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The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is one of those rare games that will likely come to define its generation. CD Projekt RED has enjoyed success with the first two instalments of this RPG series, but their third entry elevates things to a new level. Boasting a vast, detailed world filled to the brim with activities – almost all of which are meaningful – to complete, it’s a game which sucks you in and doesn’t let go. Top that off with exciting combat, a mature story and strong characters, and it makes The Witcher 3 an essential part of your eighth gen collection.
The Witcher 3 continues the story of Geralt of Rivia, taking place a bit after the second game. Geralt has been separated from many of his comrades, as he finds himself searching for his love interest Yennefer and his mentor Vesemir. However, it comes to his attention that The Wild Hunt, a phantom force, are tracking Ciri, his adopted daughter and trainee. So now, Geralt must travel across the Northern Lands in order to track Ciri and protect her from this near-unstoppable force. His journey takes him to several locales, including Velen which is ruled by The Bloody Baron, and has a tremendous backstory. The depth, maturity and care taken with the story is astonishing, as moments shock, excite, and keep the player engaged. It’s not a terribly unique story, but it’s one which never feels forced or unflattering. And as you can bring decisions from the second game over, it entices multiple playthroughs through this and key choices which change the game.
Previous Witcher games had a sense of freedom to them, but not to the scale of Wild Hunt. After a brief prologue, you are set into the world which is, frankly, staggering. Divided into several regions, each area feels substantially different from one another. Velen feels distinctly rural and lower class, as you encounter many a person with missing teeth, dirty clothes and worse dialect. Novigrad, on the other hand, is a cityscape with the upper bourgeoisie, and while certain areas run amuck with thieves and drunks, many are the complete opposite to those you encounter in Velen. And Skellige – a distant island which is home to a majority of the latter act – is its own beast, clearly taking influence from Viking mythology with warriors, sailing and people who pride strength. It creates a living, breathing, natural world.
The Witcher 3 continues the story of Geralt of Rivia, taking place a bit after the second game. Geralt has been separated from many of his comrades, as he finds himself searching for his love interest Yennefer and his mentor Vesemir. However, it comes to his attention that The Wild Hunt, a phantom force, are tracking Ciri, his adopted daughter and trainee. So now, Geralt must travel across the Northern Lands in order to track Ciri and protect her from this near-unstoppable force. His journey takes him to several locales, including Velen which is ruled by The Bloody Baron, and has a tremendous backstory. The depth, maturity and care taken with the story is astonishing, as moments shock, excite, and keep the player engaged. It’s not a terribly unique story, but it’s one which never feels forced or unflattering. And as you can bring decisions from the second game over, it entices multiple playthroughs through this and key choices which change the game.
Previous Witcher games had a sense of freedom to them, but not to the scale of Wild Hunt. After a brief prologue, you are set into the world which is, frankly, staggering. Divided into several regions, each area feels substantially different from one another. Velen feels distinctly rural and lower class, as you encounter many a person with missing teeth, dirty clothes and worse dialect. Novigrad, on the other hand, is a cityscape with the upper bourgeoisie, and while certain areas run amuck with thieves and drunks, many are the complete opposite to those you encounter in Velen. And Skellige – a distant island which is home to a majority of the latter act – is its own beast, clearly taking influence from Viking mythology with warriors, sailing and people who pride strength. It creates a living, breathing, natural world.
"I'll just go for a dip in this painting"
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"I shall build my bungalow... here!"
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It’s a world with an incredible number of activities to tackle. The main story, which on its own features multi-faceted objectives, is divided into several acts and features about 30 hours of gameplay. You’ll perform a variety of favours for key characters, all the while tracking Ciri and avoiding the wrath of the wild hunt. More impressive, though, is the amount of depth to the optional activities. There’s dozens of substantial side missions, including fleshed-out stories and choices which can impact the main story. There’s also a fully-developed mini-game called Gwent, a 1v1 card battle which, too, has its own sub-quest, but can be played with almost any merchant. Completing the circle is Witcher Contracts, which are by far the best element. After accepting the contract, you track the monster using your Witcher senses, lure it out, and kill it, rewarding you with a trophy that can add a boost such as extra XP.
There’s just so much to do, but it wouldn’t be much good if playing Wild Hunt wasn’t fun. Thankfully, CD Projekt Red has taken care here too. The world may seem overwhelming, but travelling is always fun. Geralt’s movement feels a bit more flexible, allowing you to climb up ledges and jump across gaps, though his fall damage can be infuriating. Riding on horseback is simple and easy to get, and you can quickly ride through the world without boredom kicking in. Geralt can also now swim underwater and sail too, and it feels natural, allowing you travel between islands. Or, if all this doesn’t entice you, a fast travel system is in place. It can seem a tad cumbersome, as you must unlock and reach a fast-travel point in order to jump between key areas. But this is smart – it keeps you wanting to explore, but doesn’t force you to tediously travel back and forth, such as in massive games like Far Cry 2.
Fighting also works well. It can take a while to get used to the flow of combat, but once you get down rolling and countering, combat becomes a bit easier. Geralt comes equipped with two swords – one for humans and one for monsters – as well as a crossbow. Crafting returns, allowing you to use blacksmiths to make better swords and armour, as well as repair items which degrade after use. Alchemy is present again, allowing you to use materials looted from monsters and the world to create potions, bombs and more. Lastly, Geralt can cast several magic attacks, ranging from a fire attack to a confusion spell which, when upgraded, can possess enemies. Battles can often be exciting, particularly when some of the creatures are so beautifully designed and programmed. The intense battles with griffins, for example, are incredibly fun.
There’s just so much to do, but it wouldn’t be much good if playing Wild Hunt wasn’t fun. Thankfully, CD Projekt Red has taken care here too. The world may seem overwhelming, but travelling is always fun. Geralt’s movement feels a bit more flexible, allowing you to climb up ledges and jump across gaps, though his fall damage can be infuriating. Riding on horseback is simple and easy to get, and you can quickly ride through the world without boredom kicking in. Geralt can also now swim underwater and sail too, and it feels natural, allowing you travel between islands. Or, if all this doesn’t entice you, a fast travel system is in place. It can seem a tad cumbersome, as you must unlock and reach a fast-travel point in order to jump between key areas. But this is smart – it keeps you wanting to explore, but doesn’t force you to tediously travel back and forth, such as in massive games like Far Cry 2.
Fighting also works well. It can take a while to get used to the flow of combat, but once you get down rolling and countering, combat becomes a bit easier. Geralt comes equipped with two swords – one for humans and one for monsters – as well as a crossbow. Crafting returns, allowing you to use blacksmiths to make better swords and armour, as well as repair items which degrade after use. Alchemy is present again, allowing you to use materials looted from monsters and the world to create potions, bombs and more. Lastly, Geralt can cast several magic attacks, ranging from a fire attack to a confusion spell which, when upgraded, can possess enemies. Battles can often be exciting, particularly when some of the creatures are so beautifully designed and programmed. The intense battles with griffins, for example, are incredibly fun.
Halloween selfie!
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As it turns out, Google Maps does have its limitations
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It’s the little details that make Wild Hunt a truly amazing game. The day/night cycle is gorgeous to behold, but also changes monster behaviour. Characters – whether significant or minor – are visually detailed and extremely well-voiced. The world is beautiful, as you constantly stop to take in beautiful vistas. The soundtrack is beautifully done, with orchestral scores which are fitting, exciting and a joy to take in. The combat looks pretty, featuring potent visual effects for spells and well designed monsters. And it can’t be stressed how large the scale is. The only downer is that the detail and scale seem to come at a price, as often the technical performance leaves a bit to be desired. It’s a shame, but never enough to keep you from enjoying Wild Hunt.
It might seem trivial to mention at this point, but The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is a strong Game of the Year candidate. It is a game made with intense care, love and detail. Every aspect feels strong: the story is superb, the combat enjoyable, exploration is encouraged but doesn’t penalise you and the side content is some of the best you’ll ever explore. With a good hundred hours of gameplay, it’s a massive experience that never becomes dull, never ceases to be amazing and always surprises you. It boils down to this really: if you own an eighth generation console, and love Western RPGs, you must own The Witcher 3.
It might seem trivial to mention at this point, but The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is a strong Game of the Year candidate. It is a game made with intense care, love and detail. Every aspect feels strong: the story is superb, the combat enjoyable, exploration is encouraged but doesn’t penalise you and the side content is some of the best you’ll ever explore. With a good hundred hours of gameplay, it’s a massive experience that never becomes dull, never ceases to be amazing and always surprises you. It boils down to this really: if you own an eighth generation console, and love Western RPGs, you must own The Witcher 3.
PIXEL SECONDS: THE WITCHER 3: WILD HUNT (PS4)
Sandbox games generally suck massive donkey’s b*llocks. So, it says a lot about the quality of The Witcher 3 that I’m playing it through for a second time. Whereas the initial intrigue of the GTAs and Red Dead Redemption’s of this world gradually turn into tedious uninteresting plods that I never finish, the adventures of Geralt of Rivia remain ever entrancing. Perhaps it has something to do with the character dynamic – monster slaying mutant lacking empathy – coming from a rich literary source. Plot scenarios and characters have elegant long-term back-stories, making them more interesting than the dour stereotypes that frequent similar games. Perhaps it has something to do with the gameplay. Sword-master, potions-master, master of signs – there is more than one way to defeat the monsters (humans included) of Velen and Novigrad. Besides different ways of completing tasks can lead to real unintended consequences, a neat device that keeps you involved in trying to make Geralt a better person (unless you play as a total b*stard, of course). Perhaps it is the truly mesmerising graphics, dialogue and general presentation that provide that additional layer of quality. Have I witnessed a better-looking game on the PS4? Arguably not. But when you prefer riding your lovable horse Roach or walking to destinations rather than using the fast-travel option it kind of suggests something special is happening. Perhaps it has something to do with Gwent, the best in-game mini-game ever invented. Perhaps maintaining your duty to protecting Ciri, the child of surprise, as I am, makes it unputdownable. Albeit be warned this can lead to fractious marital relations and narcolepsy. At the end of the day, who knows what it is that makes The Witcher 3 timeless gaming. But whatever it is, replaying it has been a total and utter joy. [9] - Alan Passingham © 2020
Sandbox games generally suck massive donkey’s b*llocks. So, it says a lot about the quality of The Witcher 3 that I’m playing it through for a second time. Whereas the initial intrigue of the GTAs and Red Dead Redemption’s of this world gradually turn into tedious uninteresting plods that I never finish, the adventures of Geralt of Rivia remain ever entrancing. Perhaps it has something to do with the character dynamic – monster slaying mutant lacking empathy – coming from a rich literary source. Plot scenarios and characters have elegant long-term back-stories, making them more interesting than the dour stereotypes that frequent similar games. Perhaps it has something to do with the gameplay. Sword-master, potions-master, master of signs – there is more than one way to defeat the monsters (humans included) of Velen and Novigrad. Besides different ways of completing tasks can lead to real unintended consequences, a neat device that keeps you involved in trying to make Geralt a better person (unless you play as a total b*stard, of course). Perhaps it is the truly mesmerising graphics, dialogue and general presentation that provide that additional layer of quality. Have I witnessed a better-looking game on the PS4? Arguably not. But when you prefer riding your lovable horse Roach or walking to destinations rather than using the fast-travel option it kind of suggests something special is happening. Perhaps it has something to do with Gwent, the best in-game mini-game ever invented. Perhaps maintaining your duty to protecting Ciri, the child of surprise, as I am, makes it unputdownable. Albeit be warned this can lead to fractious marital relations and narcolepsy. At the end of the day, who knows what it is that makes The Witcher 3 timeless gaming. But whatever it is, replaying it has been a total and utter joy. [9] - Alan Passingham © 2020
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