Few times the expectation generated by a game reaches levels as great as The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, and it was not for less, its two previous installments were received in a very good way by the community, but the ambition of CD Projekt Red with this game It was far beyond what we could initially imagine, it was time to make the leap to the new generation and in the Polish studio they wanted to take advantage of the technical potential of current platforms, which ended up being reflected in an open world that can be summed up in one word, shocking. Yes, the open world radically changes the original formula with which this franchise began.
"People like to create monsters and monstrosities. So they seem less monstrous. "
The story centers on Geralt of Rivia, who receives a letter from her lover Yennefer de Vengerberg saying that she needs to locate him as soon as possible. Geralt, after finding his lover, learns that Ciri, Calenthe's daughter and a former student of the same character, is sought after by The Wild Hunt, an ancient group of wraiths led by the King of The Wild Hunt. After several events that lead Geralt to search for Ciri in the great city of Novigrad, in the Skellige Islands and in the lands of Velen, Geralt learns that The Wild Hunt is looking for a way to fulfill the Prophecy of Ithlinne, the which says that the universe will be destroyed by the White Cold. Ciri, because she is the daughter of old blood, is the only one who can destroy this prophecy and save the world.
The story can be enjoyed without having played the previous ones
One aspect that worries many about Wild Hunt is not having played the first two parts. It also takes some sleep away from CD Projekt, which has juggled a lot to try and blur that feeling. The first has been played by a relatively low number of people compared to the second, being all covered at the time and exclusive to PC. The second one does have a great media reach, but it came out very late on 360 and never on PS3. The third installment arrives instead for PC, PS4 and One, so there is a clear attempt to chase away those fears, stating that you can start this game directly without anyone going to miss it.
The relationships between Geralt and the rest are one of the fundamental pillars on which he has risen in the saga, in large part because the main characters around the White Wolf are also very interesting and well developed, so they feed back. When in a game full of epic moments, what we most remember are certain dialogues and intimate moments that are not grandiose, it is when we realize the good work done in this field.
The protagonist's relationships with which one can call "the two women in his life" are particularly intense and this has been well captured in the game. In particular, it will be interesting to see how those who do not know the books react to the relationship between Geralt and Yennefer. Let's say you are going to discover a new facet of the protagonist's personality.
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As in previous titles, player decisions are very important but are limited to a certain range. Geralt is a very established character with a defined personality, so it is not a game that gives us many alternatives when we have to make a decision or solve something through dialogue.
In general we will only have two or three options available -sometimes with a timer to press us-. Nor does it have character development systems that contribute to dialogues like "intelligence" or "charisma", the only way that our experience influences dialogues is by empowering the Axii Sign, which influences the minds of our enemies and has multiple applications . Three points invested in this will be all you need to be able to get out of a multitude of committed situations and solve missions on the fast track without hitting a sword, Obi Wan Kenobi style.
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-Wide variety of missions and open world
One of the fears of moving to an open structure with a great world to explore is that many users associate it with a trivialization of the tasks to be carried out and with content that they call “filler”. Obviously it is a justified fear since the solution of many developers to avoid that their open map is a solar is to fill it with collectibles and irrelevant missions, without content or random, with no more basis than "kill X monsters", "collect objects" .
The main missions are beyond doubt, they are the heart of the game and the entire legacy built with the trilogy depends on them: they are long and varied, with a dense narrative development told in a very dynamic way and peppered with key decisions. For their part, side missions offer a good variety of additional tasks, although here we already have missions of different degrees of narrative quality and complexity.
Combat is the element in which the series has fallen the most throughout its trajectory. It is not just that it has changed between game and game, it has changed substantially within the same title with the passage of time. With Wild Hunt we find a much more agile character, with an effective (perhaps too much) quick dodge movement that can be complemented by the classic somersault on the ground, which remains this time as an emergency resource. We also have a block, which we can turn into a counterattack if we press it at the right time, and two types of attacks, fast and heavy.
On the other hand we have also characteristic elements such as potions that increase our physical abilities to new limits, the oils with which we can give our weapons an offensive extra against certain types of creatures and bombs that can have different uses depending on the type. Exclusively from Wild Hunt we find a crossbow, which is not part of the traditional equipment of witches but this time it will be especially useful to combat both underwater and aerial creatures. The combination of all these elements forms the unique arsenal of the warlocks' fighting style.
Given that our “class” is unique and we cannot be anything else, what is asked of the player when developing his Geralt is to emphasize those aspects that he prefers within his various combat options.
The progression system has been made more flexible and clear compared to that of the second part. Four main groups have been established, all with multiple ranks made up of specific skills. Each row represents a level of depth, and each ability can be enhanced in various degrees, usually 5 or 3. We can only access the following rows if we invest a certain number of points in that group, that is the way to "commit" to a certain group.
From a perspective, if we look at it alone, we are facing a tremendously beautiful and technically very meritorious game. It is an immense, varied and largely unmapped mapping except to move between the large areas into which it is divided. Each great area has a lot of variety to show, an attractive day and night cycle, climatic changes with rain, wind and snow and landscapes that will make us stop to admire them.
It has really spectacular scenery moments, which has special merit being open. The density of the vegetation is notorious, with a great variety of plants and trees depending on the area. And the main city, Novigrado, is a real delight, especially because unlike many fantasy games, it looks like a real medieval city for its proportions and internal structure, a place where people really live, with their houses, churches, bridges, different areas and other emblematic places.
They wanted to create an open world, a huge map, a game capable of providing entertainment for weeks, and they also wanted to do it without losing the narrative pulse, the importance of the characters and their stories. It can be said that they have achieved it with honors.
Overall, a great game, a technical feat and an experience that will keep us tens of hours in front of the screen with its mix of open world and good narrative. Quite a reference for other open games, which will have to start taking better care of how to plan their missions and set up their narrative if they do not want to lag behind what CD Projekt has achieved.
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