A Wild Find : Witcher 3 Review

At a time when RPGs seem to be sprouting at short regular intervals in store shelves, and when every alternate sequels seem to be just installments made to milk money from the series, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt comes as a long awaited sequel and a finale to the highly successful Witcher series.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
Developer : CD Projekt Red
Platforms : PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows
ESRB Rating : 17+

So how does Witcher 3 fare in the light of its predecessor’s success? Let’s find out.

Witcher 3 finds Geralt older and wiser than before. Upon receiving a letter from his former lover Yennefer (who is referred to in previous games), he sets off on a quest to find her as well as his adopted daughter Ciri. If all that sounds unfamiliar to you, fret not because the game does an excellent job at schooling you in its history, starting with the fictional world, which I must say is humongous. Here I must specify that the world/map in Witcher 3 is one of the largest you would have roamed - 35 times bigger than the world in Witcher 2, 3.5 times bigger than the world in Skyrim and 1.5 times bigger than the game world in GTA V.

Yes, the world is huge – as is expected from any modern day RPG – but not just in terms of size.

Witcher 3 at its core is a monster hunting, loot collecting and man- laying adventure. A map as large as its own does nothing but complement these aspects and in fact, amplifies the fun one has going about such tasks. A larger map means a larger and very diverse world to explore, lots of people to be met, hundreds of quests to be completed and a lot of monsters to kill. What makes the games so much more interesting is that it appreciates you more and more as you increasingly invest time in exploring the world. Looking about and searching every nook and corner will be rewarded with an encounter with a completely new type of mythical creature or some really rare loot, none of which you could otherwise obtain if you traversed familiar roads.

Don’t worry though, you need not take the pain of exploring such a huge world on foot and could instead decide to take a horse or a boat, though I must mention that horseriding and sailing are not quite as polished as you may find in other games like in the Assassins Creed series.

Another feature worth a mention is the ‘Witcher Sense,’ which is a Bat-vision type mode that lets you follow the trails of monsters, discover hidden doors and easily find loot.

The story in this one is great and in fact one of the major selling points of the game. You’re allowed to make some very crucial decisions, which can have very impactful consequences immediately or later on through the course of the game. The story is realistic and very personal, bringing in everyday problems as well as large scale concerns. It is a story that brilliantly binds the huge world, the interesting characters and the dreadful monsters together and weaves them into a storyline, which could only be called one of the best in recent memory.

The game also has some of the best character designing and animation and a terribly well-detailed environment. Be it deserted farmlands or villages bustling with action – the developers behind Witcher 3 have done an immensely great job in designing these and filling the world with life. One aspect that stood out was the brilliant capture of facial expressions and emotions, especially in cut scenes, which captivate the gamer and keep him/her hooked on to the story.

But an adventure RPG is only as good as its combat and Witcher 3 does that brilliantly. While there are the standard weapons like swords and crossbows , there is also implementation of magical elements. Block attacks with magical spells and spew fire to stun the foe – this game leaves you to use its excellent combat system to your command.

Verdict
In conclusion, there is very little to say except that Witcher 3 - with its captivating storyline, enormous world, brilliant combat system and mind blowing graphics – is simply not only the best Witcher game made yet, but possibly one of the best RPGs made till date and definitely a ‘game of the year’ contender.

This is a game you could play for years together and still not have enough of.

Final score: 9.6/10

Pranav Nair is a 17 year old whose passion is writing reviews and articles on technology and gaming. His gaming tag is Fleet Admiral. You can check out his tech vlog at: www.youtube.com/user/pranavnairtech or contact him at pranavnairtech@gmail.com