π± I know, I know. calm down. We're doing some heavy hitters today. But it will be ok, I got you.
Yes. We Are. Arguably the greatest RPG of all time. And with the new next-gen version coming later this month I saw it as a fitting time to return to this giant of roleplaying.
Not much more to say, really. This game doesn't need an introduction. SoβοΈ In this edition of Through the Lens π, we'll be looking at CD Projekt Red's blockbuster, RPG masterpiece from 2015: The Wither 3: Wild Hunt, Roll it! π½
π© UP TOP π©
You know how we do, one bomb@$$ soundtrack coming right up! Posted at the top here for your listening pleasure while you're enjoying my amazing writing. // you're welcome π
My first encounter with the Witcher universe was with The Witcher 2. That game will probably get this won dedicated article one day (probably after this one now that I think about it π) as it also took great strides in the RPG genre. π―
And so when this game was announced I had pretty high expectations. Whereas most people discovered CDPR because of this game - for me it was the other way around. π
Now there are a lot of things that make this game special, but we have to start where any sane person would start.
π NARRATIVE π
Every line of dialogue in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, from the random journal entries to the NPC dialogue, is phenomenal.
Yours truly, 2022
There is so much juice to squeeze from this game. Crazy I say! As a lover of well-written and developed stories, I got thoroughly lost for like a month on this game. Where Elder Scrolls gets you lost in mindless exploration, this game loses you in its world. Not it's open-world, it's world. π€ // mind you Witcher 3 still has an amazing open world
The dialogue trees are actual dialogue trees; the notes you find somewhere in the wild actually lead to something that makes coherent sense with the characters and the world; the dialogue is character specific and unique;
Chef's kiss all around. π
π OPENNESS π
The narrative of course feeds into this. The side quests in this game are phenomenal. So much so that they caused a shift in how video game studios develop their open-world games. π― There are a lot of industry standards that this game introduced, but meaningful side content has to be at the top.
The audacious scope of it all is just so gutsy.
The open world is brimming with content. A random quest you find along the way could lead you down a rabbit hole that makes Alissa's journey look like a piece of cake. π°
Quests can be done in many different ways, which in turn lead to future quests being slightly different. π It all culminated in this amazing feeling that this is your story. Even though you are playing a premade character and not something you whipped up in character creation, each player's Geralt is different than the last.
Do you know how hard that is to achieve with a premade character? It's hard. So, Kudos. πππ
βοΈ COMBAT βοΈ
The harder the difficulty the better your experience.
And this is coming from a non-sweaty, non-diehard soulsborn fanatic. Just your normal gamer buddy. Witcher 3 shines when all its mechanics are used. π
In the easier difficulty levels, you could skate by just using the occasional witcher sign here and there and that's it. Finish a battle, meditate to full health, and move on. And that's all well and fine if you want to experience the story and characters and atmosphere without constantly dying. I get that fully. But if you want to experience the game itself and all its design mastery, playing at a harder level is a must.
When you play on the harder mods you have to: know the type of creature you are fighting, research it in your codex and find out its weaknesses, prepare the necessary poisons/potions to battle said creature, use the correct witcher signs that the creature is weak to.
Isn't that awesome? π You get to feel like a witcher! To me, that is just amazing. Something so involved and meticulous actually working is a miracle. π
As for the combat itself, it is a huge step up since the previous title. What was the catalyst? A dodge button. π The devs merely added a slight dodge to the character's move list and this changed the whole dynamic of every encounter. Of course, there is more to it than that, but this ain't no dissertation fool! π
π LEGACY π
Do I have to say it? Greatest RPG of all time? π No? Well, let me tell you, RPGs are my favorite genre of games, and I have been playing them since I've been a wee lad - this, IMHO, is the best, most complete of them all. And if you disagree you gotta at least say Top 3. If you disagree with it being Top 3 then you're either just biased or you have $#!% taste in games. π€£π
I usually cover games that have been industry defines and this one ain't no different. Without Witcher 3 there would be no Horizon, no Elden Ring, and no Ubisoft open-world games (this last one might be a net negative now that I think about it but shhhh). π
For another, we wouldn't have the incredibly mediocre Netflix series! Which raised IP awareness and made people actually play this masterpiece. And yes, this game is a masterpiece. That term does get thrown around a lot but in this case, it deserves it. π―
The soon-to-be-released next-gen version is your time to shine! Kind reader! If you haven't played this game you owe it to yourself and yo the people you love! Boot up your ps5 and experience one of the best story/gameplay/role-playing experiences out there. πΊ
Shout-out to the πPIZZAπ gang, π€ gang. π€
Yes, the Netflix show is painstakingly mediocre. π I might make an article about that one as well. The best thing about is Henry Cavell absolutely kills it as Geralt. Shame it seems the showrunners just don't get the character. This tends to be the case in recent years, showrunners not understanding their source material cough Rings of Power cough.
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Have a great start to your weekend! π