Playing: The Witcher 3 - Wild Hunt

I got off to a false start with this game. Shamefully I wasn't all that familair with it to start with and only knew what I'd seen from the odd trailer or advert. Not being familiar with the franchise it never really interested me. I'd recently had it recommended to me by one of the guys at work from the IT dept and shortly after it came up in a sale on Steam.

Now Steam is great but I find it makes game buying so cheap and easy I tend to be less discerning than I would have been when perusing the shelves of a store. I can rush through purchases without really taking in any real detail of what the games are all about.

I did so little research into The Witcher 3 that I "judged the book by its cover" and got completely the wrong impression as to what kind of a game it was. I love a good epic open world RPG like Skyrim or, my personal favourite, Mass Effect, but hadn't realised that's what I would be getting with The Witcher 3. I think what first threw me off the RPG scent to start with was the lack of character customisation that I'm used to with RPGs. Although in Mass Effect you have to play the character of Shepherd, you still had the option to customise Shepherd's appearance and gender.
So I went into this game, skimming though the many tutorials that talk you through the plethora of menus, expecting a linear story experience. I missed the fact that quests were "level" focussed and soon found myself trying to proceed through the story and hitting a wall of difficulty that was impassable, not realising I was trying to do a level 6 quest while only a level 2 character. I'd gone into the game with completely the wrong mindset and having just come out of "Rise of the Tomb Raider" I hadnt switched my head into RPG Mode. Once I got past my original frustrations and realised my mistake, I switched my way of thinking and came back to an earlier save game and started working on levelling up my character. Boy am I glad I did, I am hooked.

I have just had a Saturday which I have spent, from the moment I woke up to the time I eventually pulled myself away and got the sleep my body was telling me it needed, playing this game solidly. It has everything I love about epic open world RPGs combined with everything I love about fantasy mythology.

You play as Geralt, a Witcher, who are like the mythological beast equivelant of pest control. Depending on who you talk to, Witchers are evil child stealers or benevelant protectors of the people, ridding the world of pesky wraiths, griffins and fiends that terrorise small villages and towns etc. The truth is more the latter but every job has its price and a Witcher never takes on a beast killing contract without a fee agreed upon in advance. It's these contracts that form a good chunk of the side quests that are perfect for levelling up your character and your first tussle with a griffin is spectacular.

Of course there is the main storyline which so far is compelling and thoroughly draws you in, with lots of weaves and turns and crossovers as you have to do favours for desirable and undesirable characters alike, in return for information on your former ward who you are currently trying to locate. That's as much as I'll say about the story as I feel even the slightest of comments would spoil your enjoyment of it.

The game has its really grim moments in a way that really adds character and depth to the point that it is genuinely effecting. You find yourself regularly travelling through war torn lands and recently abandoned battlefields filled with rotting corpses of vanquished soldiers, attracting looters and ghouls who plunder and feast on the fallen. You can see the influence that Game of Thrones has had on this game, it has that same bleak and realistic portrayal of a medieval world where disease and illness is rife and war is visceral and gory. Villagers complain of their water sources being contaminated by the dead and their farmlands ruined by the war. It is not a happy place, and all this death has attracted all manner of hideous beings; profitable times for a Witcher. Many of the creatures you tangle with are as foul and hideous as the environment they inhabit. From the loose skinned and decaying wraiths to the unborn fetus demon known as a botchling. The game certainly earns its 18 certificate with its graphic storytelling, sex and extreme violence - brilliant!

As games go The Witcher 3 is visually spectacular, I am am the first to argue that graphics do not make the game, but wow. When riding my horse down one of the many country roads and turned a corner to head toward the setting sun, or reached the summit of large hill or mountain and looked out over the scenery it made me thankful I'd invested in the graphics card I did. Amidst the grim setting of this game there is some genuine beauty. The sound design is equally accomplished, whilst playing earlier today I had my headphones on and I was travelling through the torrential rain of a thunderstorm. I genuinely didn't care about my destination, I was simply enjoying the spectular sound and imagary as lighting flashed, thunder struck and the rain meant I could see only a few yards ahead of the nose of my horse. The soundtrack is equally superb.

Purdy

Now gameplay - Combat is fun, if not without its faults. There is nothing more satisfying than charging on horseback at a group of bandits and timing the swing of your sword so perfectly you take a man's head off in a single pass. You then can't help but turn your horse and charge back in again and try and repeat on the next nefarious villain.
Should you not have your horse or it throws you off becuase you didn't keep and eye on the poor animal's fear level, you have your trusty swords, crossbow and an arsenal of spells known as "signs" to use against your foes. Depending on whether your opponent is man or beast you have a sword of steel for the former and one of silver for the latter. Weapons which can be traded, bought and upgraded as you level up. For the most part combat is great, my only issue is that with each swing of a sword Geralt lunges a great distance which has on occassion caused me to fall of the edge of a tall tower or cliff top. When fighting a large group the game can without warning switch which enemy you are focussed on, and when fighting at altitude with little floorspace this can be very dangerous.

As with all RPGs of this kind, the choices you make can affect both your character and the story in the long term. When fulfilling a Witcher contract you can offer to waive your fee as the person that hired you gives a sob story of how he's had to take in the boy who's now been orphaned by whatever it was you've despatched for them. Such things have little effect on me and I (usually) always demand the cash. But when you realise you've made a decision that results in destroying a family and even a whole village, causing its population to be viciously murdered because you've mistakenly released an evil spirit, you really find yourself having to take a moment and think about what you've done. You think you're doing the right thing, and the game gives you no clue that you're not, only for you actions to have disastrous consequences. Yes you've achieved what you set out to achieve but at what cost. I've played games where the decisions you make have dire consequences but none that have made me feel like this. Mass Effect maybe comes close. I have learned that in this game you can't trust anyone, especially not talking trees.

I think what this game has above all is superb storytelling, using classic norse mythology with references to the darker side of classic fairy tales Hags luring children with sweet treats, many intentionally lost by parents with too many mouths to feed (I mentioned this game was dark right?) Not only is the main storyline utterly compelling, constantly leaving you wanting more, the smallest of side quest has an equally well written narrative filled with colourful creatures and characters. I have actually played games who's main story doesn't come close to that of a side quest in The Witcher 3. I think the last game I played that had me this emotionalyl involved was Batman: Arkham Knight.

I always judge the merit of a game by how hard it is to pull myself away from it and, when I do, how eager I am to get back to it. The fact that as I write all I'm thinking is I should be playing, I think speaks for itself. The Mass Effect franchise has always been my favourite of the epic open world RPGs and Skyrim always had the crown for the fantasy side of the genre. However after just a few (long) days I think in The Witcher 3 I have a new favourite that has kicked both out of the park.

This is a review of a game I am still working through and is based on my experience so far, but if it's started as it means to go on I am going to be a very happy gamer for a long time.

In summary
Time played: 33 hours
Rating: 9/10 (If there were character customisation and less erratic combat it would be 10/10)

Played on PC - Intel i7, 4GB RAM, NVIDIA GTX-970