The Best Witcher 3 review in 2016

Updated:

22 Aug 2024

Is The Witcher 3 Worth it?

Imagine a world, where there is a constant war between beauty and blood. Sanity continuously clashes with profanity and creativity and negativity go side by side. Such is the world of Witcher 3.

The Witcher 3 depicts the brutality of war but, to be honest, quite a few games out there have filled the screens with the lore and gory of battle. But what truly sets this game apart is the enchanting way it portrays the somber and forlorn stories of the war-stricken common folk.

But is the Witcher 3 really worth this praise? Is it really that captivating? Answers to such questions will be found as we unravel our witcher 3 review.

Storyline

*Spoiler Alert

The main story takes off as Geralt, the protagonist, sets off to find a sorceress namely Yennefer, presumably his lover, with his good friend Vesemir. Geralt starts off from Kaer Morhen, and make his way to White Orchard where he learns that Yennefer was last seen speaking with a Nilfgardian captain before racing off. So, in return of killing a griffin for the captain, he comes to know that Yennefer is in Vizima. But as soon as he gets ready to tread off for Vizima, he meets Yennefer which tells him that he must have an audience with Emhyr Var Emreis, the emperor of vizima.

The emperor asks Geralt to find his daughter, Ciri, who is believed to have the Wild Hunt closing in on her. Geralt makes his way to Velen and then to Novigrad to find Ciri`s whereabouts, while Yennefer takes off to Skellige to investigate a magical disturbance that may be linked to Ciri.

The Lonely Warrior – Ciri

ACT II

Geralt must make necessary arrangements and muster additional forces for the forthcoming war with the Wild Hunt. He must make decisions wisely to increase the number of allies. The aftermath of war is also presented.

ACT III

Geralt’s path comes to a close and the choices made will either help you through the end or haunt you throughout.

Witcher 3 Review

Story

The Story of the Witcher 3 doesn`t go screaming off from the start. It is pretty mundane when compared with the much more interesting plot of intrigue and betrayal of the Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings. The story starts with finding Yennefer and for most of the main quest, revolves around finding Ciri. Completing various quests will help the player find clues on the whereabouts of Ciri. Sometimes it can seem that it is just a wild goose chase.

Especially if you have no knowledge of who Ciri is, (you haven`t played the two original witcher games and/or read any of the books), then you hardly get attached to the character and chasing after her may seem meaningless.

But still, the story isn`t all bad. The dialogues are well written and delivers up to the mark, if not the best. The story is well driven by the characters and you will get attached to the main character – Geralt, in a “non-rainbowish” way. There are a few emotional scenes which add to the overall quality of the story.

Story Score : 8/10

Graphics

Game or Bitter Reality ?

When the game was first showcased at the E3, it had visuals the likes of which no one had ever seen. The scenes were just mesmerizing. The level of detail was unbelievable. The beautiful animation of the blood-red sunsets and distant glimpses of far off hills were all just captivating. Pixel to pixel the game seemed perfect in the graphics dept.

But players were utterly disappointed when the game came out, not because the game looked bad, NO, the game looked like a masterpiece. But, the developers had toned down the graphics from what was originally shown at E3. The graphics of the game still looked amazing. It could`ve gotten a perfect 10. The wound still aches my heart.

Graphics Score : 9/10

Gameplay

Well, if you thought that the witcher 3 gameplay would be similar with any other slash parry game, (like shadow of mordor), then you are not completely wrong. The formula of the witcher 3 gameplay remains pretty much the same. But the core mechanics are refined and molded to perfectly fit the game’s overall design element.

The Witcher 3 gameplay is pretty difficult at times, but it surely is one of the things that makes the slaying of monsters all the more fun and satisfying. You can`t just jump in a fight, swinging your sword, and expect to win. No, it takes more than that. The Witcher 3 gameplay requires precision, the right timing and the right control.

Gameplay Score 10/10

Witcher 3 Gameplay

Geralt using the silver sword to kill the monster

Main Characters

Character building is one of the strong suits of the game. The protagonist, Geralt, is a mutated monster-killing witcher. It`s hard to get attached to such a guy, but the game accomplishes the task beautifully.

All the characters in the story are well thought out. With well written witty dialogues and superb voice acting, the characters sure do come to life.

This holds true not only for the protagonist. The antagonist in the game is also wonderfully portrayed. The Wild Hunt, is a group of specters, considered to be the bringer of bad omen and death wherever they go. They are lead by the King of Wild Hunt. The whole wild hunt is enveloped by mystery and I won`t spoil it for you, at least not in this witcher 3 review.

Character Score : 10/10

Wonder why they bring death- they look like nice guys

Sound Effects

This is another department where the game is strong at. The sound in this game is phenomenal, but so much that at times it can get a bit overwhelming, especially during combat.

The sound effects of all the “little things” in the game, are on point. From the sound of the horse's hoofs to the sound of the sword as it cuts through the enemies, everything sounds genuine.

The music during the cut scenes is also on point and helps you indulge into the story that much better.

Sounds Effects Score : 8.5/10

The World

The world of the witcher 3 is a spectacle to behold in itself. Sure, there are numerous open world games out there, but only a few get the life, in the open world, right. In most games, one example is the assassin creed series, the world just seems lifeless. While other games such as fallout 4 get away with it because the post-apocalyptic world is expected to be lifeless.

But this is not the case with The Witcher 3. Sure, when you go to white orchard for the dozenth time , you can hear the same boy singing the same song and getting grounded for the dozenth time, but all is masked by what the world of witcher 3 offers to players.

The Witcher 3 gives players a huge open world, and that too brimming with life, which is really a great experience. Apart from the main storyline, this world offers a wide variety of interesting side quests, monster hunts, random encounters and a plethora of crafting items to collect.

World Score : 9.5/10

Is a witcher allowed in this city?

Price

The game is currently 49.99$ on steam with an extra $9.99 for the Hearts of Stone DLC, and in my opinion it is worth every penny. Even the DLC is up to the mark and adds more depth and content into an already excellent world.

So, if you are thinking on getting a new game for the summer and haven`t played the Witcher 3 then it's a must buy.