One of my favorite games is CD Projekt Red’s The Witcher III: Wild Hunt – having spent hours and hours of my time bonding with the well-written characters.

Originally an ongoing Polish fantasy series by author Andrzej Sapkowski, the series has made its way to the streaming scene and has stuck the landing.

The Witchers are a small group of monster hunters who live in a medieval society on land known as “the continent.” Cat-eyed mercenaries who kill monsters for money, The Witchers frequently get themselves into trouble.

The series focuses on Geralt of Rivia (Henry Cavill), joined by sorcerer Yennefer of Vengerberg (Anya Chalotra), and Princess Cirilla of Cintra (Freya Allan) who are bound by destiny. Additionally, the series spotlights standout characters such as bard Jaskier (Joey Batey), a confidant to Geralt, and sorcerer Tissaia (MyAnna Buring.)

The story fleshes out the main characters’ backstories before finally crossing paths. Geralt gets entangled into various interesting manners, Cirilla goes through strange royal events and Yennefer becomes a sorcerer as the series progresses.

The casting is superb for a series that is character driven.

Geralt is identical to his in-game caricature – a stoic reluctant hero. Yennefer, the mysterious sorcerer; Ciri the young princess, and especially Jaskier, the annoying yet lovable bard that is constantly playing his lute and singing.

Adapting the source material is incredibly close to the books. There are some disappointing changes, but not enough to hinder enjoyment.

The three parallel story lines are told at different times, with some even decades apart leading to strange pacing issues. This leaves seasoned fans distraught and instills confusion into newcomers.

Besides a few characters who were miscast or strangely written, this series is worth watching. Introducing a unique fantasy world successfully is a great and burdensome task and “The Witcher” season one hits the mark.

Edited by Wesley Tabor, Adam White