The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is a fantasy action-RPG and the third entry in the prestigious Witcher franchise, based on the book series of the same name. Regarded by many as one of the best RPGs of all time, Wild Hunt puts players in the shoes of Geralt of Rivia, a silver-haired “witcher” who hunts monsters in the fantasy world bustling with intriguing locations. In this entry in the franchise, Geralt must search for a young woman with immense power named Ciri. This adventure takes Geralt across an expansive map packed with wondrous locations, from bustling cities to dangerous monster dens. By offering a satisfying story and gameplay elements from a variety of different genres, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt earns its spot as one of the best.

Main Game Features

• Rich fantasy world and story
• Engaging action-RPG combat
• Tons of quests to complete

Story

The narrative in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is a continuation of the past two games, which feature a bustling fantasy world full of politics, wars, and factions of beasts and humans. While the story will be easier for those who have played the previous Witcher titles, it's still digestible for newcomers. Playing as the powerful Geralt, players embark on a lengthy journey to find Ciri, following her footsteps as he tracks her latest moves. This adventure guides Geralt through a bevy of interesting locations, including the damp and dark island of Skellige, the war-torn lands of Velen, the crowded city of Novigrad, and much more. During your journey to find Ciri, you'll help various citizens with their monster-related problems, as Geralt's job as a professional monster hunter is the main way he makes coin. Both the main and side stories in Witcher 3: Wild Hunt are incredibly well-told, with wildly imaginative characters, creatures, and plot twists.

Gameplay

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt plays out across a handful of open-world maps, full of locations to explore, beasts to kill, and quests to complete. Playing as Geralt, you can ride your horse around, discovering various locations and following waypoints. Similar to other open-world games like Assassin's Creed: Odyssey, there's an abundance of missions to find, gear to equip, and useful items to find. The combat is tough but fair, putting an emphasis on Geralt's abilities as a monster hunter. You'll encounter a long and varied list of monsters during your adventure, including werewolves, ghosts, giants, vampires, and even a dragon or two. Each monster has unique weaknesses that you can exploit by taking specific potions, coating your weapons with oil, and more. There's no automatic healing and enemy attacks hit hard, so you'll have to be quick with parries and attacks if you want to survive.

Luckily, you can improve Geralt's powers in a number of ways, like finding and equipping better gear or spending experience points on new mutations. As a witcher, Geralt possesses some supernatural powers that you can customize, allowing you to focus on attack damage, spell-wielding, and more. As you gain experience and level up, you'll unlock more powerful mutations that give Geralt special skills and abilities. Besides all the questing and monster slaying, there are a few side-activities to enjoy. There's an incredibly addictive card game called Gwent that you can challenge townsfolk against, earning new cards and expanding your deck. There are also various treasure hunts and bonus mercenary contracts for players who want to deeper explore the land.

Conclusion

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt has a lot going for it. The story is enthralling and packed with memorable moments, lovable characters, and some absolutely stellar monster designs. Combat feels slick and deterministic, with plenty of different strategies for players to experiment with. Leveling up Geralt feels rewarding, and every side-mission is worth completing.

Pros:

• Fantastic plot, characters, and setting
• Exhilarating combat that requires preparation
• Every quest feels meaningful and rewarding

Cons:

• Some mechanics take a while to learn
• Clunky movement at times
• Combat is frustrating at first