The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (Xbox One)

Publisher/Developer: CD Projekt RED

Release Date: May 18, 2015

Genre: RPG

Language(s): English, Polish, French, German, Br. Portuguese, Russian, Japanese; Interface and subtitles for Spanish, Italian, Arabic, Czech, Hungarian, Korean, and Tr. Chinese

Price: $59.99 / £49.99 / €59.99

Rating: M (ESRB), 18 (PEGI)

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is latest and final chapter in the Witcher series of games, based on the series of novels by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski, from which the games derive much of their storyline.  This game has lots of positive features that will keep players coming back for more, and it’s just hard enough to be challenging, but not so hard that it inhibits your ability to enjoy the game. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt may well have proven itself to be one of the best RPGs of 2015, so let’s take a look.

Wild dogs to the Wild Hunt

The Witcher 3 starts out like most RPGs, with the main character entering the game at a low level, thrown into the beginning town or region. The player starts off with the character Geralt of Riva, who happens to be the main character of the Witcher series. Players have the option to continue any progress they might have made from the previous games, which will cause certain characters to appear or remain absent in this one. If the player decides not to use this data, they can shape the game on their own with a few selections made fairly early on in the storyline. These choices will be easy for players who have played the other games in the series or who've read the novels, but for those new to the world of The Witcher the choices wil probably make little to no sense until much later on, and even then they're are only vaguely explained. It's only after you make these decisions and meet with one of the most powerful figures in the Witcher universe world that the game really begins to take off.

After meeting this character, Geralt is told to go and look for the “Child of Prophecy”, also known as Cirilla or Ciri, the daughter of the Emperor of the Southern Kingdom and Geralt’s own adoptive daughter, who he raised alongside Yennefer at the home of the Witchers. When this vast undertaking of finding Ciri begins, unless the player has had the chance to play the earlier games in the series, they may have a hard time connecting with Geralt’s plight of trying to find her and it really doesn’t hit home until the final quarter of the story as to what sort of role Ciri plays in the grand scheme of things. This quest to find her is the sole focus of The Witcher 3’s storyline.

However, players should not let this heay vocus on the Ciri storyline take away from the vast array of side missions and activities they can participate in. Though in the beginning it might seem like the side activities are not very important, after completing more and more of them the player will quickly see that these side missions are very important for leveling up and acquiring better gear so that they can progress more smoothly through the main missions.

The storyline of The Witcher 3 is very long. Most players will probably get impatient with the length of the campaign. Just as you think the Final Battle between Geralt and the Wild Hunt is occurring–surprise, it was just the set-up for another series of quests. Time and time again, you can get excited that you're nearing the end of the story only to find out that there's still a long way to go. Though for some players, this long campaign style is just what they've been asking for, and allows them to truly dive into the world and feel like every action they make counts for something.

Amateur to master

The Witcher 3's gameplay is exciting, though it can sometimes get a bit tedious with all the "run here", "search around", and "go kill this or that" missions. Each enemy you face can turn out to be a major challenge or a breeze, depending on how often you've come across it or how well prepared you are to fight it.

The side missions in The Witcher 3 are what really makes the game, though. This is because the level gaps between main missions are so large they almost force the player to complete some if not all of the side missions in order to continue on with the main storyline. Now it is possible to just go through the main storyline and not even bother with the side missions, but these missions, in addition to treasure hunts and contracts, are the player's main source of income and gear, which can be really helpful in getting ahead with the main quest.

In addition to main and side missions, there are three important activities the player can take part in: horse races, fist fights, and a card game called Gwent. These are a good distraction from the repetitive nature of the at times repetitive nature of the missions. And following suit with the missions and most of the gameplay, the combat system is fluid and smooth. Be warned, however–getting backed into a corner or wall will most likely be the end of Geralt. The controls for everything from combat to just moving from place to place are very simple and easy to pick up, but can take a little effort to master.

Fun to play but, a little buggy

The Witcher 3 being such a large game, it's not uncommon to come across a glitch or two, though some seem to be more prevalent in The Witcher 3 than what should be tolerable for such a big title game. In my experience, I was constantly having to deal with the inability to talk to merchants and other NPCs when I first walked up to them, and would have to walk away and then walk back to them repeatedly before I could interact with them. In addition to this, a number of quest items that were only usable for a single quest remained in my quest inventory long I completed it. Though these kinds of bugs show up more than they would other games at this level, as a whole they don’t take away much from the overall experience, and are more minor nuisances than anything else.

Graphics, mechanics, and sound

The Witcher 3 easily earns the right to call itself a next-gen title when it comes to game mechanics and graphics. Like in many other games, how you outfit your character and choose to have them look is visible in every interaction and cut-scene of the game. Though the graphics are good, they're not like looking through a window into the outside world, but the characters and creatures are very well done and the lighting will force the you to use items to brighten dark caves and ruins in order to properly explore them without exposing yourself to ambushes. Now when it comes to sound, it's easy to become immersed in the world of The Witcher 3, as even far-off monsters can be heard, and when you make use of the Witcher’s senses you can see where the noise is coming from and decide whether to purse the sounds or hightail it in the opposite direction.

Summary

In sum, The Witcher 3 is a great game and would make a great addition to any RPG fan’s collection. The story may be long, but it is also rewarding and provides a sense of accomplishment once you complete it. All of the choices that the player makes throughout the game affect the final part of the story in ways that are readily apparent. In addition to a great storyline, the controls and mechanics of the game are smooth and easy to pick up without much difficulty. Though the game can be buggy at times, the bugs and glitches do not affect the game enough to take away from the experience. Finally, the game's mechanics inspire players to stay prepared for anything, keeping them coming back for more. So when all is said and done, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is a great game, and in my opinion one of the best RPGs of 2015.


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2016-07-16 13:50:47... - Subs

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