The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is one of the most celebrated and well reviewed RPG games of the last decade, of which I have never played a before. I watched the first season of the Netflix series with Henry Cavill (which overall I did not enjoy). The GWW was provided with a code for the Complete Edition for the PS5 and I thought that reviewing the game would be an interesting study into the uninitiated jumping into the world of Geralt and Witchers. Initially the game came out in 2015 and has gone through many upgrades. The Next-Gen upgrade for PS5 will be used for my impressions.
After playing the game for around 15-20 hours, in which I realized I had gotten exactly nowhere story wise. I thought that doing a month/year long journal of sorts, detailing my experience playing the game would be therapeutic in a way. Over the course of 2023, I will be updating and providing my experience with the game. I shall critique the gameplay, story and PS5 mechanics and visuals of The Witcher 3. Know now that I am no expert and also not the biggest fan of RPGs. What I’m hoping to do is to progress my expertise with RPG’s and The Witcher universe, while also playing one of the most celebrated video games of the last decade.
First Update
JANUARY 2023
Yes I knew The Witcher 3 was big, yes I knew it was immersive. But being told that is one thing. It’s another thing entirely to actually play the game. I did not expect that the level of care taken in the menu-via alchemy, gear, potions and armor- would be confusing and overly exorbitant. The ease of play for new players is not high. The first 3 hours are confusing enough story wise, but the info dump on the menus and how to maneuver the landscape, character moves and menus is to much for this uninitiated.
The variety of characters that Geralt meets across the Continent are vast. Geralt alone is an interesting character. Although I’m not sold on the voice work. Fortunately, the inclusion of town folk, other Witchers, and beasts of all sorts really makes for a new and fresh experience each time you turn the game on. The quality needed from the voice work in an RPG is high. And it’s noticeable when at times the voice work feels stale and boring. Early on missions are paint by numbers. However, the option to stray and explore and complete side missions are very intriguing. It’s at this point when the game can become really overwhelming. If you do not plan out the missions and progression through the game.
The size of the game is immense. From the map, to the characters, gameplay and the story. If you do not go into the game with the right mindset then the game will consume you (and not in a good way). Over my 15-20 hours of playing The Witcher 3, I was not in the right mindset. I had booted up The Witcher 3 just a few days after earning the platinum trophy on God of War Ragnarok. Having spent 50 hours on that game, the gameplay, story and mechanics were almost burned into my head. Jumping into a game that plays entirely different can take time to adjust. I did not prepare myself for the tonal shift as well. It wouldn’t have mattered the quality of the game that I played after Ragnarok, having it be The Witcher that is so in depth, didn’t help though.
My initial plays suffered from skipping dialogue, hints and menu tutorials.
See you next month as I dive deeper into Alchemy and side missions.
Second Update
Coming February 2023