In The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, you once again play the famous (for Witcher fans) Geralt of Rivia. From the beginning, the game has easily hooked me. I must say that this game is the first game since, potentially, Shadow of Mordor that has had me completely tied to it, to the point of consuming me. I am often afraid to take this game and play as sometimes I don’t know when to quit. Each landmark I reach leads to a new and more interesting one. The plot of this game is absolutely stunning. I haven’t been that interested in a “story” in a long time. I generally can’t stand games that don’t allow me to just start up and jump to the internet right away, but I have to say I’m making a huge exception to that rule with this one. I always have to play the next mission, just to see what happens next in the story. I have already invested several hours in this and hope to invest several more.
As for the graphics, I must say that this game is incredibly beautiful. I haven’t had the honor of testing games on the PlayStation 4 yet, but I can’t imagine them being very different from the Xbox One. Regardless of which of these two consoles you play on, the work done by the developers on this game has paid off. . The landscape sometimes looks almost like you are in a movie, and Geralt himself was very well portrayed this time. The fact that his beard grows back over time is something I found completely impressive. I haven’t seen many games that really pay attention to small details like that.
However, with every great game, there is likely to be some kind of downfall, and in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, that downfall is easily Roach, the noble steed. While he may carry trophies on his back that, in most cases, look downright amazing, there is a stark reality that Roach is what holds this game to stardom. Although it provides quick transport from mission to mission, it doesn’t take long to realize that this lowly and loyal steed is also arguably the most annoying part of the game. It is very easy for him to get caught in objects and when he does, turning around to get back on the road is, in most cases, an arduous task. The control process involved with driving feels so slow, and when trying to turn around, it can take up to a second or two for Roach to respond and execute the command. Getting through this game without Roach would be tedious, but finishing the game with him is sometimes a pain. I won’t even get into the fact that when on autopilot your ability to stay on a trail can be abysmal.
That said, I feel like the Roach mechanics is a slight oversight on the part of the developer that can be easily forgiven, and I don’t feel, in any way, that it takes away from the sheer excitement of playing this game. I know I can’t give a full review of the game, considering I haven’t seen it all yet, but at this point I’d have to give it a very strong 9 out of 10.
