Top 5 Most Anticipated Features of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

In a few weeks, after numerous delays, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt will finally hit the shelves. The final installment of CD Projekt Red’s Witcher franchise looks like it will be a fantastic, transcendent and immersive role-playing game experience unlike anything that has ever been seen or played. All the materials and videos released by CD Projekt Red definitely whet my appetite for the game. With the release coming right around the corner, I want to take a look at the features I am most excited about for the game’s pending release.

HONORABLE MENTION: The Franchise Hits PlayStation

PlayStation console owners have never gotten the chance to play The Witcher franchise before. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt finally takes the franchise to the multi-platform route, so PlayStation 4 console owners will now get to experience the franchise for the first time. Unfortunately, The Witcher 2: Assassin of Kings was never ported to the PS3 because the staff was already well underway with the third game, and it did not make sense. I am happy to see that the franchise receive some Sony PlayStation exposure with the third and final installment.

5. Next-Gen Visuals

Despite the fact that the next generation of video game consoles are well under way, it is disappointing that developers and publishers are still wasting so much time on last-gen console ports. That is time, money and resources that should be redirected to Xbox One and PlayStation 4 releases. Thankfully, The Witcher 3 was completely developed for the next-gen consoles, and that definitely shows. The graphical and visual jump the game has made from The Witcher 2 to the third game looks simply stunning and outstanding. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt truly looks like a next-gen game.

4. Massive Open-World

If you thought the open-world sandbox of The Witcher 2 was big, wait until you see what is in store for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. It is no surprise that the game had to endure numerous delays because the open-world map in the game is 35 times the size of the one in The Witcher 2. The hard work by the CD Projekt Red staff really seems to have paid off with the creation of an open-world teaming with wildlife, local humans and all manners of mythical creatures and monsters. If you had to walk across the map from start to finish, it would take hours to accomplish. The vast open-world for The Witcher 3 appears to be one unlike anything ever made for an RPG game.

3. Ciri as a Playable Character

For the first time, The Witcher video game franchise will have an additional playable character in Ciri, the ashen-haired girl who Geralt of Rivia pursues. Ciri is actually a major and significant character in the Witcher mythos. This is the first time the game franchise will allow players to control someone other than Geralt, which is pretty exciting. Per CD Projet Red, Ciri will unlock more narrative possibilities, and she will even offer a different play style than Geralt. I am really excited about how Ciri will be utilized in the game, and especially the DLC content. Considering that the CD Projekt Red built a new playable character model, it would be a shame if Ciri was not playable again for some of the later DLC add-ons.

2. Free DLC Program

In recent years, triple-A game releases appear to be getting shorter, and the costs are getting higher with post-launch DLC releases or Season Passes. Even more frustrating is when publishers force players to buy a Season Pass for the game that does not even include all the DLC content released over the life of a game release–which somewhat destroys the very definition of a video game Season Pass. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt will have 16 pieces of DLC, and it will not cost players a single cent. All players who purchase the game will have access to the game’s free DLC program. You do not even have to pre-order the game to get access to the free DLC. This will include extended storyline DLC that will add hours of content to the game. CD Projekt Red sends a huge message to major publishers who are adding heaping costs toward consumers or nickel and diming them with DLC add-ons. So when someone buys the game, the game is complete. All the updates and DLC add-ons will be made completely available for free.

1. Over 100 Hours of Core and Side-Quest Gameplay

The term “bang for your buck” comes up a lot when you plunk down $65 or more for a new video game. Well, The Witcher 3 will not have to endure claims of stretching a five-and-a-half hour play session to seven or eight hours as in The Order: 1886. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt will feature over 100 hours of core and side-quest gameplay. That includes multiple unlockable endings tailored to your play-style. In short, the game will have plenty of replay value that so few new games are willing to offer. As a player, I like to take my time with my games and complete all the side-quests. The side-quests add a lot of the flavor to the gameplay. However, it appears you can play the game 10 times and achieve 10 different outcomes. That type of gameplay is right up my alley.