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I am Geralt of Rivia, and I have a big decision to make.

I’ve been doing some odd jobs for a particular monarch, and I’ve just made a discovery: He’s an evil man, responsible for the rape and murder of innocents. I could end him right now, or I could compromise my morals and let him go, thinking pragmatically: Without a ruler, the whole kingdom would dissolve into chaos.

I kill the jerk anyway.

What would you do? In The Witcher, a 2007 action role-playing game based on the Polish fantasy novels by Andrzej Sapkowski, the riveting story changes dramatically, based on what you have your character say or do at any given time. Having dialog choices influence a role-playing game’s narrative path is hardly a new concept, but The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings, the PC sequel released earlier this month, handles the gameplay mechanic better than any other title I’ve ever played.

The Witcher 2’s well-written story, which (ironically) follows Geralt on a quest to clear his name after being framed for regicide, boasts a large cast of likable characters and several surprising plot twists. Even seemingly small choices like saving, or choosing not to save, the life of a lone soldier can have big consequences and end up heavily altering Geralt’s fate.

Witcher’s choices actually made me think, and when I made the wrong decision, I truly regretted it.

Early on in the game, you’re torn between two rival factions: Do you aid an elf who is trying to kill you, but who seems to have some valuable information about the person who framed you? Or do you help out your friend, a special-ops soldier in the army of the deceased king?

Making that tough decision dramatically changes the game — in fact, there are hours of content that you won’t see depending on which path you take.

Besides giving you a good reason to go back and replay the 30-hour game, these branching paths make you feel like an integral part of the story. It’s a role-playing game in the literal sense of the word, something few videogame RPGs are these days.

Other RPGs present a clear binary choice: Are you a shining paragon of virtue, or a mustache-twirling, Saturday-morning-cartoon-style villain? Witcher’s choices actually made me think, and when I made the wrong decision, I truly regretted it.

The developer of Witcher 2 says the sequel’s new combat system was inspired by Demon’s Souls, a Japanese game known for its brutal difficulty level. It shows. Witcher 2 is hard, almost frustratingly so at times, but at least it’s fair.

From magic spells that can deflect damage and incinerate foes to an assortment of traps and bombs, you’re always given what you need to survive. You will be using those tools, because a typical battle will have you going it alone against four or more enemies. If you just mash the attack button, you’ll be dead in the blink of an eye. Each encounter is a real challenge, but that just means it’s all the more satisfying when you win.

Witcher 2’s graphics are beautiful. The characters are immaculately detailed — each pore of skin is clearly visible, as are the tiny tears and folds in their clothing. The lighting design is especially impressive, best exemplified by the way the world’s shadows stretch and twist as the sun floats overhead.

But nothing is so impressive as the game’s wide-open play areas, where plains stretch for miles and detailed mountains can be seen in the distance.

Beautiful as these places can be, navigating through them can be annoying. A mini-map is always displayed onscreen, but there’s nothing on it that indicates what compass direction you are facing. I found myself constantly bringing up the full-size map, which always took a few annoying seconds to appear after I pressed the hotkey.

Just like in real life, the decisions you make have wide-ranging effects.

I also had issues with the game’s quest tracker, which is supposed to lead you to the adventure you have selected. Often, I would end up going where the map told me, only for it to suddenly point me in a completely different direction. This would continue a few more times until I gave up and explored on my own.

Witcher 2’s technical and design glitches didn’t stop me from thoroughly enjoying the game, however. It’s one of the most realistic role-playing games I’ve ever tried — just like in real life, the decisions you make have wide-ranging effects, and you won’t learn what those are until much later.

Witcher will truly make you consider your moral views. Not the easy ones, but the complex ones that define you as a person.

WIRED Tough moral choices that can change the entire story; jaw-dropping visuals; difficult but exciting combat.

TIRED Almost useless mini-map; some buggy quests; broken quest tracker.

Rating:

$50, Atari

Read Game|Life’s game ratings guide.

An earlier version of this article misstated the nationality of the story’s writer. Andrzej Sapkowski is Polish.