Reigns: The Witcher preview - "In which Geralt sets up a bakery and more"

• Swipe left and right to choose how the story should go
• Survive for as long as you possibly can
• Unlock more characters and cards the more times you die

Part of what makes The Witcher series so great - at least, to me - is that you can pick any path you think is the best and still end up on the losing side. It's really the shades of grey that make your journey across the Continent all the richer - so you can imagine just how many possibilities can open up for you if ultimatums were a simple matter of swiping left and right.

That, to me, is the beauty of the Reigns franchise - splash on a Witcher-themed coat of paint, and it becomes a truly unpredictable adventure.

Geralt grunting and Dandelion…dandelion-ing

Honestly, I can't think of a more ingenious way for Reigns to incorporate Witcher elements than what they've done here. 

Basically, everything is framed through the songs that Dandelion sings. As a bard, he can weave pretty much any tale he wants to, which means Geralt can just as easily end up dead in a ditch thanks to his valiant monster hunting as he can go back to school because he's been rendered jobless.

You don't even have to rationalise what happens here - the duality of swiping left for one choice or swiping right for another creates lasting consequences that reverberate throughout each run. All you have to do is try to survive for as many days as you can, after all - how hard can that be?

The Trail ain't easy

Turns out, very. Choices are never black and white, because try as you might to balance your affinities among humans, non-humans, sorcerers, and monsters, you can't please everyone, which is why I feel like Reigns captures the Witcher series' endless choices that way. 

But while it tries its best to stay true to the franchise, it also adds plenty of Reigns' trademark humour in there - you might have to lead a troll to become a professional chef one minute and then get turned into a fly by Yennefer herself the next.

Ready to toss a coin?

After a while, you start to collect more "cards" that function as a bit of a to-do list or mission list, if you will. At the beginning of each new run, you can draw these cards and aim to hit three stars, whether that means trying to appease sorcerers or looking to catch a serial killer. Nail those goals, and you get experience points that level up Dandelion's storytelling skills, which, in turn, unlock even more cards.

Eventually, Dandelion will take on jobs and be invited to perform at pubs, so you'll need to know how to please your client depending on their wishes. It's a nice little twist that spices things up in case things start to feel repetitive after a while.

There are battles you can engage in, too, which aren't the best, in my opinion. Thankfully, there's an option to turn them off, which I happily did as soon as possible.

But honestly, while the loop might seem repetitive at first glance, that's actually the beauty of it all - and it's absolutely perfect on mobile. 

This kind of pick-up-and-play nature is already what makes Reigns so great, and when you add Blaviken butchers and bubbly baths to the mix, it's a match made in Kaer Morhen.