Avalac'h's Face-Heel Fake Out
Alright…my first post. Please be gentle.
It has been a couple of weeks since I beat the Witcher 3. I’ve taken the time to go over the experience in my head and there is one particular part that keeps nagging at me. (WARNING: Major spoiler below!)
A good portion of the story’s third act is spent casting a suspicious light over Avalac’h. The enigmatic elven sage’s words and actions all serve nicely to build up tension; they give the impression that this guy is definitely hiding something and is waiting for the right moment to unveil his hidden agenda. Come the game’s climax and….lo and behold, the guy’s apparently made off with Ciri and he’s using her to bring forth the apocalypse. So off you go for an epic face-off, braving storms and monsters raining down from the heavens. You storm the tower, face the traitor, tell him to draw his weapon and fight like a man, and…he doesn’t. Turns out this was all a misunderstanding and that he really did just want to help Ciri. Huh….
Frankly I felt from the beginning that Avalac’h had the potential to be the true villain of this game. If there was one major gripe about this game’s story that everyone seems to agree on, it was the villains. Not that they were bad per se. The designs and atmosphere surrounding the riders of the Wild Hunt allow them to be very intimidating and command a strong presence. That being said, these guys were in dire need of some characterization. Avalac’h, on the other hand, had all the build-up and depth that he needed. This carries over from the books where similar hints were given that Avalac’h was manipulating Geralt and Ciri to further his own goals. This all culminated in a passage where Avalac’h gets into an argument with Ciri. He loses his temper before throttling the girl with super-human strength and is ready to squash her like a bug. During this time he reveals the he has nothing but hatred for humans, blaming them for stealing Lara Doren from him and that he views Ciri as nothing but a cheap copy of her. At one point Ciri is threatened, by Avalac’h’s former partner-in-crime turned enemy Eredin no less, with the prospect of being handed over to be “tested” in Avalac’h’s laboratory. On top of that, the unicorns who help Ciri reveal that it was Avalac’h, along with Eredin, who purged the Aen Aelle’s world of humans and was scheming along with his colleague’s to do the same to her world.
Avalac’h had the potential to be a great villain, one that favors schemes and manipulation over Eredin’s preference of fear and brute strength. On top of that, his conflict with Ciri would have been so much more personal. Not just because he wants to use her powers, but because he sees her as an unworthy descendant of the woman he loved and something that should always have belonged to him. There was enough rage and pain inside this guy that, when unleashed, I felt could have done more damage to our heroes than any horde of other-worldly invaders.
I am really torn. I have nothing but respect for the team at CD Project Red as game developers and writers, and part of me really admires their desire to defy expectations and keep us surprised. Yet at the same time I can’t help but feel a bit cheated. I saw so much potential for a villain riding on this guy and, as much as I’d like to think otherwise, feel like I was treated to an anti-climax. Despite this I still love what we got and simply cannot let it ruin the experience.
And that’s my two-cents. I’m really curious to see what others think. Thoughts?
Note: For those of you who don't know, the title refers to a fiction trope originating from the site www.tvtropes.com. The trope is known as "Face-Heel Turn" which refers to a character that is good (or at least is working with those that are good) who has a change of heart and becomes a villain.
Alright…my first post. Please be gentle.
It has been a couple of weeks since I beat the Witcher 3. I’ve taken the time to go over the experience in my head and there is one particular part that keeps nagging at me. (WARNING: Major spoiler below!)
A good portion of the story’s third act is spent casting a suspicious light over Avalac’h. The enigmatic elven sage’s words and actions all serve nicely to build up tension; they give the impression that this guy is definitely hiding something and is waiting for the right moment to unveil his hidden agenda. Come the game’s climax and….lo and behold, the guy’s apparently made off with Ciri and he’s using her to bring forth the apocalypse. So off you go for an epic face-off, braving storms and monsters raining down from the heavens. You storm the tower, face the traitor, tell him to draw his weapon and fight like a man, and…he doesn’t. Turns out this was all a misunderstanding and that he really did just want to help Ciri. Huh….
Frankly I felt from the beginning that Avalac’h had the potential to be the true villain of this game. If there was one major gripe about this game’s story that everyone seems to agree on, it was the villains. Not that they were bad per se. The designs and atmosphere surrounding the riders of the Wild Hunt allow them to be very intimidating and command a strong presence. That being said, these guys were in dire need of some characterization. Avalac’h, on the other hand, had all the build-up and depth that he needed. This carries over from the books where similar hints were given that Avalac’h was manipulating Geralt and Ciri to further his own goals. This all culminated in a passage where Avalac’h gets into an argument with Ciri. He loses his temper before throttling the girl with super-human strength and is ready to squash her like a bug. During this time he reveals the he has nothing but hatred for humans, blaming them for stealing Lara Doren from him and that he views Ciri as nothing but a cheap copy of her. At one point Ciri is threatened, by Avalac’h’s former partner-in-crime turned enemy Eredin no less, with the prospect of being handed over to be “tested” in Avalac’h’s laboratory. On top of that, the unicorns who help Ciri reveal that it was Avalac’h, along with Eredin, who purged the Aen Aelle’s world of humans and was scheming along with his colleague’s to do the same to her world.
Avalac’h had the potential to be a great villain, one that favors schemes and manipulation over Eredin’s preference of fear and brute strength. On top of that, his conflict with Ciri would have been so much more personal. Not just because he wants to use her powers, but because he sees her as an unworthy descendant of the woman he loved and something that should always have belonged to him. There was enough rage and pain inside this guy that, when unleashed, I felt could have done more damage to our heroes than any horde of other-worldly invaders.
I am really torn. I have nothing but respect for the team at CD Project Red as game developers and writers, and part of me really admires their desire to defy expectations and keep us surprised. Yet at the same time I can’t help but feel a bit cheated. I saw so much potential for a villain riding on this guy and, as much as I’d like to think otherwise, feel like I was treated to an anti-climax. Despite this I still love what we got and simply cannot let it ruin the experience.
And that’s my two-cents. I’m really curious to see what others think. Thoughts?
Note: For those of you who don't know, the title refers to a fiction trope originating from the site www.tvtropes.com. The trope is known as "Face-Heel Turn" which refers to a character that is good (or at least is working with those that are good) who has a change of heart and becomes a villain.