The Witcher 3 is simply a masterpiece, and in many respects, the greatest and most engaging game released in recent years. It enchants with an aesthetic vision, enchants with a vast universe, and enchants with a tale. The creators are not after cheap plaudits. Their style is unwavering and constant. Considered and elegant. The action picks up immediately after the events of the last part. Nilfgaard has taken Temeria and is preparing to invade the remainder of the North. Geralt and Vesemir search the battlefield for evidence of the witch Yennefer. So the Witchers travel to White Orchard, a nearby settlement, to learn more. This is a very complicated type of prologue. We find ourselves in a huge, first confined land in which we can freely move. We gradually acclimate to the universe, complete the initial chores, learn about the many components of the game, and fight our first battles.
When things are heating up, we hear that Ciri, the powerful daughter of the Nilfgaarddian monarch, and the mythical Surprise Child, who is closely linked to Geralt, have both come in Velen. We must find her before she is claimed by the Wild Hunt, a group of spectral riders. When we get at Velen, the roads to the whole North reach all the way to the horizon. There is a vast universe to explore as far as the eye can see. The first sight at the map takes your breath away. A vast area dotted with the traces of towns, hamlets, and cities, including the illustrious Oxenfurt and the Novigrad agglomeration. All of this rightfully evokes awe for the journey that lies ahead. The major plot’s axis is therefore the quest for Ciri, and we know from the start that her tracks travel from Velen, through the aforementioned Novigrad, to the icy Skellige. These three clues can be investigated in any sequence, but Geralt’s lack of preparedness for the excursion implies that you begin your actions in Velen.
The designers expertly and at the appropriate pace draw us into the whirlwind of events. We encounter numerous heroes with whom we will be connected through following missions and side quests as we investigate the first evidence of Ciri’s existence. The latter are organically and properly entwined with the primary intrigue. They rapidly become interested. Not because these are merely extra chores that will provide us with the necessary experience, but because they are an extension of the core plot. Often, seemingly little activities that we may dismiss casually evolve into an exciting, brief adventure, such as an inquiry into ritual killings in which Geralt not only does an autopsy, but also pursues the offender himself. The quality of missions in The Witcher 3 is undeniably excellent, but so is their quantity. Something is continuously diverting us from our hunt for Ciri. And we want to finish an exciting assignment, slay a monster, earn special Witcher gear, or visit one of hundreds of mystery locations highlighted on the map with a question mark. Unexplored areas may contain valuables guarded by wolves, drowners, or trolls. It might be a bandit colony that, if reclaimed, would be populated by humans again. We’ll stumble across monster nests, abandoned tombs, and occasionally even start a new mission.
Anyway, the story smartly and deliberately throws us to various locations so that we don’t become lost in this brilliance, but instead peacefully uncover dark and scary nooks along the road. Of course, the decision is entirely ours. The world portrayed merely wishes to be discovered. The first contact with a saddle is all it takes to fall in love with horseback riding. After all, it’s just a game, but it’s difficult to forget about Oxenfurt or Novigrad. We take our spirit into this fantasy realm and immerse ourselves in a fantastic ambience as we pass past the guards and hear the cobblestone pavement beneath our hooves. For the time being, disregard visuals in the technical sense. Graphics is more than pixels and textures; it is more than resolution or the quantity of grass blades. Graphics is both a vision and a means of realizing it. The Witcher 3 features one of the most impressive aesthetic ideas in the history of high-budget role-playing games. Consistent and executed with style. Almost everything we come across on our journey leaves an imprint. Even a trip to the inn, when we arrive at twilight in the pouring rain, gives us the impression that we are going to sip a pint of honey and warm ourselves by the fire. This is only the beginning. It’s all very tactile, from castles to marshes to towns to hamlets to cities.
The rising and setting sun, as well as the shifting weather conditions, wonderfully underline this state of things. A gorgeous morning with fog in the valley sets the tone for adventure. The sun is warming the ground, the birds are chirping, and the air is whispering through the trees and shrubs. As the first thunderclaps in the distance, the peasants rush about. Moments pass, clouds, strong rain, and lightning are on their way. You can either hide in the inn or simply observe the occurrence. The powers of nature are at work, lightning is striking, the wind is howling, and the sun will soon emerge from behind the clouds, and the children will gleefully rush out into the walkways. The scenery and surrounding hues fluctuate depending on the time of day. The world comes to life at dawn, yet nature is still drowsy, pastel, and hovering in delicate shadows. When the weather is nice in the middle of the day, the colors are brighter and the rays are stronger. When you enter the city, your emotions reach a peak since the architecture is truly stunning. We pause for a while to enjoy the magnificence and richness, but then we become silent as we approach the harbor and observe the massive ships and sailors scurrying about. The descend to the first random tomb or subterranean is accompanied by similar emotions. We enter the semi-darkness, torch in hand and hand wanting to draw a blade. You never know what’s going to happen next. And just when we think we’ve seen everything, we arrive at the chilly, mountainous Skellige, which is surrounded by countless islands. And we relive everything, and Skellige cements the idea of a game capable of arousing appreciation and interest in the adventure itself.
Geralt may now not only jump over fences, but also perform longer jumps, even on rock ledges, climb, and dive. Many areas, particularly in the Alps, may only be accessed through tiny trails and rocks, requiring some response. Swimming and diving can help you find riches, but it can also help you uncover underwater routes. The key to understanding why this vision is so flawless is probably courage and constancy. Courage, since the artists from the Warsaw studio finally demonstrated their own personality and self-confidence in the universe created by the famous writer; they are also attracted by our culture’s achievements, seamlessly integrating them into the game’s environment. Wild Hunt enchants with its interior design, which includes both a basic room in a rustic home and a lavishly designed mansion. When we witness finely stitched and highly designed garments in action, it nearly feels like a costume spectacular. When we eventually engage as Geralt in the rituals that we learned from the pages of well-known school reading, all of this becomes very dear to our hearts, but it will definitely be equally intriguing for players from other regions of the globe to explore. Maybe even more than for us.
The independent personalities are just as expressive and unforgettable. Motherfucker Junior is a criminal underworld ruler in Novigrad. A supporting character who perfectly exemplifies the creators’ attitude to the previously described lack of compromise in practically every element of the game. Throughout the voyage, we’ll encounter more interesting, vital supporting people, and the majority of them are never black and white. We will also see old pals. The whole affair is supported with well-written conversations, well-directed cutscenes, and visually appealing, bolder-than-usual sex scenes.
As a result, The Witcher 3’s environment is vibrant and bright. People are walking along the street, minding their own business. Musicians perform, guards patrol, cocks gallop around, and courtesans hunt for wealthy patrons – all of these services are available to us. Bandits occasionally assault rich passers-by. They will occasionally collide with someone like Geralt, losing limbs or even heads.
Although it takes some time to get used to the character growth system, the combat was executed virtually flawlessly. After a few hours, the entire thing begins to blush, to relish the diversity and finesse of solutions from a specific point in time. The battles are quick and exciting.
We get experience by fulfilling chores and participating in combat. In addition to the previously described major tasks and highly fascinating side content, we may also grab monster bounties from the boards and occasionally encounter other, smaller events. They still need witcher assistance here and there. Some quests are not worth attempting unless you have the necessary level – this is shown on the list. This also applies to subsequent plot missions, forcing you to accomplish at least some of the side objectives. But don’t worry, the game doesn’t force us to do everything and explore every nook before we tackle anything more serious. Even a simple side mission, bounty, or search for swords or armor is well-designed if it ends up exploring interesting portions of the environment, engaging fighting, or compelling discussion. The writers frequently demonstrate their original humor, intelligence, and innovation.
Gaining the next level of experience allows us to invest in the chosen talent. There are three classic branches; battle, magic, and alchemy, each with sixteen potential abilities that may be developed over levels. An second tree with broad talents is also available. We can only activate a limited number of abilities at any given time – there are a maximum of twelve slots, which are further backed by four mutagens. Mutagens serve a specific function and boost those active abilities that are similar to the inserted mutagen.
Later on, we construct other combinations, enriching the conflict and having pleasure in a slightly different way. Finally, we may always purchase a somewhat costly elixir that resets and redistributes all points, and the Places of Power distributed across the globe will also provide us with one point to spend in skills at the first contact. The mechanism performs admirably in the context of battles against varied enemies and at higher difficulty levels. The gaming environment is teeming with creatures, corpse eaters, insectoids, and drakonids, as well as trolls, wyverns, and mermaids. We may change our active skills and mutagens to deal with a charging adversary by knowing their vulnerabilities. The fact that we can’t instantly spend points on talents from the bottom of the tree is perhaps the most significant negative of this system. We will be using fairly similar abilities for a long time unless we get highly interested in quests and side orders and do not use the aforementioned Places of Power. Meanwhile, alchemy continues to play an essential role. Throughout the quest, we collect recipes and documents that allow us to construct potions. Plants and monster organs or tissues are used as ingredients. Oils, elixirs, and decoctions are witcher necessities, therefore making them is worthwhile. We battle with a sword made of steel or silver. You also have access to a ranged crossbow. We don’t perform any sequences this time, and we have unlimited flexibility. One button is in charge of a rapid sword strike, while the other is in charge of a hefty one. Geralt can also counter and evade strikes, as well as roll about on the ground. We used rolling more frequently at first. The conflict begins to resemble a ballet after we learn the witcher’s technique of evading and our active talents allow for greater spectacularity. Geralt hops and spins about the opponent, changing positions, throwing signals, dodging strikes, and eventually leaps to the throat like a wolf, slashing furiously until blood gushes and limbs fly.
The Witcher 3 is a violent game filled with sex, rape, and carnage. Evil lurks everywhere, and outward looks can be misleading. Choices we make are exceedingly delicate, often invisible, and their ramifications are far away in time. In certain modest chores, we must pick between two options for completing the goal. If we chose the first option, the second will almost certainly be closed. These are significantly lower-level scenarios than Roche and Iorweth’s path option in the last part, and we’ll make a conclusion after reviewing the circumstances. The narrative is extensive and action-packed, so you won’t get bored. The second half of the game is so inventive that it’s difficult to take your eyes off the screen. The narrative falls under the category of pleasant fantasy. It is private and thoughtful when required. There is momentum when major things happen. Surprisingly, in comparison to previous CD Projekt games, the Witcher 3 has a high technological level despite its immensity.
Stability is another issue that has to be addressed. There are some frame drops when there are too many effects on the screen, but the game appears polished and ready to play, and the creators have verified that they are currently working on optimization and that updates will be released. Of course, this is hardly the ideal title. Sure, the lip sync could be improved, the stems could be less bobbly, and the leaves could be more lush. There are a few technical flaws here and there, but they have little bearing on the adventure’s acceptance or enjoyment. When we look at the work as a whole, all of these details melt away and lose their significance. The Witcher 3 is a stunning, opulent, and demanding game. There is a lot more to say about her. In this universe, we can spend fifty or more than a hundred hours. And we shall never be bored. This is without a doubt one of the best video games I’ve ever played.