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Home › Entertainment › Gaming
THE WITCHER 3: WILD HUNT REVIEW – VERY OPEN WORLD
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Roger HargreavesPublished May 12, 2015, 3:00pm|Updated May 14, 2015, 11:45am
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The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (PS4) – bigger than Skyrim
An open world RPG to make even Skyrim look small, and some of the best graphics
ever seen, but is The Witcher 3 as good as it looks?
Playing a game like Skyrim or Dragon Age for hundreds of hours, you end up
spending so much time in their virtual worlds that they become a real place to
you; full of memories, favourite people, and hated enemies. It’d take well over
200 hours to see everything, and complete every last side quest, in The Witcher
3, but we’re confident that many will end up doing exactly that. Because this is
a game world you won’t want to leave.
The Witcher 3 can be see as pretty much a direct cross between Dragon Age:
Inquisition and Skyrim. It has the third person view, moral choices, and
multiple open world environments of BioWare’s game, but the real-time combat and
open-ended structure is more reminiscent of The Elder Scrolls. For some genre
fans that will be all they need to hear, but The Witcher 3 is far more than just
a new spin on old ideas.
If you’re new to the franchise, and considering the first game was PC-only and
the second one wasn’t on PlayStation 3 that is more than likely, the basic
set-up is very easy to grasp. The games are based on a series of Polish fantasy
novels and star Geralt of Rivia – a supernatural monster hunter called a
witcher, who despite his abilities is distrusted and persecuted by much of the
populace.
The Witcher 3’s story revolves around an invading demonic army but much like the
Elder Scrolls games it’s a fairly distant concern for much of the game, and
simply exploring the countryside and making a living are much more pressing
concerns for the first several hours.
Although they were far from linear the first two Witcher games didn’t have any
true open world environments. But The Witcher 3 is 20 per cent bigger than even
Skyrim, which is impressive but at the beginning actually creates an unfortunate
sense of déjà vu. The Witcher’s fantasy world and creatures aren’t so
distinctive that the procedural style opening – of learning the controls,
getting a feel for the game world, and taking a first look at the Ubisoft style
map filled with tempting icons – doesn’t feel worryingly overfamilar.
It takes four or five hours, but eventually The Witcher’s own personality begins
to shine through – as well as your own influence on the world. Choosing to
rescue a villager from a gang of thieves or curing a sick herbalist isn’t just a
case of earning experience points and then moving on. Your actions can alter
everything from the prices in shops and the side quests available, to whether a
town is prematurely invaded. But so too can everything from the weather to the
time of day, creating what is arguably the most believable and interactive video
game world ever seen.
It’s also one of the most attractive, although again we suspect many will be
slightly disappointed at first – as a result of watching too many trailers that
are clearly taken from the PC version. But the console versions still look
great, with the epic landscapes enhanced by some excellent art design and good
use of colour. There are a lot of screen-tearing and frame rate issues though,
as well as other random bugs. The inevitable day one patch is claimed to fix
them all but, well… we’re sure you’ve heard that one before.
In terms of pure gameplay the most consistently enjoyable element is
unquestionably the monster hunting – encounters with larger foes which are so
dangerous that you have to research and plan well in advance. Lures have to be
created, lairs recced, and information sources pumped for information on weak
points. Some of these steps can be skipped if you’re foolhardy, but not only are
these some of the toughest battles in the game, but the sense of anticipation
your careful planning creates works extremely well at increasing the tension.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (PS4) – no enemy is wasted
In terms of the actual combat some elements have been simplified form the
previous games, but only in the sense that it’s now faster and more intuitive.
The clumsy combos of the last game, whose animations couldn’t be interrupted,
are long gone and although Geralt is visibly older than before he feels more
spry and athletic when in action.
Using magic spells called Signs is also easier than before, as you lob
fireballs, set traps to slow down enemies, or use what is basically a Jedi Force
push. Most Signs also have a kind of secondary fire mode, where for example a
simple trap can be transformed into a magical firing turret. Some Signs can also
be used outside of battle, to influence conversations Ben Kenobi style.
Lesser enemies can also be studied beforehand for an advantage in combat, with
Geralt possessing a supersense that not only lets him track smells and
footprints but also highlights weak points on a foe, which can then be aimed at
specifically using a brief slow motion effect. Despite all this the combat in
itself isn’t anything extraordinary, but it strikes just the right balance of
complexity and accessibility given everything else that’s going on in the game.
On top of this you’ve got potions and explosives which you craft yourself using
collected items. The crafting system becomes extremely complicated when you’re
dealing with weapons and armour, as the exact nature of the raw ingredients –
many of which are vital body parts culled from defeated enemies – greatly
influences the resulting equipment.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (PS4) – as pretty as a picture
As good as The Witcher 3 is we have to admit we’ve never really enjoyed the
previous two games as much as we feel we should, in large part because the tone
of the game world has always seemed a little off. The mean streak of misogyny
from the earlier games is gone (you actually control a female character now, in
a few linear story sections) but there’s still an element of try-hard machismo
about the whole setting, especially in Geralt’s absurdly gravelly video game
hero voice.
Although of course the great achievement of The Witcher 3 is that you can refine
his outlook to either play up the role of virtual badass or be the more
morally-driven character we were more comfortable with. We’ve never seen a video
game with both this volume of moral choices and lasting consequences for them,
most of which are entirely unintended.
Bad things often happen despite the best of intentions, and entirely
self-motivated choices can actually lead to a positive outcome for all. And
while there are a few moustache-twirling villains most of the characters in the
game are far more nuanced; which is to say they’re as petty, altruistic, and
apathetic as any real person would be in their situation.
As much as it can be said for any story-based video game, the world of The
Witcher 3 seems indifferent to your existence and machinations. You must simply
try to survive it the best way you can, in the manner which suits you best. But
perhaps The Witcher 3’s greatest feat is that it feels like everyone else in the
game is doing the same thing too, whether they’re a lowly peasant, feudal lord,
or a grey-haired, monster-hunter…
THE WITCHER 3: WILD HUNT
In Short: A colossal achievement in technical terms, with a level of interaction
with the game world and its inhabitants that is unsurpassed in modern video
games.
Pros: Huge open world environment with a staggering level of detail, and
interactivity – where your every decision really does matter. Excellent graphics
and great monster hunts.
Cons: The opening few hours cover a lot of familiar territory if you’ve played
other, similar games. Combat is solid but never remarkable. Lots of bugs and
graphical issues pre-release.
Score: 9/10
Formats: PlayStation 4 (reviewed), Xbox One, and PC
Price: £46.99
Publisher: Bandai Namco
Developer: CD Projekt RED
Release Date: 19th May 2015
Age Rating: 18
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