The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

Preface

This game means a lot to me, because it was with it that I began my “journey” through the world of the series, it was she who motivated me to buy the books and read them, it was she who motivated me to then buy parts 1 and 2 and go through them, and then do it again, only after reading the books. This game made me realize the importance of buying a license because I really wanted to support CDPR and I was ashamed that I downloaded the game from a well-known resource, so I first bought it on GOG, then here. They rightly say about it “Game of the Decade” because I have never seen such attention to detail and elaboration of the world anywhere else. Of course, the game has its unpleasant sides, which I’m also going to take into account, let’s get started.

Main plot

We also play for the witcher Geralt of Rivia aka White Wolf. Our task is to find Cirilla, the destined girl whom Geralt once received as a “reward” from Queen Calanthe of Cintra. In this part, the witcher has fully recovered from amnesia and now remembers everything that happened to him. We also find Yennefer and with her help we go in search of the girl. There is no point in talking further about the main plot, as there will be spoilers.

Plot stories

Throughout the game, we will repeatedly encounter various storylines that are not particularly related to the original. Personally, I would like to note a few: the Baron branch, the Priscilla branch, the Triss branch and the magicians of Novigrad. These stories, especially the first one, reveal the world of the game very well, showing that there is nothing good or bad, that the world consists of shades of gray, not black and white. In my memory, this is the first game of this genre where the blurring of the boundaries of good and evil is worked out so coolly. In addition to large task branches, there are many small single tasks that are designed to complement the game world and show all its sides. It will take hundreds of hours to complete the game in every way and find all the tasks.

Open world gameplay

A very competent work has been done on the errors of the second part, the world is now completely open and divided into 2 huge open locations (DLC Blood and Wine adds another one), 2 small ones and 1 storyline one. Exploring the game world will take a very large amount of time, because there is an interesting mechanics of “Points of Interest” implemented here, which are represented by question marks on the map and they appear only if you hear, learn about them somewhere, or simply pass by. Each such “question” contains something unique and interesting. Movement is realized either by fast “teleports” between road pillars, or by horse or boat. The horse can be customized, as its saddle bags increase the weight it can carry, the saddle increases endurance, and the muzzle guards reduce timidity in battle. The world itself is quite diverse and colorful. Here you will find forests, swamps, and a big city. The real contrast is felt when you reach the Skellige Islands or Toussaint from the Velen marshes.

Gameplay of combat and interaction with the world

The witcher has two swords - one for monsters (Silver), one for people and animals (Steel). Geralt can also use 5 witcher signs, which give a good advantage in battle with certain opponents. There are bombs in the game that both cause damage and can hold ghosts and allow them to attack. There are oils and elixirs, decoctions from “bosses”. All this plus a huge arsenal of swords, axes and clubs with armor gives good variability in the selection of equipment. Interaction with the world is done as before, with decisions and their consequences. If you do something at the beginning of the game, it may come back to haunt you at the end. There are generally 3 endings to the game and they depend on the decisions made during the game. It is also worth noting that the game has an interesting feature with “Master” level blacksmiths, who will be available to you only after completing certain tasks, or the crossing from Velen to Novigrad will be available only after receiving a document. There are quite a lot of such small features; they really make you believe in what is happening.

Disadvantages

1) Russian dubbing often does not fit into the timing, so the characters either speak very quickly or very slowly, which happens often and is infuriating.

2) Minor bugs and shortcomings that have not yet been corrected and they have a slight effect on the gameplay.

3) Screensavers from Buttercup every time the game is loaded, which are annoying and can only be turned off with mods (I wrote a whole guide on Steam for this).

4) Sometimes the auto-leveling of enemies does not work quite correctly and makes the rats in the sewer level like you, which is why their health becomes like that of a cave troll, plus the damage also increases. There are about 10 such rats, and sometimes more, which makes it impossible to fight with them.

5) Unbalanced seas of Skellige - in the waters of Skellige there are a lot of “snoops” of black traders, if you go around them all (spend about 5-6 hours), you can earn about 60-70k, which is an indecently large amount for the game.

DLC and extras. content

It’s worth taking off your hat here. CDPR are the first developers in my memory who make free additional content. From the moment you purchase the regular version of the game, you will immediately have access to many cosmetic and small story additions for FREE. If you decide to buy the GOTY edition of the game, then two large DLCs will also be available to you: “Hearts of Stone” and “Blood and Wine”

Hearts of Stone

Tells the rather tragic story of the former aristocrat Olgierd von Everec, who I’ve been through a lot and now I’m tempting life as much as I can in order to feel at least something again. This DLC adds a whole storyline, many extras. quests and expands the Velen map to the east, plus new equipment and characters. The plot is very well developed, it exudes a gloomy atmosphere, which is somehow different from what we see in the main game.

Blood and Wine

The second addition, which secretly puts an end to Geralt’s adventures. In it we have to go to the sunny and beautiful Toussaint. Local princess Anna Henrieta is looking for a way to get rid of the terrible monster that is terrorizing the duchy. After the swampy Velen and the snowy Skellige archipelago, a trip to Toussaint is like a breath of fresh air. The DLC adds an entire region, with all the things included, essentially a new game that could be sold separately, but no - it's an add-on. The atmosphere of Toussaint quickly draws in, because instead of hunger and war there is wine and carnivals, instead of destroyed huts and swamps there are beautiful castles and grape fields. The DLC contains a lot of references to books and previous parts of the game, and what can we say - they resurrected one of the “dead” characters of the past. The ending knocks out very strong emotions from the fans, when Geralt sits with this very friend in the cemetery and drinks mandrake moonshine, we understand that nothing is eternal...

Conclusion

If you read to the end - Congratulations! The game is really worth the money, it works out 200%. Moreover, there is often a discount on the full edition, I definitely recommend purchasing it. It’s better to read the books first, then play the first and second parts, because the world is worked out very deeply and this knowledge will be useful to you.