It took a series of successful video games by CD Projekt Red to really introduce the world to Geralt of Rivia and The Continent -- partly because Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski's The Witcher novels wouldn't be published in English until long after their initial release -- and they did so beautifully, particularly in the critically acclaimed The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, which adapted the world of The Witcher on a much larger scale than the games that preceded it.

The recently released series on Netflix has once again attempted to bring The Continent to life, this time for a live-action adaptation. Showrunner Lauren S. Hissrich has commented on comparing the series to the video games many times-- they're two different adaptations on two different mediums, rooted in the same material. What is truly different is the look.

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So it seems everything else will remain the same, but that doesn't mean the more superficial details of each adaptation should be dismissed.

Comparing the actual characters and stories serves no real purpose, but because such a large portion of the Netflix series' audience will be gamers, it's worth taking a closer look at what The Continent looks like in the show and compare it to the games. After all, with such a rich, immersive world in The Witcher 3, the video games -- the last in the trilogy, in particular -- will undoubtedly serve as a frame of reference for scores of viewers and will shape the reception of the series.

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When it comes to the presentation of actual magic and monsters, the Netflix series can hold its own when held up against the video games. The show makes no attempts to dazzle its audience with displays of magic, so what viewers get is a slightly more grounded, but equally as enchanting depiction. Where portals in the video games burn bright, the portals in the series simply seem to disturb and contort the space around them and it works just as well.

That's not to say that the show is perfect in that regard. Some of the monsters don't seem to fit in with the world around them, purely because of the limitations of the series' digital effects, but for the most part, it works. The striga in the show is just as frightening as The Witcher 3's Crones.

So the series is off to a great start, but that's not all there is to building a fantasy world. It takes more than just great designs and some digital effects to draw audiences in.

Andrzej Sapkowski's world is wide and varied, but it can be broken down into a small number of notable regions: the Northern Kingdoms -- Temeria, Redania, Aedirn, Kaedwen, Lyria, and Cintra -- to the north, the expansive Nilfgaardian Empire to the south and the Skellige Isles to the west. Each region has its own unique culture and people, and that is made abundantly clear in the games.

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By The Witcher 3, the Northern Kingdoms have been conquered by King Radovid V, making Redania the largest and most prominent force. Still, the remnants of the old factions remain, such as the style and flag of Temeria. The state of the Northern Realms is apparent in the way its people act, dress and speak, which can be summarized simply by likening it to the typical depiction of real-world medieval society and customs in Europe.

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Skellige is an entirely different story. The sea-faring warrior society depicted in The Witcher video game series is very much inspired by Irish and ancient Scandinavian culture. If that wasn't obvious from the names used to label important figures and locations across the Skellige Isles, then it's shown through their unique customs, style -- marked by the abundant use of fur -- and accents, which can be attributed to the fact that they speak a unique dialect of Elder Speech.

As for the speakers of Elder Speech-- finally, there is Nilfgaard. The actual region is never really explored in the video games. The Nilfgaardians are mainly depicted as an almost shadowy force from the south, threatening the sovereignty of the Northern Kingdoms, so the games only really explore its military. Surprisingly, that's enough. The Nilfgaardians in the games are depicted with a distinct style of dress, a different language and, by extension, distinct accents and an arguably different set of values from their northern opponents. They're shown to be more civilized or dignified, anyway. It's more than enough to separate Nilfgaardians from the other kingdoms in The Continent.

It's unreasonable to expect an eight-episode series to create a world as finely detailed as a series of video games that collectively spans several hundred hours. Still, with the presence of plenty of characters from the Northern Realms, from Skellige and from Nilfgaard, we should at least expect enough to illustrate that the people of The Continent are different and unique. Netflix's The Witcher makes an effort, there's no doubt about that, but ultimately it just isn't enough.

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There is one episode in particular, "Of Banquets, Bastards and Burials," where this is most apparent. At the banquet in honor of Princess Pavetta of Cintra, there are figures from across The Continent, from Nilfgaard to the Northern Realms. Those from Skellige are big, brawny and dressed neatly and one of them, Crach An Craite, is shown to have a different accent-- Scottish, instead of Irish. Meanwhile, there's nothing to distinguish the Nilfgaardian from the northerners, other than the fact that he's dressed in black and the northerners are all clad in fine blue and green silks. Like most of the others, the Nilfgaardian even speaks the Queen's English.

They are different, but only when you stop to really look at them. That's not exactly a desirable quality when immersion is the goal. Unfortunately, the fact is that the cultures in the series blend together too well and the world, as depicted in the show, almost suffers for it.

For Netflix's The Witcher, it's only the first season. There is a lot that it does exceptionally well and there is no doubt that with enough time and a large enough budget, the series will come to rival the video games in its depiction of The Continent and its people.

Streaming now on Netflix, The Witcher stars Henry Cavill as Geralt of Rivia, Anya Chalotra as Yennefer of Vengerberg, Freya Allan as Ciri, and Joey Batey as Jaskier.

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