We have hit peak Witcher, with the recent Netflix series bringing tales of The Continent to more people than ever. For those familiar with The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt you’ll also be familiar with the card game Gwent. Not content with having one game with Gwent, a stand-alone game was made. Thronebreaker, a single player adventure, is that game. And it’s now available on the Switch! Will my lack of Gwent skills break me?

Now let’s get this out of the way upfront, I’m not particularly good at Gwent. When it was in The Witcher 3 I would try and get into it, but it always felt unapproachable and there was already so much else to do. Since The Witcher 3 came out Gwent has since become its own separate game, which brings us to Thronebreaker. A single player adventure that combines the card game and an RPG with a sprinkle of The Witcher’s morally difficult choices for good measure.

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Thronebreaker is narrated by a mysterious storyteller who tells the tale throughout. Queen Meve of Lyria and Rivia (yes that Rivia) has returned to her lands, finding that rebels have been looting and doing as they please along the countryside while she’s been away. So Meve along with her advisors and army will have to take it back. Add in the Nilfgaard attacking and looking to expand their empire (Nilfgaard is always gonna Nilfgaard). Meve has a lot to deal with, whether it’s confronting if her teenage Son is fit to be a leader, or the always present threat of the Nilfgaard empire. Along with no shortage of other issues that impact the citizens of the lands, there’s a lot of tough decisions to make. In a surprisingly long journey that spans a few countries, there’s a lot of monsters and monstrous people along the way. If you’re familiar with The Witcher you’ll be familiar with its take on politics, power and the fantastical races that share the Continent. The game is almost too long for its own good, by the end it will thoroughly test how much you enjoy Gwent.

When you’re not solving your problems with a game of Gwent you’ll be roaming the countryside, foraging for supplies, rallying troops and getting a bit of coin. The story unfolds as you go from town to town using Gwent to solve puzzles and fight battles. Outside of the card game there is plenty of dialogue to further the story, and like the main Witcher games you will be given tough decisions to make. Decisions with no obvious good or bad options, where the outcomes may be immediate and horrible or come back to haunt you later on. While it’s good to have something to break up all the Gwent matches, don’t mistake the isometric lands of Lyria (and beyond) for a big expansive open world. Mostly you’ll be following paths, you can do some roaming to collect resources or a slightly out of the way puzzle, but it’s limited. If you’re only familiar with Gwent from the Witcher 3 or the early days of the free to play Gwent digital game, then you’ll immediately notice a big difference on the board/table. The three rows to place your cards on has been reduced to two, making the field more manageable. Some might see it as simplifying Gwent, but ultimately it makes more accessible than the version that kept me away from it.

Thronebreaker does a really good job of slowly teaching you more about the game of Gwent. Puzzles introduce different ways of dealing with a variety of combat scenarios, helping you learn card game tactics as a result. The puzzle games really tested me too, even with a reduced amount of rows there is a lot of juggling around to do once you’re playing with a wider selection of cards. There are two reasons why you’ve been seeking out all the money, wood and soldiers. Firstly, it contributes to small events out in the world, giving up resources for potential gain. You also need materials for making new cards or expanding your camp to access better cards, and other perks. The deck building is important for the full length and shortened Gwent rounds, but puzzle rounds are largely using the cards they set. This makes it much easier to handle decks, you’re not having to completely change up a deck depending on every puzzle you come along.

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There are also difficulty settings, so if you’re worried about your skills at Gwent you can still enjoy a story within the Witcher world. Adventurer setting allows you to skip a failed battle if you’re stuck or just wanting to keep things moving. It is there for you if you’re there for the story. This is something more puzzle games should offer, to help ensure everyone can see the game through. Gwent is a good looking card game. The card art looks great and the denizens of the Continent have been captured well. Once you’re outside of Gwent the world almost looks like it’s from a comic book or cel shaded. The look works for the game, although at times the environment can be detailed enough it’s hard to know what’s just scenery and where you can explore for hidden extra resources.

The music is also suitably Witcher. While there’s no Jaskier/Dandelion belting out Toss a Coin to your Witcher, the music is still good. The majority of the dialogue is also voiced. You’ll be hearing a lot of the narrator, but I also enjoyed hearing the conversations between Meve and her supporters. If you’re playing in handheld, it’s hard to make out some of the cards without zooming in. But this allows a good look at the art and all the information you would want to know about the card. This issue of course isn’t as bad when you have a full TV to use and see the playing field, but it always pays to get a good look at the cards you're using.

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It’s hard to find much fault with Thronebreaker, as long as you don’t mind some Gwent (ok, a lot of Gwent). As someone who was bad at it in its previous incarnation, I was pleasantly surprised to be brought about on this card game. It helps that it’s set within the world of The Witcher, capturing a lot of what made the game series so well liked. The Switch is a great platform for a game like this and it runs well on it. Thronebreaker shows that you don’t need to have a big sprawling open world to tell a Witcher tale, sometimes all you need is a really good game of Gwent.