In Witcher games, you play as a Geralt – a famous (or infamous to a lot) member of the chemically and magically transformed orphans turned monster hunters, called the Witcher. Unlike most games, the game does not hide the fact that your protagonist Geralt is not a hero – nor does he particularly want to be – or a villain, he is much more complex for being labelled as much. It is very common for ordinary folk to label him as a freak, or even a monster, but if he needs a label as the society constantly pushes for, he prefers the term -- a Witcher. He is not interested in politics or choosing sides in the ongoing war, he is only interested in solving the ‘monster problems’ and getting some coins in return. That is the way of life of a Witcher, and Geralt proving time and time again to be the person to call when you want a dreaded beast to be taken care off.
Leading up to the release, Witcher 3 would very often get compared to the Skyrim, and why not? The Elder Scrolls game is considered as the industry benchmark for doing sandbox RPG – the direction where Witcher 3 was seemingly headed. Both games were fantasy RPGs, with a huge world to explore filled with quests and mysterious begging to be discovered. Once the game got released however, the discussion took a turn and instead focused on the stark contrast between the two games. At that point, trying to draw further similarities with Skyrim quickly ends dead in the water though. Where Skyrim puts fantasy and sandbox gameplay at the forefront, Witcher 3 pushes it to backdrop. Instead, it uses it as a setting to explore mature themes which appear not so different to the time we live in. As you work your way to slaying the monsters, the revelations leading to it often paints a darker scenery. Forcing Geralt – hence the player – to ponder: who is the real monster here, the beast or the man?
Players are given full reign over the decisions Geralt faces throughout his adventure. They come in all shapes and forms. What is even more impressive, the effects of these decision are very unpredictable, and can be felt right away or…after several hours. This provides an illusion over the decisions, as the player cannot tell whether the decision will have an impact or not, keeping players from making rash decisions and altering the game world in interesting ways. A lot of games highlight decisions as a major gameplay element, but they never tend to be as far-fetching in their implementation like they are in Witcher 3.
Side quests in RPGs provide a great opportunity for developers to explore the game world and provide varied gameplay and story opportunities. But more often than that, the novel idea is pushed aside for the foundation of extending gameplay time and stamp it out for a marketing bullet point. Witcher 3 sets the benchmark for side quests. They are like self-contained stories. Other games could easily package it as small sized DLCs and charge them 5$ for each. I love how the game blurs the line between main quests and the secondary quests. Even the random events have more story in them than most other games do in their Secondary quests. Where many RPGs roundup the secondary quests as means of just extending gameplay time -- often through monotonous means, Witcher 3 takes the high road and uses this opportunity to further flesh out the world and it’s lore.
The game caters to a lot of different types of players with varying skill levels. Combat in Witcher 3 can be as easy as hack and slash to careful balancing act of preparation, attack, defense and improvisation; depends on which difficulty you play in. If you are seeking for challenging combat, I really can’t recommend enough for players to start from a higher difficulty -- like Death’s March – to have a reason to use the full range of the combat system the game has to offer. Otherwise hacking and slashing your way from the start to finish works with no problem, making the combat system very one dimensional and empty.
So what do I actually mean when I say the ‘full range of combat system’? Well, unlike most games, the actual combat is just one cog in the wheel to defeat a monster. Going into a fight with little to no clue about the monster you are dealing with is a straight up suicide. Lucky for Geralt he is a professional, he would prefer to go through a series of steps before coming across the monster itself. This is yet another one of the areas where the game sets itself apart from the rest. Unlike most games out there, simply stabbing the monster several times with your blade will lead you to an ominous fate (you think the villagers haven’t tried that?). Many of these monsters have very specific weakness: some are bounded by a curse and can be only lifted by doing a specific ritual; others have specific weakness which Geralt can decipher by interrogating the villagers as well as investigating the crime scene. Once you have all the information you need, you are better equipped in dealing with these abominations. Most of these quests are under the ‘monster contracts’ and are scattered across every settlement. They are quite short but manage to contain all the elements which make Witcher 3 great -- in a small package-- perfect if you don’t have much time in your hands.
When CD Projekt released the original Witcher, it was a solid effort but nothing quite stood out for it survive the test of time. With Witcher 2 the studio had a much clearer picture of what their game was and it showed; the game had the exterior of a fantasy game, but deep down it was much more than that. It was praised among the critics and created a strong fan base for the developer. Unfortunately game was still not much accessible to the majority of the gamers due to some design choices and balance issues. With the third and final entry—where Geralt’s story is concerned—the studio in Poland have finally come of age. They essentially took essence of Witcher 2 and expanded in every direction imaginable, raising the game to the pedestal of excellence. The game rewarded returning fans by providing them with the deep engrossing gameplay they know all too well and love. At the same time, CD Projekt listened to feedback and improved the core interface and fixed the nuances of the past games. All which worked in tandem to make the entire game much leaner and cleaner for newcomers to get into without much trouble. CD Projekt created an all-round masterpiece, more than worthy enough to stand side by side alongside the greats of its genre.