![Velen[1]](https://images.pushsquare.com/c5fdebeff223a/velen1.900x.jpg)
It's as simple as the headline makes it seem: The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is something special. Although we're not quite ready to forge our final opinion on the game, we've put together this relatively quick impressions piece for you, and hopefully, it'll give you a decent idea of what to expect from CD Projekt Red's open world epic.
First off, let's just confirm that the game's world is incredibly large. Vast, open fields, woodland that seems to stretch on for miles at a time, and deserted, bloodstained battlefields make up a bulk of the environment – but the most impressive part is how rich it all seems. For a map of this size, the detail that the developer's crammed into each location is staggering at times, making the land a joy to explore. In that sense, it's very much following in Bethesda's footsteps, and what the studio has achieved with its The Elder Scrolls series.
![White Orchard[1]](https://images.pushsquare.com/eabab8cbc0179/white-orchard1.900x.jpg)
Adding to the already tangible world is a dynamic weather system, alongside an impressive day and night cycle. Atmosphere can be difficult to fully convey in video games, but The Witcher 3 makes it look ridiculously easy. Traipsing around a forest at night as the moon shines through the trees, hunting down a pack of wolves – or perhaps something a little more mythical –is as engrossing as taking a stroll through a bustling city street. No matter what you're doing or where you are, Geralt's adventure seems to be able to pull you in with a whisper, if that.
As such, it's not really a role-playing game that you can switch off to. Combat can be utterly brutal, and the wilderness is teeming with beasts just waiting to tear you limb from limb. The almost constant sense of danger forces you to remain aware of your surroundings, but make no mistake – sitting on the edge of your seat, carefully listening to you surroundings, and running away from fights with a slither of health left is what makes the release so gripping. Whether or not our feelings on this change as we continue to spend time with the game, we can't say, but it's certainly looking promising right now.
![Kaer Morhen[1]](https://images.pushsquare.com/a404bc4acdfcd/kaer-morhen1.900x.jpg)
Speaking of combat, the whole system's neat, tidy, and intense. On the harder difficulties, it's a little bit reminiscent of Bloodborne: if you make one wrong move, you're probably dead, or at least edging dangerously close to the end. The difference here is that you can't just swig a potion to restore your health, as healing – whether natural or accelerated through the use of a tincture – happens over time. True to the franchise, The Witcher 3 emphasises the importance of preparing yourself before a battle's even begun. Tainting your blade with oils, drinking powerful potions, or equipping specialised gear are all important factors in ensuring that you walk away from a fight in one piece.
But if all of that sounds like too much of a hassle, have no fear: the title's easy and normal difficulties appear to offer a nicer balance for those who maybe don't have the patience to brew countless concoctions or gather raw materials for crafting. You'll still need to rely on timely dodge rolls and careful sidesteps, and going up against creatures above your current level is still going to be a challenge, but you won't necessarily have to make use of every possible tool and option available to you.
![Mulbrydale[1]](https://images.pushsquare.com/0cda711bee9a6/mulbrydale1.900x.jpg)
So far, we've described what is essentially a pretty good open world game, but The Witcher 3 is much more than that. Laying something of a path for you through the gargantuan map is an overarching narrative that's filled with player choice. The story is implemented thoughtfully, as it allows you the space to breathe between each plot point, to get back out into the wild and hunt some monsters. That said, the story's pretty lengthy, but from what we've played so far, it's rather well paced.
Weaving a narrative into an open world game is never easy. Dragon Age: Inquisition handled the task really well overall, but it still felt like there was a touch too much filler in between each story-driven scenario. This simply isn't the case here, because even the side stories that you'll stumble across as you travel are fully voice acted, complete with cutscenes and usually a moral choice or two. As a result, nothing that you take part in feels like it's inconsequential. Again, it's all about adding to that incredible atmosphere that we mentioned before.
We're impressed, then, and in truth, we're eager to finish this feature off and get back to our fantastical journey. The Witcher 3's world is both inviting and somewhat frightening, and that's the beauty of it. The detail is rich, the atmosphere is astounding at times, and the the gameplay is rock solid. This is usually where we warn of a title's potential flaws, but to be honest, nothing springs to mind.
You can read our full and final thoughts on The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt in our review, which will be published before the game is released on the 19th May. Are you excited to jump into Geralt's boots, or are you cautious of the snake-eyed monster slayer? Treat the comments section like a countryside tavern below.
Comments 54
Sounds really great guys! Awesome article too!
Is it Tuesday yet? I can't wait to get my hands on this game.
Totally ancy to play this the day it comes out, I can't even remember the last game I was this excited for. I'm debating picking up the strategy guide. Although, I'm not sure if its necessary. I'm sure I could get more play out of the game if I get the guide!
@Dordrid nope still Saturday, wake me up the 19th!
I secretly hope some people hate it - I'm looking to get this as part of a buy 2 get 1 free for renewing my membership with GameStop.
.........................Until Persona 5 comes out.
Tuesday can't come quickly enough!!!
Not sure if TescoDirect are still running the 2 for £80 (link in the 'PS4 Bargains' thread in the forums if anyone is interested) on pre-orders but if they are and with the 10% off code, this is easily worth the £35 I paid - Batman: Arkham Knight next month too....
Reading this article made me realize I don't think it's even possible for me to be any more hyped about this game than I already am lol... over the last several months I finished the witcher and the witcher 2, as well as reading the first 5 books... and even after all that I still can't get enough of the witcher universe. Geralt is an absolute badass and the witcher universe is one of a kind and so awesome.... I can't believe I won't be able to play this until about 10 days after it comes out I'm out of town at work and it's going to be torture.
@mitcHELLspawn I feel ya pain buddy
I'm going to save this article and read it after I have started playing it. I all ready know more then I wanted to going in. I can't wait...
Hearing alot of good things about this, however one thing this article doesn't cover is if it's ok for newbies to jump into?? I mean do we need to know the story of the previous two to understand Witcher 3 or is it more self contained? I feel this is an important question which will decide if I try it or not
@jonny_aces I'm sure @ShogunRok will delve into that in the review. I haven't played it yet, but I have to imagine that CD Projekt Red are aware this game will be attracting a lot of newcomers, and they need to get people up to speed.
@jonny_aces If you (or any one else) wants to catch up on the story in preparation and don't mind spoilers from the Witcher 1 and 2 (no spoilers for the Witcher 3), this video playlist does a very good job. It's well worth watching - especially if you are unlikely to play the first 2 and give a very good account of the story so far.
By all accounts though it isn't necessary to have played the previous games. In the Witcher 2, they gave us a story introduction.
If I could only watch one trailer for The Witcher 3, that would be it! Unless we get Fallout 4 this year I'll go ahead and say that this is my GOTY 15
My copy should be arriving Monday. Looking forward to it!
Still not hyped at all, or even interested. I'm thinking of firing up Witcher 2 tomorrow and seeing if that can drum up any interest for next week. Considering most games that get hyped by the mainstream these days end up being bangers, I'm staying cautios
If all the complaints about casualization are true maybe I'll be able to play 3 on normal instead of very easy like 2 and 1, I'm seriously bad at these games.
@sonicmeerkat Even on easy, some fights can be tricky until you get used to the combat. It's definitely not a game that you can charge into and expect to hack and slash everything to bits. But yeah, from what I've played, easy seems well balanced if you're not too confident.
@ShogunRok Very positive news great articles and info, especially regarding performance issues.
@ShogunRok Well then I better stick with very easy/easy until a second playthrough.
@sonicmeerkat Worth mentioning that you can change the difficulty at any time, too, which is good if you're trying to find a sweet spot.
My awesome pc can play this awesome game at 60fps at 4k resolution. I refuse to play any other inferior version of this game because I'm awesome and my super computer is even more awesomer. I'm superior and that's awesome!
I'm definitely look forward to this release. I was a fan of The Witcher 2, and from what I'm reading, The Witcher 3 is even better. Excellent article guys! Here is another good review for anyone interested! http://thegamelands.com/the-witcher-3-wild-hunt-review/
I was lucky enough that my pre order turned up yesterday! I managed to get around 4 hours in an didn't even realise how fast the time had gone as I had literally achieved nothing more than 2 side quests an a whole lot of exploring. Really feel like the developers enjoyed making this game as much as they want us to enjoy playing it. The card in the box thanking you for purchasing the game really says a lot about how proud they are of the game and they should be. I'm hooked. From the glimpse I got to see last night a lot of other developers should be taking a long hard look at themselves......yes you ubisoft! 16 DLC's for free and ubisoft are planning on which bits they can sell back to us before the games are even out ridiculous.
@sonicmeerkat For me, The Witcher 2 got a lot easier when most of your skills and combat moves are unlocked and of course learning that rolling was your best friend.
I did attempt the hardest difficulty playthrough but it was severely punishing and I just couldn't get past the 'Melena' quest.
http://witcher.wikia.com/wiki/Malena_%28quest%29
@get2sammyb Hi Sammy, please help. I've had to initialise my ps4, got advise help PS who told me to back up to online storage, leave for an hour to make sure it was done, then initialise ps4. Lots of my saves are weeks old and no where near up to date and some saved aren't there at all. Is there anything that can be done? I feel like putting the whole lot on eBay at the moment to be honest!
@B3ND3R Nothing can stand up to Persona 5, why even bother to compare.
@Dordrid If you Pre-Ordered it on PS4.. which you still can.. for 10% off.. you can start playing it at 7 PM EST on Monday Night.. I am super stoked about that.. I will be playing the crap ton out of it then!
@impetuously__ NOOOO Don't get the guide! I mean common.. Unless you are getting the Limited Collectors Edition, then I guess that's kind of okay.. but they have gone to say that the Strategy guide is over 200 pages long or something huge. I just think it would be better if you just played it several times and seen a completely different play through, than rather read about how to play it, so you can see a different turn out, I have heard from several people, from reviews and interviews with developers.. that the 36 different endings can be EXTREMELY DIFFERENT than each other.. and one guy even went as far as to say that his ending was completely unexpected.. and EXTREMELY DISAPPOINTING.. So much infact, that he went back and replayed the game again to get a different ending, and It was COMPLETELY DIFFERENT and ended way better somewhat like he had originally expected.
@GoTNeWs4Ya I'm planning on getting the limited collectors edition...
But now you got me thinking..like...do I really want to refer to a book at my side constantly to play this game or just play without it?
I thought with the guide I could 100% the game like getting all the monster hunts and secret stuff I otherwise couldn't figure out......
@jonny_aces You don't need to play the previous 2 Witcher games to know what is going on.. Infact in the Previous 2 Witcher games involve a complex story line about how Geralt lost his memory, and Is focusing on regaining it.. This one introduces the beginning of him getting his memory back. We are all starting with a clean slate here.. plus the game ties the connections together from the Previous 2 with some cut scenes and other things to help catch you up on what is important to the Story and Plot of The Witcher 3. Also.. There is a few videos out there that can do a quick recap of the previous Witcher installments for you as well.. I saw on a website recently where they put together a 5 minute video explaining everything you need to know to catch up for the new game.
@impetuously__ Yeah, I get that, but they have said that you won't 100% the game on one play through anyways.. and I really think this might be the kind of game where you just play it a few times.. and TRUST ME I am definitely not the type of guy who plays a game more than once. Usually if I beat it.. and it doesn't have some sort of multiplayer, I am done with it.. because More than likely none of the endings are going to change too drastically.. but with this game.. after doing plenty of research.. I have came to the conclusion that it might actually be different each time I play through it.. and Then after a few play throughs I might have seen everything. I am also one of the types of guys who believes strategy guides are on the way out anyways.. They used to be good because you couldn't find out how to beat stuff.. Now.. You can find anything on the internet.. So If you want to find some super secret places on The Witcher 3, you just search it in google, and you will even find online strategy guides.. I say save your money.. IT might end up letting you have more fun too. Either way, Great taste! Add me on PSN - LoVe4DaGaMe
@GoTNeWs4Ya cool man.. Thanks for the add... You have good points to consider.... I probably won't end up getting the guide now that we had this convo! I'm the same way about not replaying games...and especially not going to play this game through 36 times just to platinum it!
@B3ND3R @NomNom Please don't make me pick between this and Persona!
@THEundying27 that's nice.
This is a Playstation site though.
I stopped reading and preordered at "on harder difficulties, the combat is reminiscent of Bloodborne".
I doubt you need to play this game 36 times to get all the trophies/achievements. Maybe a couple of times.
In the Witcher 2, the story forked at a certain point and led you on very different paths. Some of these had their own side quests that had their own Achievements so I expect this maybe similar.
I don't know how many 'Saves' you can have in this, but if its like the Witcher 2, you might not have to replay everything either. You might be able to go back a few Saves and start from that point to get missing achievements. For example an achievement might be saved character 'a', or killed character 'a'. If you have a save before this decision, you could go back to that save point and play out both options.
@ShogunRok lol persona or witcher?
I'm really excited about this. We preordered it on G2A.com so well be getting it on PC. But I will pick it up eventually on ps4 I'm sure. @ShogunRok how are the trophies? Easy or difficult? And what about character customization, as in outfits or individual articles of clothing with different stats like dark souls?
Anyway can't wait to read the review! Happy Hunting!
@get2sammyb thanks will wait for the review then. As this does look like it's my kinda game!
@BAMozzy yeah I'm a kinda person who prefers to play/experience the storyline myself than watch playthroughs of games I'm interested in. But if indeed this is a continuation I may have to check out some sort of recap! As I hate coming into a story halfway through!
@GoTNeWs4Ya cheers, I may have to check out these recap videos then!!
@jonny_aces That video play list I linked above does a great job of explaining the story so far. It breaks down everything from each game individually so you know who Geralt is, who the characters are, who the Wild Hunt are etc and give you a better understanding of the story so far. Whilst it's probably not essential viewing as the game will no doubt give a recap, Its likely to give you more insight into the world, life and history. You will certainly have more understanding of who Ciri and Yennefer are and their significance to Geralt, Triss too and what brought Geralt to this time and place in his life. You will have a better understanding of the complex world around him and maybe understand why so many are looking forward to this game.
Just 2 days to go..... GRRRRR!!!!! hurry up!!!
I feel like I am the only person who is not excited for this title. From what I have seen it just doesn't interest me at this moment in time. That may change but no time soon. I hope it is as good as you guys want it to be
@BAMozzy Thank you for the link to that channel! I've just spent most of my afternoon watching through his reviews, and his 25 Games For My Son videos. Very entertaining!
@Crimson_Ridley Cool! glad you found it useful
Can't wait! This and Splatoon!
Not hard to do with there current releases.
@Alpha Trophies cover a lot of ground. There are over 50, and they're pretty varied. Story ones, crafting ones, combat ones... The hardest trophies seem to be the ones that require you to complete the game on the harder difficulties, purely because they'll be tough to do, and it's massive game so it'll take a while.
Character customisation is limited for Geralt himself. Your beard grows over time, as does your hair, but you can get it shaved, trimmed, or styled by barbers dotted around the world. As for armour and clothes, there are a lot. There's light, medium, and heavy armour, and they all look great. The designs are all really varied, too, so when you find something new, it's cool to just check out how it looks.
@jonny_aces Yea, I found out who had the Witcher recap video. It was ign. They got a video called the Witcher in 5 mins. Check it out! Also, if you love a good story then the previous Witcher games are awesome and are each good for 70+ hrs of playtime. The best thing I can recommend for you going into the Witcher 3, is for you to not rush through it, just explore and do all the side quests you can because it just is amazing how deep the story runs through these titles.
@ZeD it's just a solid rpg action adventure game. It has an amazing Story and now it's open world. It is just getting better and better. Why do you say that what you've seen doesn't interest you? What are you looking for in a videogame? I am only asking because maybe you just haven't seen the right thing or heard the right thing about it yet. I am not trying to be rude or nasty, just trying to get as many Witcher fans as possible.
@GoTNeWs4Ya from what I have watched it just looks like another, too much to do with no organisation, open world RPG like Dragon Age 3 and that left a sour taste in my mouth.
Edit: I have added it Tommy Rental List To give it a go.
@ZeD I honestly think you will like it.. It is much more in depth than other RPG's.. The Side quests are not "fetch quests" like in Dragon Age: Inquisition. They are more in depth, and develop their own story arch based on your decisions.. even they have consequences and stuff that can change how the quest ends up. I honestly think you might enjoy it.. Add me on PSN - LoVe4DaGaMe and maybe I can do a game share with you and you can try it out for free over my PS4.
@Aslanmagic Splatoon has been a very difficult decision for me. When they announced it, I got really excited about a new Nintendo IP, and thought it looked like a lot of fun, so I pre-ordered it as soon as I could. I've just cancelled my order, after thinking about it for quite some time, and deciding that as I don't have any friends with a Wii U, I wouldn't get a quarter of the enjoyment from it, and I'm not really a multiplayer gamer anyway.
@Crimson_Ridley understand. I'm not a big multiplayer guy either, at least online. My internet isn't very reliable out in the country But I have kids who would enjoy it with me in local mp and would be fun for youth group too.
@ShogunRok Hi man,
Been looking around very briefly trying to avoid spoilers but I figured maybe you would know this.
If I finish the main storyline, can I then go back and mop up the remaining quests?, working in a video game store it's often rife with loose lips and as one of my most anticipated titles in years I'd hate for someone to just casually ruin the narrative while I'm busy hunting.
Cheers
@NamelessAndi You're free to roam the world once the story's done, yes, but a few quests will be unavailable if you haven't already completed them. I can't give too many specifics on which ones, but I think it's generally just stuff that may be tied to the main story.
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