A Rivian Pleasure! Sofa Surfer Reviews The Witcher III: Wild Hunt

(Reviewed on Xbox One. All screenshots in-game from myself unless noted otherwise)

Sprawling. Epic. Mature. Three words that fit nicely in a promotional trailer. And with so much anticipation for what is purported to be the final chapter in the Witcher series, these words could be considered part of the "overhyped" bug that bit both Battlefield and Assassin's Creed recently. Thankfully, these three words are fitting bullet points. The Witcher III has arrived, and my, is it bloody good entertainment!

I remember eons ago how I awaited The Witcher: Rise of the White Wolf's release on Xbox 360, a port from the 2007 PC title simply known as The Witcher. The game never arrived, and I hid in a dark corner quietly brooding (not crying! I swear!), wishing I would have had a chance to play such an intriguing game. My wish, in a way, was eventually granted, and The Witcher II: Assassin of Kings was announced for the Xbox 360 and was released in 2012 to wide acclaim. I even walked two miles to the store on the day it came out to pick it up! Ludicrous, I know. My expectations were sky high for the end of the trilogy, since the second was supreme entertainment. Based on a series of fantasy stories and novels from Polish writer Andrzej Sapkowski, The Witcher titles are known primarily for their dark, gutsy, and Slavic approach to various fantasy worlds and themes as well as the titular witcher: Geralt of Rivia. 

That tree you see? It isn't just a nice background. In a minute's time, you could be standing next to it.

As the third game in a trilogy, Wild Hunt may seem like an odd point of entry for those with no prior experience. Sigismund Djikstra, spymaster extraordinaire, cooperated with Phillipa Eilhart in an operation to catch the perpetrators who murdered King Vizimir of Redania. If you read that sentence and came out confused, prepare yourself! You will attempt to remember numerous fantasy names, creatures, and story features while you struggle to understand what is so important about that damn red-headed sorceress. A run-through (or a refresher for returnees) of the first two games' stories will do a fair bit to help you work through lore and side characters' motivations. Even if you haven't played the past two titles, you will likely still be drawn into the simple set-up of a badass monster-slayer searching for his ward and daughter figure in an unforgiving land. Though at first newcomers may believe lead protagonist Geralt to be a cookie-cutter action game protagonist with rugged good-looks and a raspy voice, trust me: he's SO much more than a cliche avatar. His inimitable presence anchors the game at every point; although he seems to lack enthusiasm, it's just his measured, somewhat cynical approach to the dirty world around him taking hold. He is seen by others as an emotionless, dangerous mutant, after all, so why not be what they fear once in a while? With strong characters, a well-realized world, and solid gameplay mechanics, CD Projekt Red's The Witcher III surpassed even my ultra-high expectations.

Graphics and Sound

In the sound department, Wild Hunt is fantastic. Monster growls echo forbiddingly in grottoes and caves, and human soldiers curse at you during battle. Swords slicing through the air result in swift, crunchy impacts, and Geralt's stern reactions in the face of overwhelming odds are fitting. The music is excellent as well, ranging from soft strings while you roam the countryside to intense chanting during battle. One small gripe I have is that some music repeats too often in battle, leaving me wishing that the stronger orchestrations would appear more frequently. The voice acting, particularly that of the lead characters, is strong, lending added weight to the dramatic interactions between them. Geralt has a wry, reserved way of speaking and responding to others that I never tired of, though he rarely raises his voice above a raspy whisper. Normal civilians scattered throughout the world are voiced well, although they repeat dialogue ad nauseam if they're not part of a quest and you insist on pressing A to talk to them (unsurprisingly). Rarely have I felt so immersed in a game, where I could just walk through a market and be content listening to conversations taking place about the witch hunts or the effects of war.

As pleased as I am with the sound design of the game, the graphics are just as impressive. Running at a glorious 1080p on Xbox One, the game is nothing short of stunning. I have not encountered many framerate issues or screen tearing at all, with the game locking in at around 30 fps for the entirety of the experience. This is the first "next-gen" game that I've played that actually made me stop and stare in awe at the beautiful vistas before me, though those with a powerful PC could really catch the eye. The PS4 version does look slightly better, but it's not so evident that your enjoyment will be impacted if you choose one version over the other (now if you choose PC...that's a different story). The textures are crisp and rarely muddy, with character and environment designs ornate and detailed. Just walking about the medieval-esque world offers entertainment, with such impeccably rendered interiors and exteriors. The landscape feels natural and expansive, not overtly "game-like," so to speak, and the lighting is sublime for such a large game, particularly when it comes to sunrises and sunsets. Another smaller effect that really struck me was how trees bend in the wind,  an effect I can't recall seeing done so well anywhere else. It's visual flourishes like these that fill the game, with seemingly no detail too minuscule to be included. Fluid animations are present in both character interactions and combat, with each of the beasts carrying themselves (and more importantly, attacking you) in fitting beastly fashion. That's not to say there aren't wonky animations once in a while, with Geralt's jumping and Roach the horse creating some strange images, and instances of clipping and environmental pop-in provide some blemishes. One such blemish that ruined my immersion was the cloud-to-cloud lightning. It looked spectacularly fake, even for a game! Examples: the top image is good, and the bottom image is rubbish.

Subtle. Ominous!

Wha--what?! (It looks bad in motion at certain angles, okay?)

Save for the odd glitch, such as a guard somehow submerged from the waist-down in a stone street, the game is aces in the visual department, especially with recent updates working some magic in ironing out the expected open-world game kinks.

One of the "coolest" effects: a Northern Wind bomb that freezes everything within a certain radius!

Gameplay

You are a witcher, and the game makes you feel like a badass monster hunter. Usually. When you're not perishing against upper-level baddies like golems. You roam the vast, well-realized world, accepting contracts and fighting evil beasts, often after periods of investigation. The Witcher vision resembles the detective vision of Batman in the Arkham series, highlighting evidence in the environment and leading you eventual enemy encounters. Brewing potions to enhance abilities before combat becomes necessary for survival at higher difficulty levels, with sword oils improving damage and potions allowing you to see in the dark or regenerate health. There are many different potions, items, and weapons to craft, and slaying monsters will give you materials to brew or build new creations. It's a system that encourages exploration and combat, with new discoveries leading to hardy armor, for example. With outfits that actually look aesthetically pleasing, you'll want to go out of your way just in case you missed something valuable. Upgradeable signs (similar to magic spells) and abilities allow you to customize Geralt to your heart's content, with real-time beard growth especially fun for those who wish for a hockey playoff beard (sadly no ZZ Top or dwarf beard options...yet). Combat is fluid, with enemies surrounding you and challenging your reflexes and parrying skills. The block and counter system in place is solid, with the rhythmic sword-swings creating a pretty dance of death, but to really control the crowds, you must utilize your signs, varying from waves of flame that turn wolves into crisps to what is essentially a "force push," knocking characters off their feet. 

Learning the strategic value of your strikes, dodges, and signs makes for a deep combat system, tasking you with managing a multitude of enemies and your draining stamina bar. Shifting your approach depending on the enemy results in a balanced variety of fights, and the sections where you play as Ciri speed up the combat with her ability to phase in and out of reality. Her speed and finesse are nice counterpoints to Geralt's more grounded style, which also involves bombs, crossbows, and other ranged tools of destruction. Wild Hunt can get frustrating in spots; since enemies don't scale to your level, you can sometimes run across powerful new creatures that can obliterate you in one hit. At higher difficulties, your constantly degrading armor and weapons really become more of a pain as you fail against stronger foes. You have to discover weaknesses and prepare yourself for each battle, quaffing potions that build in toxicity and lead to death, if you drink too many. Once you get a hang of the gameplay the higher difficulty is a welcome challenge, particularly for series veterans like myself, but for newcomers, the first and second difficulty choices should be a good fit.

Courtesy of Technology Guide. For a taste of my hand-to-hand combat skills, visit http://i.imgur.com/06SUGPN.mp4

Outside of pitched monster battles, there are plenty of other tasks to complete, and none of it feels like busywork. Horse races, fight clubs, Gwent card games, and other random encounters fill the map as you play, beckoning Geralt to step off the beaten path and enjoy some down time. I got quite caught up in the simple card game of Gwent, and my quest to collect all the cards in the land and beat experts for their special cards hearkened back to my childhood, collecting Pokemon cards and reveling in victories over my brothers. I couldn't stop! With side missions as diverting as the main storyline, I rode across hills and valleys searching for new tasks. Towering stone castles and pitch black caves hold dark secrets, and these features are so naturally and smoothly constructed that I had to stop and take in the sights or, in more than one case, survey the site of a gruesome battle. The addition of sailing sent images of the Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker dancing through my head, with the ocean breeze carrying me across islands. As much as I loved roaming the cities and small hamlets, there were rough spots, unsurprising considering the size of the game.

Your steed, Roach, can get stuck on scenery if you happen to whistle for him in a weird place. There were a couple traveling merchants that I couldn't interact with for whatever reason, with one that also happened to levitate a foot off the ground. These do not occur frequently enough to really harm the overall experience, but they can still annoy. My brother actually had a save data glitch that apparently wiped his latest autosave, setting him back a good bit, though I luckily haven't run across such a problem. My last gripe with the gameplay systems would be rare occasions of poor hit detection in combat and the cluttered menu interface. Specifically in the inventory menu. There is just too much going on! You collect so many doodads and pieces of junk that you don't know what to do with them. Sometimes these little plants and whatnot become important for a potion you need later, so I became accustomed to picking up all the glowing items I saw (I "borrowed" from civilians, yes...for a good cause!), but you need to be at certain angles to grab specific pieces of loot, and I lit way too many torches by accident since the same button is used to light various candles and to select items. On one occasion, swimming underwater and trying to grab a tucked away plant proved to be the most difficult trial of all, necrophages, ghouls, and wraiths be damned! The gameplay is across the board rock solid, and with recent updates helping to polish what is already a shiny ruby of a game (oooo treasure), a few hiccups cannot derail the gravy train.

That's his backyard.

The Northern Kingdoms are mired in war, and betrayal is around every corner. Everyone has their own selfish needs, and the ominous atmosphere is stifling. It's particularly powerful to happen upon a beautifully constructed village only to see that half of it has been razed, with locals on their hands and knees sobbing for mercy. The story is mature, and though not as focused as Witcher II, it's still compelling. This isn't the classic save the world plotline, and it's refreshing. It's not good versus evil, black and white. Choices actually shape the game, and making a chivalrous choice does not always lead to a good result. In one surprising turn of events, I spared a man's life and turned him in to the authorities, only for him to be hanged instead of jailed or reprimanded. I was shocked, and many decisions in the game lead to results that are entirely unexpected. Set against a backdrop of political turmoil and war, the story is more personal than most fantasy titles, revolving around Geralt attempting to reunite with and possibly save his daughter figure, Ciri, a powerful young woman with skills that exceed even those of the very seasoned witchers.

Along the way you meet dwarves, elves, bandits, kings, spies, sorceresses, and cutthroats, each rendered with detail and voiced with zeal. Undercurrents of racism are present across the various locations, with elves, dwarves, and other non-humans (like Geralt) being treated poorly, and thankfully such serious thematic elements are treated with skill instead of coming off as overbearing. You really feel unwelcome in some towns as inhabitants spit at you while others speak in hushed tones, terrified of your rumored unnatural abilities. The main characters and storyline are certainly the most thought out and often well-written, but small side quests bear the attention to story and minutiae that usually escape other games. When you realize that a random encounter in the wild with a roving hunter could lead to a murder mystery and (gasp!) werewolves, you get the feeling of being in another world, immersed almost entirely. The story also inserts moments of levity, without these feeling forced or overly lewd. I chuckled more than a few times, a nice break from the oppressive atmosphere present throughout most of the game. One of my favorite moments involved Geralt being forced to perform in a comedic play to weed out an audience member.

I spy with my Witcher eye...a man with no feet?!

Not everything is so wonderful, however. There were a few points throughout the story where I felt I was just reliving Ciri's moments and not truly tracking her, hurting the pacing of the main quests. As fun as the side quests often were, I also found them to become a little repetitive by game's end, with a predictable pattern of talk, Witcher vision, fight, and talk playing out again and again. To the game's credit, the mini-storylines and results are often surprising, resulting in only a bit of side quest exhaustion by the time I was done. This can be a problem in many modern RPGs that try to pad out the runtime of the experience and mark the common fetch quest boxes. I have also heard some negative talk about the role of women in the game as well as the lack of characters of color, two things I really took time to consider. 

There were a couple moments in the story where I felt as though women were portrayed as helpless, over-sexualized victims, as per old fantasy tropes, and the series has come a long way from the first title where you received provocative cards for "romancing" various females. Triss, Yennefer, and Ciri all felt like much more than fantasy female stereotypes, and though their outfits could be a bit revealing without necessity, they were all strong and independent, with a feminine agency that reaches far beyond that of the typical "maiden in need" so often found in works of fantasy. Only one moment in the game truly offended me, involving a number of dead female prostitutes in various states of death, attempting to make one villain seem completely reprehensible. It worked, and I hated the man, but it felt like way too much. Regarding the lack of characters of color: it's a game designed by a largely Polish group of developers who base their work on Slavic fantasy from a Polish writer, so it doesn't come as a huge surprise that characters of color aren't represented in the final product, at least in the time that I've played. I definitely feel that this is something that could easily be remedied in future titles, though it shouldn't have to be remedied in the first place. I am disappointed that the Witcher lacks the sort of diversity that could really resonate with gamers across many cultures, but other than these few misses, the game is still a tremendous piece of entertainment, and a stellar RPG experience that should not be missed by any gamer. I have no doubt that Wild Hunt will contend for the title of "game of the year." More so than any game I've played up to this point, choices carry weight and influence almost every facet of the experience. It's the closest thing to a good Game of Thrones game as there is, even if it's just because there are violent sword fights and copious amounts of swearing. Wild Hunt isn't quite perfection, but it's such a damn good time that it receives my first 10 out of 10 ever!

10 out of 10

Graphics and Sound: Characters appearing to float or clip through objects, odd horse maneuvers, and sometimes wooden jumping animations do pop up from time to time, but not frequently enough to really harm to overall visual package. Minor visual quirks aside, the game looks wonderful, and it played smoothly throughout my hundred hours. The characters are voiced well, adding a load of personality to the proceedings. The music, though at times repetitive in battle, is orchestrated quite well and worth a listen on the included CD. The design and attention to detail provides a truly compelling experience, and this is one of those rare games that blew me away when I booted it up. That wow factor is just one of many reasons to pick this game up.

Gameplay: The real meat of the experience, though some aspects of it could use some touching up. Combat is smooth but I ran into a couple instances of off hit detection, and the large amount preparation for encounters is key at higher levels, which could be off-putting for those who expect a more casual experience (check your difficulty level before you start...you can also change it at any time, a nice touch). As enjoyable as the missions are, the design can become a bit predictable and repetitive over the course of a playthrough. Jumping and interactions with Roach the horse can be wonky, but otherwise, the mechanics are rock solid and mixing in signs with swordplay always got my blood pumping. And there's GWENT! 

Replay Value: The game has already lasted me upwards of 70 hours, and with such an immersive world, I can see myself pouring more time into it. The main story should take around 25-30 hours to complete if you don't do anything else aside from main quests, but otherwise, playthroughs can take anywhere from 70-110 hours and then some if you explore every nook and cranny. With massive DLC expansions on the way in October and next spring, apparently 10 and 20 hours respectively, and 36 different endings to the game, you won't get a better bang for your buck.

Entertainment Value: This is everything you want a video game to be. It's got a fine story, massive world, and exciting gameplay. Most importantly, it's just flat-out FUN. Do yourself a favor and pick this game up. RPGs like this don't come around too often, and it's one of my all-time favorites already.

Bonus Photo Below: The results of a hard night of fighting or drinking?