buy some of the gear needed to fight. Players may find, though, that they can't earn enough to do that for long -- and may feel pressured to purchase a gold coin package, which range from $0.99 to $99.99, using real-world cash. This game's based off the series of The Witcher games, which inspired a TV show and were themselves based on a series of books.
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What’s It About?
Players track and fight creatures in THE WITCHER: MONSTER SLAYER. They’ll chat with characters as they roam the virtual world, sometimes embarking on missions as a result. Players also choose weapons, brew potions, and improve their skills to prepare for battles, where they’ll use sword techniques -- such as pausing in between strikes for a bigger impact -- and items like bombs. Once a monster’s energy or yours has been depleted, the fight ends. The game can be played with or without a location-based augmented reality component.
Is It Any Good?
Parents who aren't crazy about games with violent themes may have an issue with the amount of one-on-one battles their kids will get into in this RPG (role-playing game). Using weapons such as swords and bombs, players repeatedly try to exterminate a variety of creatures in The Witcher: Monster Slayer. Players also talk to other characters they encounter, and the conversations can set them on new journeys. One person, for instance, asks for help finding his horse which a creature stole. Gamers will then attempt to fight nearby monsters, one by one, and try to figure out who took the animal. They'll track monsters, which can involve using elements like weather conditions and the time of day, and gather a collection of creatures they've defeated in a Beastiary journal.
The graphics are impressive -- players can click on an icon to zoom up to a bird's eye view of where they're standing, passing through clouds on the way, and the AR element lets you look for monster footprints and fight a creature in your immediate environment. Even without the AR capability, monsters leap startingly close to you in battles. Players need to come up with an attack strategy, based on each monster's strengths and weaknesses. Going into battle fully equipped, though, is key -- which can require you to spend gold coins on items, and it's not hard to run out. As a result, players may feel pressure to buy things to keep playing. They may also be confused at times about where they're at in the overall adventure and what they need to do to advance. The tutorial just covers the basics, and you don't see much information about what's next or where to go. Some gameplay elements also aren't explained. After you defeat all the monsters standing around you within a circular boundary, for instance, it isn't clear how you can freely wander the area -- the character you're playing just seems to walk in place inside the circle repeatedly. Without an FAQ or other in-app resource to check, trying to determine how to advance can be frustrating. The Witcher: Monster Slayer isn't a simple game, and without much initial guidance, players may not get far in either the app's AR or strictly on-screen version.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about violence in games. Is the impact of the violence in The Witcher: Monster Slayer affected by the fact that you're fighting mythical characters instead of other people? If so, why? Would the impact be intensified if it was more realistic?
How can you best approach not having an idea of how to complete a task or goal? What can you do to determine the most logical next step? Are these tactics solely useful in games, or are they applicable to real world situations as well?
App Details
- Devices: iPhone, Android
- Pricing structure: Free
- Release date: August 5, 2021
- Category: Role-Playing Games
- Topics: Magic and Fantasy, Monsters, Ghosts, and Vampires
- Publisher: Spokko Sp. z o.o.
- Version: 1.0.3
- Minimum software requirements: Requires Android 7.0 and up or iOS 12.0 or later.
- Last updated: August 23, 2021
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