The Witcher 3 - FINE!

Having recently completed the majority of content for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt I wanted to share a few observations. I immensely enjoyed the Witcher 3 having not played either of the previous two (but, of course, having both available for immediate play in my STEAM library. One day I’ll get to them… one day). It scratched the itch for action fantasy open world game that can linger on once Skyrim has been put to rest. Skyrim it is not though and if, like me, you came into the game expecting Elder Scrolls meets Assassin’s Creed, stumbling around White Orchard can be a bit of a jarring experience.

However, once you get used to the nuisances of combat and Geralt’s… interesting… way of getting around the environment (see: full body mounting and climbing of a 3 foot fence) The Witcher 3 quickly pulls you into its long story and extensive item management. Like Skyrim though, and perhaps this is a sign of the greater appeal of more approachable, casual gaming, The Witcher 3 is not particularly thought-taxing or complex. This aids the overall experience though as the already extensive main story-arch would have dragged should every dungeon require puzzle solving or platforming. Most activities or quests are guided by your “witcher senses”; a monochrome world of dog-like senses that allow you to sleuth out the next stage of action.

The game takes you through some gorgeous environments which are complemented by an emotive original score that befits each landscape. You can really escape into the world and the restricted access to fast travel encourages you to journey from place to place in-game. This puts you squarely in Geralt’s boots as you experience his life of trotting from town to town picking up contracts and running into old friends. For the fantasy newbie like myself the game introduces you to a wide plethora of monsters and ghouls you’ve probably never heard of before. Yes, there’re vampires and werewolves but leshens and noonwraiths will likely be new quarrels for you. It never feels like too much lore or niche-fantasy though and each encounter with these beasts will teach you a little bit more about their behaviour and their weaknesses (you are meant to be an expert in these fields after all).

This is where the game shines most, as the strapline for the game declares; “This world doesn’t need a hero, it needs a professional”. Geralt is not the Dragonborn. As a character he’s not destined for greatness. In many ways his witcher abilities make him a superhero of his time but these are neat gameplay mechanics rather than plot-devices in a story of “the one”. Yes he is searching for the Neo of his universe for most of the game but Geralt is more relatable than most fantasy lead characters because at the end of the day he has a tangible objective; consort with ladies and acquire coin.

There is a wider-picture, real-world appeal to The Witcher 3 as well though. CD PROJEKT RED as company have created a marvellous product that was well marketed. What’s more is they have a real appreciation and commitment to their fans. In an era of games being released broken and the value of games coming under greater scrutiny The Witcher 3 shines as a template for how all games should be released and fans treated by developers. Admittedly, the game has required patches but the game worked out of the box. Moreover, the game was released and then supported for 16 consecutive weeks with free DLC. Yes, some were merely cosmetic items but that is something that other companies would still have charge for. I can only hope that The Witcher 3 will attract the attention of the wider market for its success through pleasing fans and perhaps in the future it will be looked back on as the beginning of the renaissance of gaming. (Too much? I think I went a little too far in some places).

A few other points to end on:

·         Ciri. For a badass, The-Bride-from-Kill-Bill-esque character Ciri’s animations are, for lack of a better word, dainty. This was too much of a juxtaposition for me.

·         Roach. Oh my poor sweet Roach. On an open road with wide sweeping bends riding on Roach the horse is one of the most enjoyable experiences of the game. In every other situation he is the bane of my existence. Frequently stuck immediately upon being summoned or otherwise making a nuisance of himself by standing on loot, the horse-play left much to be desired.

·         Swimming. I normally find it easy enough to switch from one set of controls to another from game to game but every time I hit the water with Geralt I’d inevitably get the controls wrong. The buttons just feel… backwards…

·         FINE! Finally, I appreciate it is difficult to create branching trees of dialogue that ultimately converge back on one option. But!; to have Geralt respond to each request with “Fine!” like a moody teenager in an attempt to cover all possible script outcomes didn’t go unnoticed. Surely this was pointed out in recording at some point?

Thanks for reading.

-Norris