The soundtrack that plays to your movements on your journey fits every moment very well. And honestly each song is so good on its own that the soundtrack probably needs to be reviewed separately. There is a particular song early on in the game where everything slows down and you get to just listen to a bard's wonderful tune. It is easily one of my favorite moments in the story, and I’ll be humming that song along with many others for quite a while after playing.



Game Play Mechanics Controls in the Witcher 3 are a great improvement over the developer's previous entry to the series. While the combat has been simplified, it is by no means easier. When the game trains you how to fight at in the tutorial area, that is how you need to fight outside of it as well. Staying on the outside of groups of enemies, waiting for the right moment to strike, making use of the countless ways to counter attack, all add up to a combat system that may be frustrating for the impatient at first. Rushing into battle and swinging your sword around wildly will get you killed. And expecting the enemies to act the way, say, the AI does in the Assassin’s Creed games is completely foolish. In the Witcher 3 being surrounded by a group of enemies is one of the worst positions you can get yourself into, and many of the criticisms that I have noticed of the games combat showcases the reviewer rushing into the middle of a crowd and expecting them to attack one at a time. That or the player will button mash and randomly cast signs in random directions, with no regard to the flank an enemy's buddy is trying to set up. Tactics aside, the character controller for the game feels great in most situations. Thankfully combat is where the control system shines the brightest. Unlike the Witcher 2 where animations for attacks needed to finish before you could do anything, now dodging, rolling, sign casting, and parrying all take precedence in your movements. Allowing Geralt to nimbly dodge out of the way of enemy attacks as you learn the beasts specific attack patterns. Swings from your swords feel meaty and impactful, rare occasions of timing a good heavy attack are rewarded with a sound that rivals the audio feedback in the new Mortal Kombat game. Animations and hit-boxes seem to match up near perfectly with each collision of swords, shields, and flesh. I will say however the camera may cause some issues while fighting a larger group of enemies indoors while using a controller. As the button maps are confined to the face buttons and not the triggers, meaning one thumb must be off the right stick if you wish to attack. But a quick switch to keyboard and mouse (which you can do on the fly btw) can remedy this camera issue quite quickly. And the controls feel great on both systems, with the exception of keyboard and mouse having the upper hand on combat camera controls. And those incredibly precise hit-boxes allow for some pretty intense moments. Enemy swung too high, missing my head by an inch. Moving outside of combat, while not necessarily bad, just doesn’t hold up in comparison to the combats control systems. Running and walking are easy enough to do, Geralt does feel very weighted in the world and even jumping around like a crazy person feels fine. But I suppose it’s the fact that it only feels just fine in a game where everything else is so great is what makes it stand out. Besides, it’s not like running on foot is as bad as riding Roach... Okay that was a cheap shot at your trusty steed. It’s really not as bad as I made it out to be, it can be awful, but only before you realize you are not controlling Roach. What I mean is, Roach is an AI. She’s a buggy AI at times, dives her head into the ground on some paths for example, but she is also a direct-able AI. When you ride a horse, you don’t become the horse, you tell it to walk forward, canter, jump, or run, but you don’t act it out as the horse. And sometimes horses halt, for whatever reason the horse sees fit, and you tell it to go again, and while you can suggest which directions to turn, ultimately it’s the 1200 pound beast that is going to turn with you on top of it. And while it can be a pain to deal with at times, that is exactly what the developers have created with Roach’s AI, an actual horse. Think Shadow of the Colossus, the horse itself was its own AI as well, and the game made it very clear within the story that it was a second character. Yet the AI in that game did not have as many trees and obstacles to get stuck on while riding around. In the Witcher 3, Roach will face many obstacles, and randomly stop at times if she is not sure where to go. Whether or not that’s a good thing is yet to be proven, but for what they’ve done it works. At least once you realize how it works. Level Design / World Design The World of the Witcher 3 is a large one, and anyone who has designed a level knows just how difficult designing a world around those levels is. Which is where world design comes in. Open world games can run the risk of losing some value in level design which is arguably as important to any game as the code that makes it run. But once again the developers at CDPR are very aware of this and have taken great care in melding world design and level design far more seamlessly than most other open world games. The lack of loading screens between a cave or dungeon in the open world helps this slightly, but it’s the way the world shapes itself around a hollowed out mountain with a Vampire hiding inside, or a hidden passage under a cabin that keeps everything consistent with the world's vast landscapes. The world is dense, with people, activities, landmarks, and hidden treasures, nothing feels unimportant and it all feels like it belongs. Nothing in the world space sticks out like a sore thumb. The vistas are well composed and paths offer just enough of a guide for players to rediscover their footing if they head off the beaten path. The houses and rural dungeons fit the more traditional “Level” definition, and once again it doesn’t take much to notice the amount of care these levels or dungeons have had put into them. They may not be as large and time consuming as something like Skyrim, but they're are also not as repetitive because of this. I’d say the largest one I found took me maybe 15~20 minutes to discover everything within it, but what a ride, and I’m someone who will always take quality over anything else when it comes to exploring dungeons like this. And I’m certainly not trying to put down Skyrim in the slightest, Skyrim is a very different kind of open world game. It’s quite literally Dungeons and Dragons in first person, you are either in dungeons or fighting dragons. Witcher doesn't fall into any category like that. You spend just about an equal amount of time outside as you do in houses or dungeons. But the focus is is certainly more on the world than it is the individual levels. Thankfully they composed this world space as if it where a giant level, fully detailed, with great pacing and a fair challenge curve (for the most part). Story This is how you write good characters. This is how you make a story that is unpredictable at times, and draws from every emotion possible. Every quest feels important and different, and what could seem straightforward at first, can easily turn into a complex situation with no good or bad outcomes, just choices that you have to live with. Characters importance and value drop in and out of the main quest line ever so seamlessly, to a point I found myself doing side quests that I thought had to be the main story they were so carefully crafted. Explorers will also be surprised to find Geralt reacting to the characters naturally if had previously explored an area an NPC asks him to visit, keeping the player immersed in a greatly confident world of storytelling. But it’s the tools that The Witcher 3 gives you to create your own stories, through choice mechanics, exploration, and the ability to take on higher level enemies with some patience, that makes the Witcher another great game you can talk to a friend who's played and share completely different experiences. And it’s those stories that I have experienced which allow me to confidently recommend this game on its story telling techniques alone. The writers understand that in a visual medium you need to show, not tell. And the practice of therefore and not “and-then” that keeps even the Witcher contract quests which should all be very similar unique in their own way. In regards to the main questline, I won’t spoil anything, but I will say it is one hell of an emotional roller coaster. I laughed, I cried, I got excited, I got vengeful, and I even cheered. The story you end up with is the one you craft through your own choices, and I was amazed when they were able to wrap all of my baggage up in an incredibly satisfying ending. S tory/World Mechanics Choices matter in the Witcher 3. I know we’ve heard this PR-bull-speak before in countless games. Dragon Age and Mass Effect come to mind when I think about games that promised changes in the world based on my actions. Only in DA:O did such choices seem to truly effect the world around me. But even that was all smoke and mirrors. Those titles offered choice obfuscation, but not true consequence. At the end of a side quest in Mass Effect, you get the same basic result as anyone else, or you get one or two choices that never come up again. I am surprised and happy to say that the choices you will make the Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, will affect everything. And you will not even know you’ve made such a choice at the time you need to make it. There is no positive or negative system that tells you what your choice means, but hours later you could run into a old friend or foe, triggering events that can even affect the main story. Same applies to the choices you make along Geralt's main path, it branches down to even the most seemingly insignificant NPC. And they will remember you for it. Some will love you, some will hate you. But none if it will be objectively good or bad. I have yet to meet a single character I truly despise or Love with all my heart. I love and hate aspects of individuals. Which makes them all more memorable as characters. Speaking of characters, those who have played the Witcher 2 will be happy to see a few returning characters, and some who may not based on your choices in the previous title. The Main story of the Witcher 3 won’t depend on your knowledge of the second game, but a far more personal experience with certain characters might be felt one way if you’ve played through the second game. I myself have never played the first Witcher game, but neither game seemed to rely very much on the story of the first game. And here in Witcher 3, you have the option of playing through a quick dialogue to recount the events of the Witcher 2, in which you determine right then and there what happened in the first game, no need to import any saves. It is also a good scene for players who have not played the second game, as it will give you some idea of what happened previously if you wish to know. Rest assured however, there are more than enough new characters to the game series in this line up that are worth talking to and learning about. All of these systems within the games tales must have been one hell of a confusing flowchart. And as much as I love to criticize writing and art to increase the likelihood of iteration in future titles, it’s hard to not just say this should be the standard in all games writing. The way a world can both flourish and suffer because of your deeds is truly a great accomplishment. And many choices you’ve previously made will surprise you with the outcomes and leave you already itching to replay the whole game differently to see what you could have done differently, and if you think it would have been a better outcome than your previous efforts. Crafting Systems If you love digging through tons of loot, you will love this game. Once you learn how to get Geralt to select the damned dead bodies of a f****** siren EVEN THOUGH HE IS STANDING RIGHT NEXT TO IT! Okay well its not the most infuriating thing in the world, but it can be a bit frustrating under the right circumstances. The loot area of effect is just a bit to small, and Geralt needs to have the loot in his line of sight as well, which makes looting bodies a bit more of a hassle than it should be at times. But oh man, once you open it up and start scrolling through all the cool shit you get, it is totally worth it. Loot tends to hardly ever be junk, there are so many things that are actually worth crafting that you will rarely find yourself wanting to just get rid of it. Finding a cool new sword or piece of armor is exciting and rewarding. Rarely will you find something is just strictly better, you will need to weigh the benefits and drawbacks of your new toy to determine if it’s actually something you want to go ahead and equip, break it down for parts, or just sell it for cash. Crafting, one of the most intuitive systems for creating gear and items that I’ve seen. Not only is it easy to determine what parts you need to craft a sword from a diagram you found, but the process of finding new diagrams are exciting and carefully crafted quests as well! But you will not need to start said quests to find cool gear sets, if you end up running into any part of the quests elements while exploring, the game will add it to your quest log. Searching for the items and components required to make the items won’t always be easy, but the rewarding feeling of finally upgrading your Cat School gear to a master crafted level will be more than worth it. Alchemy is a very important aspect of the game if you wish to play on higher difficulty levels. Using potions that are applied to your swords to exploit the weaknesses of various monsters isn't an option on Death March, it is necessary. But even at lower difficulties you should give Alchemy a try in this game even if you don't usually care about these kinds of systems in games. Very similar to the crafting system in terms of layout and structure, Alchemy in the Witcher 3 takes a simple approach to what is usually a very complicated subsystem in role playing games. You will only ever need to brew any potion once. You will be given a set number of uses for this potion, usually 2 or 3. To refill the potions you just need to meditate, no need to run around and find that specific flower or harass an herbalist for more ingredients a second time. This was a godsend considering just how crucial using these potions are, especially if you feel the need to take on a higher level enemy to get access to some sweet loot and much deserved experience. Inventory Screen and Menu Layouts This is where the game stops being incredible, or even good. Unfortunately the Inventory in the Witcher 3 is serviceable at best. The biggest issue for me is not having a separate tab for books and notes, instead they are all in the same tab as your potions and oils, which you will need to swap out in combat from time to time. Meaning, if you need to switch to a different point in combat, you need to open up your inventory, take the mouse and scroll past a ton of books just to equip your new potion. I don’t think this would bother me as much if you could read items without having to pick them up, but that is not the case. It would have also been nice to have a list option and not tiles, it just takes up more screen space pointlessly when I could have a ton of items listed in its place. Aside from the inventory being just par, the rest of the menu works a bit better. It’s certainly not the best menu system I’ve ever used, but it does have a good flow from menu to sub-menu, and the information is presented very clearly. The menu’s aesthetic makes reading long Bestiary entries enjoyably engage-able. Gwent As I began writing about this not-so-mini mini game I decided it would be best if I wrote a separate review for the Game instead. You can find my Gwent Review Here. Free DLC The additional Quests that I've encountered from the DLC where good, but not as amazing as some of the quests already in the core game. The armor and crossbow sets have yet to be better than Armor that I was already wearing when I found them in game. None of the DLC will really get you jumping out of your seat with excitement, but being rewarded with 16 free pieces of DLC is a great way to build trust with consumers. The beard and hairstyles is my most most utilized piece of free content, with some good choices that are all very different from one another, allowing players to make their Geralt look how they see fit.

Support From CD Projekt RED Why is this part of the review you ask? Well I feel a review should reflect what the reviewer experienced while playing the game. And as an avid player of the game, it was great to see a Development Studio give a shit. Not just about the game they made, but also the community who enjoyed like hell what they made, but wanted it to be better in a few areas. And man these guys delivered. In just over two weeks the game’s patch numbers went from 1.01 to 1.05 with the developers working through a holiday just to get us all the latest patch as quickly as possible. This patch had addressed many issues brought up by the community, including swimming and rose riding mechanics. It would be very hard to argue that CDPR does not care about their game or the people who play it. Made even more obvious by the various incentives the developers included with their DRM free game. The Extra Goodies These are all the extra delicacies that were included with my copy of the game, which I found easy to download and collect through GOG Galaxy. Once again, why is this part of my review? Because the $60 dollars you spend doesn't just get you a copy of this ridiculously large and excellent game, but you also get a lot of "Extra Goodies" for supporting the developers.

The only thing I am not mentioning below is the Game manual. Not that it isn’t cool that the game comes with one, or that they take a shit ton of work to make, believe me I’ve made one, but everyone has an idea of what is in a game manual, so I didn't feel it was worth exploring as much as the following.

The OST I mentioned earlier that the soundtrack needs its own review and I stand by that. Even after listening to this extra goody in a car for 5 hours on repeat, my significant other and I never grew tired of the extremely well composed and undeniably epic music. This is the kind of soundtrack you can hand to almost anyone and they would be able to find at least one song they love. Stroinski, you and your team of musicians did an incredible job here and it almost feels like robbery to be given this collection of music for free. I will complain about one thing though, Why is Priscilla's Song not on here guys!? Come on!!! The Witcher 3 Digital Comic I expected another pdf comic that I would need to put on my phone since I’m not a huge fan of reading comics off my monitor. To my surprise the folder that I downloaded contained an executable! I of course opened the program immediately out of curiosity and was greeted by music and an animated menu asking if I was read to read. I quickly discovered this was almost more of an animated adventure than it was a comic book, with characters moving past backgrounds, cells slowly sliding past each other, yet it was all ready to be observed and slowing appreciated by me who determined how fast the next “page” would appear. The controls did feel a lot like it was meant for tablet, but it still controlled fine with keyboard and mouse. The comic even had some cool little mini puzzles in the form of casting signs, you need to draw them out as Geralt is casting them in the story! Speaking of the story, the plot follows Geralt on a Witcher contract that becomes a bit more complicated than it would first appear. To say more would ruin this great experience that, once again, is an amazing bargain at the cost nothing but your time. Wallpapers The wallpapers are in a couple different resolutions, with alternate looks and texts on a few of them. I would wish we got more, but I already feel spoiled by the game, to ask more of my free additional merch and add ons would just be ridiculous. Art Book A nearly 200 page pdf collection of game art, maps, and more, this is one of the most comprehensive art books I’ve read. The artist in your family could read this thing for hours and find many a great panels to enjoy. It includes a wonderfully personal introduction written by Konrad Tomaszkiewicz, the game’s director, I highly recommend reading it before enjoying the wonderful works of art presented in this document. Compendium After reading the Artbook I has hoping the compendium would be another huge and detailed collection of every facet of the game. But instead it is an 18 page overview of the lore and man characters. I know the information is in game and there is a lot to read there, but it would have been nice to have all that info in a pdf for reading on the go. But again, complaining about something that was free and provided to me as a thank you still feels like a dickish thing to do. Regardless that was my reaction, first world problems I know. Conclusion (aka TLDR) Is the Witcher 3 100% perfect? No, as I mentioned above the game has some glitches and a few questionable menu screens. Yet it is not on the merit of good code and stable gameplay does the Witcher 3 deserve to be in anyone’s collection. It is the incredibly well crafted story, characters, and overall experience that will leave you both emotionally drained and satisfied when you have ended your epic journey. CD Projekt RED has created one of the more powerful pieces of media that I have ever experienced, and they deserve to be proud of their tremendous accomplishment. Usually I would recommend that most people try something before they buy it, but this is hardly just another game. This is something that will be remembered for a long, long time. Not just because of it’s ability to be a good game, but because it holds a great deal of cultural significance to the people described in this fictional tale. In the same way The Wizard of OZ will forever be remembered as one of the best representations of American Cinema, or how Liverpool will forever be contributed to the success of the Beatles, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt will stand tall as one of greatest Polish achievements of all time. Not just for the gaming community, not just for CDPR, but something the world can enjoy. I would be very surprised if there was a single person out there who couldn’t find at least one thing they loved in this game. If you or anyone you know is still unsure or afraid that this game couldn't possibly live up to the hype or greatness that many have promised, I have one last thing that I’ll let Geralt say.. Now if you'll excuse me, I have game to replay.

Game:

Developer: CD Projekt RED

Source: GOG Code Acquired with the purchase of a GTX 970

Image Sources:Witcher Website

"The Wolven Storm"/"Priscilla's Song": Recorded in Game Reviewer: Cody HallGame: The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Developer: CD Projekt REDSource: GOG Code Acquired with the purchase of a GTX 970Image Sources: CDPR website "The Wolven Storm"/"Priscilla's Song": Recorded in Game