There are many superlatives one could use when describing the third instalment of The Witcher series. No single word, however, could do The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt justice. It excels in every aspect and will, undoubtedly, be used as a template for game-developers for years to come. Its gameplay is fun but also challenging, its crafting system is as expansive as any role-playing game to date, its voice-acting is fantastic and it is graphically out of this world. Yet although arguably unrivalled in these facets, its strongest point is undoubtedly its storytelling. Like a bestselling novel or blockbuster movie, it is a game that draws you into its world and refuses to let go. Indeed, it is a rare occurrence when a game’s stories – from the many facets of the main questline to side-quests – are not predictable.
As Geralt of Rivia, you play the game as a Witcher – a monster-hunter for hire. The game’s motto, ‘The world doesn’t need a hero. It needs a professional’, fits this protagonist perfectly. Although Geralt can be seen as someone who is amoral at times, his actions project him as someone who in fact has feelings and can take pity (even though, lore-wise, Witchers are stripped of emotion). Your journey consists mainly of tracking down your long lost ward, Cirilla – also known as Ciri. Without giving too much away, Ciri is the main focus of a prophecy – a very important prophecy. You also play with Ciri at certain intervals, which is a nice change-up from Geralt.
Geralt and Ciri, although the main protagonists of The Witcher 3, are but two members of a stellar cast of characters. Others include an incorrigible dwarf, a womanizing bard, an alcoholic baron and a whole host of sorceresses – to name but a few. Indeed, the characters that make up the tale of The Witcher 3 – from rulers of kingdoms and empires to lowly peasants – are all terrifically portrayed. A large part of what makes these varied members of society so believable is the quality of the game’s voice acting. From a werewolf pleading to end its suffering, to an emperor demanding aid – the game’s many subtleties, all of which are perfectly voiced, give luster to the title’s believability. Even Charles Dance (Tywin Lannister from the Game of Thrones TV series) voices one of the game’s characters.
These memorable characters are the crowning achievement of an already deep world. The world of The Witcher 3, more than any one character, is a world filled with terrific lore you can lose yourself in. From the game’s bestiary to the tales you hear and experience on your travels, everything of Geralt’s world is a sea of secrets waiting to be uncovered. But more than the lore, it is the choices you make and how they influence the world around you that gives The Witcher 3 the gravitas of a role-playing masterpiece. Unlike other role-playing games that have choices, but are linear in their consequences, it is very apparent how the world changes around you in The Witcher 3. From the fate of villages and even empires, to characters (in some cases, very important characters) that either live or die because of your choices, the destiny of many rests on what you decide.
Like any role-playing game, a core focus of the game is its combat and levelling-system. It is not a button-masher (at least not on higher difficulties) and, although combat is multifaceted, it places great emphasis on preparation. As a Witcher, you have two swords; a steel sword for humans and nonhumans (dwarves, elves etc.), and a silver sword for monsters. You have two basic attacks, a Fast Attack (which deals less damage but is quicker) and a Strong Attack (which deals more damage but is slower). You also have two types of dodge, a quick dodge and a dodge-roll. The use and timing of these basic attacks and dodges are very important and the combination of which you’ll use the most depends on the enemy you are fighting. On top of these there are also Potions, Decoctions, Bombs, Oils, crossbows, Signs (spells), Runes and Glyphs. The game can be very difficult, especially on higher difficulty levels, if you do not make use of your full repertoire of alchemical concoctions and other aides. You may fight a wraith and find it a near impossible challenge, only to return with Spectre Oil applied to your silver sword and using the applicable Sign to find the fight easily manageable.
The levelling system is separated into four branches: Combat, Signs (spells), Alchemy and General. There is also a Mutagen tab, but this is a modifier rather than a ‘skill-tree’. The Combat branch consists of Fast Attack upgrades, Strong Attack upgrades, Defense (parry, dodge etc.) upgrades, Marksmanship upgrades, and Battle Trance (Adrenaline Point, damage modifier) upgrades. The Signs branch of the game increases the damage and alters your five spells you have as a witcher, namely: Aard (telekinetic blast), Igni (a burst of flame), Yrden (area-of-effect slow which also increases damage against certain monsters), Quen (a protective shield) and Axii (a mind-influencing crowd control spell that also alters some dialogue choices). The Alchemy branch consists of the following four subcategories: Heightened Tolerance (toxicity modifier), Poisoned Blades (Oil preparation), Steady Aim (Bomb creation), Acquired Tolerance (Mutagen modifier) and Frenzy (a miscellaneous Alchemy subcategory that is also a toxicity modifier). The General branch of the ability trees consist of a set of once-off un-tiered abilities, such as bonuses to wearing certain armor types and the like. To say the least, the way you can spend and customize your ability points is vast.
Crafting in Witcher 3 is also very extensive. Apart from the Alchemy craft – which is already multi-faceted – The Witcher 3 also has Blacksmithing and Armoring. You need to respectively find a Blacksmith (swords) or Armorer (armor) to combine materials into items (and, conversely, to dismantle items for materials). Alchemy, on the other hand, can be accessed on the run anywhere in the world. Alchemy, which involves the creation of Potions (short buffs), Decoctions (long buffs), Oils (applied to swords to increase Attack Power against specific monsters) and more, differs to other games which have a similar crafting category. Most other RPG’s, such as Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, you need to constantly find new ingredients to replenish potions. In The Witcher 3, however, you only need to create a certain type of potion once. All your already-created potions replenish (if you have any kind of alcohol in your inventory) whilst Meditating (skipping through the ingame time). You cannot imbibe an excess of potions in a short time though, as each potion contributes to your toxicity level. If your toxicity is too high it’s game over. Luckily toxicity dwindles over time or disappears instantly if you Meditate (although the latter also cancels the effect of imbibed substances). The game also makes use of Glyphs (applied to armor) and Runes (applied to swords), adding even greater depth and customization.
Another addition to this already stellar title is the game’s card game Gwent. An addictive mini-game, it is worthy of many hours on its own. The game pits two different factions against each other, with the players using different cards to try and outdo each other. There are four different decks, each representing a different faction: Northern Realms, Niflgaard, Scoia’tael and Monsters. Each deck possesses a signature ability. When you defeat someone in Gwent they give you a card that you add to your collection. There are 199 unique cards in total (but more may follow through DLCs) and you build your collection as you travel to various regions and battle different card players. The mini-game is a nice break from adventuring and slaying monsters, and adds a quirky and well thought out element to The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.
Although much has been said about the game’s bugs – I encountered very few on my travels playing on a next-gen console. With the application of the first few patches, technical issues have already diminished – and they will undoubtedly be whittled down even further in the months ahead as CD Projeckt Red makes more patches available. Other detracting factors to the game are the camera (which can be clumsy in enclosed spaces and other situations) as well as underwater swimming (which is clumsy most of the time). Yet there are few third-person games that’s camera doesn’t feel awkward at certain points, and even fewer games that have ever mastered underwater control. These definitely aren’t reasons not to buy the game.
In conclusion, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is a brilliant game. It is an open world filled with treasures, secrets, quests and adventure. Its skill allocation is extensive enough to encourage multiple play-throughs. Solid voice acting breathes life into each and every character, and consequential decisions make a world already rich with lore feel even more alive. Combat (on higher difficulties at least) is challenging, but its easier difficulty levels make it accessible to even layman gamers. Its crafting is superb, and rivals (if not betters) any other RPG. Its main storyline is stellar, and even side-quests keep you enthralled. Although it would add further depth to The Witcher 3’s lore, there is no need to play the first and second instalment of the series to enjoy or understand the plot of the third. It has very few detractions, and excels in almost every respect. It is one of the best games of 2015 and – if I dare say so – of the last few years, and will undoubtedly be remembered (and played) for years to come.