The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Game of the Year Edition
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt for PC Review
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is the latest game from CD Projekt Red, the developers behind The Witcher and The Witcher 2, and it’s one of the most impressive RPGs you’ll ever play. Take your time with it and explore every nook and cranny of its open world, because there’s far more to The Witcher 3 than its epic story and gorgeous graphics. Here are some reasons why I think The Witcher 3 should be in your gaming library right now.
Game Play
The storyline is fantastic and entertaining. The quests are well thought out, each quest building off of a previous one to further deepen Geralt’s connections with those around him and surrounding areas. Each NPC you come across has a story to tell that isn’t always immediately apparent but shows through each time you run into that person again. Many quests can be resolved in multiple ways depending on how you want to handle them, giving it more replay value if you want something new out of it. The game is also very open world in a sense as there are many side-quests, treasure hunts, and monster lairs to find throughout Velen.
Plot
Geralt and his mentor Vesemir arrive at the town of White Orchard after receiving a letter from Princess Cirilla. It turns out, however, that she is being held captive by a band of ogres led by Gaunter O’Dimm, who is also known as the Merchant of Mirrors. Geralt manages to save her and escort her back to Vizima with Vesemir staying behind to fight off the now-enraged ogres. But once they arrive in Vizima, they find the town under siege by an army of wolves. Geralt fights his way through them only to be confronted by The Beast, a monster that can absorb magic and uses it against anyone unlucky enough to face it.
Development
Although the game was planned to begin production in 2008, CD Projekt announced it would be delayed until the end of 2009. In a statement, they said that the gaming public and the industry itself deserve a great RPG, which we will not compromise on. The first gameplay footage was shown at Game Developers Conference 2009 in San Francisco. According to Andrzej Sapkowski, The Witcher 2 was developed as a commercial product rather than as an artistic project and he hoped that the third game would return to his vision.
World Design
In The Wild Hunt, you play as Geralt of Rivia, a seasoned monster hunter known to his friends as Gwynbleidd (the White Wolf). As in previous games, Geralt travels between regions on horseback, exploring forests and settlements; he also engages in lots of swordplay against humans and monsters alike. From what I’ve seen so far, there are many opportunities for exploration. One notable aspect is that Geralt can climb nearly any structure or cliff face—more than once I saw him scale castle walls and towers with ease. The wilds of Wild Hunt also stretch into sea—there’s quite a bit of sailing involved too!
Side Quests
The Witcher 3 is a fantastic game; it’s mature, gritty, and yet still managing to be whimsical. There are so many activities and side quests for players to take part in that it can be overwhelming for first-time adventurers in The Witcher’s world. Fortunately, our title hero—the witcher Geralt of Rivia—is here to help you out! The following is a list of lesser-known but highly enjoyable tasks that he’d like you to check out while visiting Velen and Novigrad … if you’re not too busy saving Ciri, of course.
Sound Design
Whether you’re a gamer or not, it’s hard to argue that The Witcher 3 has been one of 2015’s best-looking games. But more than that, its outstanding sound design has brought everything to life in ways we didn’t even know were possible. Every little detail—birds chirping from far away, tree branches rustling as Geralt walks by—is clear and distinct. We can only imagine how much time and effort went into making something like footsteps sound so immersive (turns out there was a lot). The next time you play a game that gives you an option between surround sound and stereo playback, choose surround every time. You won’t regret it!
Graphics
The Witcher 3’s graphics are absolutely amazing. The scenery is so beautiful that it puts other game’s scenery to shame. Although my graphics card isn’t top-of-the-line, I have not had a single problem running The Witcher 3 on ultra settings. I can barely run any other games on high settings and I have no problems with The Witcher 3, even though it has such good graphics. Even when there are lots of monsters and NPC’s around you can barely see a drop in frame rate!
Review
If you’re into RPGs, The Witcher series is definitely worth a try. There are three games in total—the third and final installment released in 2015. The game is set within a dark fantasy world with an engaging story and intriguing characters. Like other games of its genre, The Witcher three can be played as an open-world adventure or as a more linear experience. But unlike most RPGS, The Witcher involves very little grinding (when compared to similar games like Skyrim). Combat is also fairly simplistic — which makes it much easier to focus on questing and advancing through the story. If you’re looking for something truly different from what traditional RPGS have to offer, The Witcher series might be just what you need!