Thomas has spent nearly 200 hours in The Witcher 3 in 2016. An expertise report on whether or not the next-gen model of CD Projekt”s role-playing sport nonetheless ignites veterans.
I’m truly the worst attainable audience for the next-gen improve of The Witcher 3. For one factor, I invested precisely 194 hours and 59 minutes in my first and to date solely playthrough of the role-playing masterpiece together with each expansions in 2015 and 2016. No aspect quest remained unsolved, no nook of the large open world unexplored.
However, I’m usually not somebody who tackles video games a second time, regardless of how a lot freedom they provide. I”d relatively expertise one thing actually new than the identical factor once more with kind of slight variations. Accordingly, even remakes and remasters solely curiosity me if I missed out on the unique on the time and want to catch up.
My necessities
As I discussed originally, I actually took every little thing CD Projekt”s roleplaying sport needed to supply in 2015 and 2016 till the final query mark. Sure, together with the rattling barrel diving between the Skellige islands.
I may nonetheless bear in mind the fundamental storyline with the seek for Ciri and the combat towards the Wild Hunt, however not many particulars. For instance, I didn”t know who the mysterious witch in Velen was or who was hiding behind the masks of the elf mage.
On the time, I performed on the medium problem degree “The Sword and the Story”, and my abilities had been centered on melee and magic.
For my new playthrough, I wished to court docket Yennefer as an alternative of Triss this time and simply let the opposite choices come to me. For the problem, I went to the second highest degree so I”d have to make use of extra oils and potions.
After a fast take a look at of the ray tracing choices, I made a decision to disable it with my Ryzen 7 5800X full with RTX 3070. The visible achieve wasn”t sufficient for me to justify 30 to 40 FPS. As a substitute, I most well-liked to modify all different graphics choices to the brand new most degree “Highest+”, which runs at a clean 60 to 80 FPS on my pc, even within the crowded huge metropolis of Novigrad.
What excites me once more
The Witcher 3”s most wonderful achievement is that from the very first second, at the very least visually, I really feel like I”m experiencing a contemporary open-world role-playing sport relatively than rediscovering a seven-year-old basic.
Graphics: Poor ray tracing optimisation or not, The Witcher 3 merely appears to be like delicious even with out this selection with in any other case most particulars. I”m actually not somebody who tends to linger in Open Worlds or voluntarily ignores the quick journey perform, however in The Witcher 3 I immediately grew to become a relaxed walker once more, voluntarily taking over largely uneventful journeys to easily immerse myself on this world with pores and skin and hair.
Which modernisations and mods do precisely what, others can clarify to you higher than I can.
All I can let you know is that I explored the swamps of Velen, the streets of Novigrad and the islands of Skellige once more with as vast eyes as I bear in mind from my first playthrough.
The aspect quests: I truly thought that I might focus primarily on the primary story in my new try. Removed from it! As a result of what do I care in regards to the seek for Ciri once I can as an alternative assist an outdated acquaintance”s quest for revenge or uncover the tragic destiny of a werewolf?
Even the usual monster hunts inform extra fascinating tales than many foremost quests of the fashionable competitors. Possibly that”s why the aspect quests excite me a lot once more, as a result of I naturally forgot much more particulars right here than in the primary story. However that doesn”t change the truth that when it comes to selection, tales and inventiveness, they nonetheless journey in a role-playing league of their very own.
Consideration to element: Identical to in Cyberpunk 2077, the open world of The Witcher 3 just isn’t actually a simulated world, however finally only a backdrop. But it surely”s a setting that I can”t get sufficient of even the second time round, and with my earlier data from the primary playthrough, I even uncover many new particulars and allusions that remained hidden from me through the first playthrough. I checked out who was sitting reverse me within the prologue inn!
What new excites me
It speaks for itself that I bear in mind some annoying little issues from my first 195 hours with Geralt higher than some spectacular story twists. And it speaks for CD Projekt that they’ve improved so many little issues in regards to the sport that really make me play The Witcher 3 in a different way than anno 2015.
The brand new digital camera: I might by no means have thought how a lot it enhances my immersion within the sport world once I get nearer to Geralt. Particularly, I understand interiors in a lot better element, particularly since I can now swap easily from working to sluggish strolling with the analogue stick. Forests appear even denser, swamps even creepier, the alleys of Novigrad even livelier.
Within the battles, the overview naturally suffers just a little, however they really feel extra intense and thrilling to me as a result of, on the one hand, they put extra deal with Geralt”s manoeuvres and, alternatively, I do know much less what is going on in my again, which is why I’ve to suppose way more about my positioning within the thick of the battle.
Solely when driving did I swap again to the outdated zoomed-out perspective after a short time, as a result of right here the spectacular panoramas work simply as effectively, however I miss fewer turn-offs within the warmth of the experience.
The dynamic interface: The less shows cluttering up my view of Velen, Novigrad and Skellige, the higher they’ll work on me, which is why I deactivated a few of them, similar to the hunt log and the management assist, on my first playthrough.
With the minimap, nevertheless, there was just one on or off, and I didn”t need to get misplaced regularly. For me, it”s due to this fact an enormous achieve in ambiance that the map can now be proven solely within the wizard”s view, if desired.
The truth that I can now gather herbs immediately with out a list window diversions might sound like a small factor, however in whole it offers me a significantly better view of the gorgeous and far much less of the ugly.
The one downer: For the life factors and poisoning show, there may be nonetheless solely the “all or nothing” resolution, though I actually solely want them in battles. However, the battles are actually noticeably quicker for me, as a result of I can set off all spells immediately with key mixtures and with out having to undergo the ring menu.
Killing immersion killers: Possibly this solely impacts pedants like me, however hardly something aggravated me extra through the first playthrough than the absurdly wobbling sorcerer medallion round Geralt”s neck. Regardless of how a lot emotion the dialogue may convey, I solely had eyes for the tremors of the chain.
The identical utilized to the timber when exploring the world, which even in a lightweight breeze bent as strongly within the wind as if there was a medium hurricane. The truth that each of this stuff are actually a factor of the previous lastly permits my pedant”s eyes to focus on the important.
What not grabs me
Though I fell in love with the story, ambiance and open world once more on my second playthrough, my relationship with The Witcher 3 has cooled noticeably on just a few factors.
Freedom of alternative: Cyberpunk 2077 was a very new expertise on my second playthrough. On the one hand, as a result of my talents have a large affect on what number of missions develop. Secondly, as a result of many of the choices change into far much less placing, making it simpler, at the very least for me, to decide on a unique path the second time round.
The Witcher 3 marks the related choices very clearly for probably the most half, which may positively be a bonus in case you”re in a position to block out your conscience whereas taking part in. I merely can”t carry myself to resolve in a different way in lots of crass conditions, which is why the story performs out for me in massive components simply because it did seven years in the past.
The ability system wasn”t The Witcher 3”s nice power again in 2015 both, anno 2023 its limitations stand out much more to me. Sure, I now rely a bit extra on potions and oils on the upper problem degree, however on the finish of the day, battles and missions play out the identical as they did on my first playthrough, with just a few exceptions. Which abilities I unlock and when is sort of irrelevant.
The battle system: The battles have by no means been the spotlight of The Witcher 3 for me, however at the very least I didn”t actively keep away from them in 2015. In 2023, alternatively, I frequently discover myself giving monsters or highwaymen a large berth within the open world except they’re guarding a useful treasure.
New motion digital camera or not: the battles really feel by some means picket to me. In addition they lack dynamics and selection. Sure, every so often I’ve to adapt to an opponent”s technique, however as a rule I reel off my commonplace programme of making use of oil, hitting, dodging and infrequently casting spells.
That is positively the place The Witcher 3 has aged probably the most for me, when in comparison with an Elden Ring, Horizon: Zero Daybreak, God of Warfare and even Cyberpunk 2077.
The Dungeons: I set free a sigh each time Geralt goes underground. For as a lot because the open world captivates me with its magnificence and ambiance, the dungeons, sewers and caves don”t tickle my thirst for journey.
Graphically, the dungeons present their age extra clearly than the remainder of the world, as a result of vegetation, furnishings and inhabitants can logically conceal much less. As well as, it’s extra noticeable right here how clumsy Geralt”s controls are when climbing and leaping.
And if I then should activate the black and white cat turkey imaginative and prescient attributable to a scarcity of sunshine sources, the dungeons lastly turn out to be the most important turn-off in my Witcher relationship.
Conclusion: For whom is the return worthwhile?
The truth that I have already got over 20 hours on my Witcher clock once more, despite the fact that I truly wished to check out new video games greater than anything through the Christmas break, speaks volumes.
The quite a few built-in mods, graphical optimisations and ray-tracing choices (assuming an appropriate pc) make The Witcher 3 an absolute feast for the eyes, even by trendy requirements.
The actual star of the next-gen replace for me, nevertheless, are the numerous small however actually significant gameplay enhancements, which above all spotlight the strengths of the role-playing sport as a result of they draw me even deeper into the story, world and ambiance.
Nevertheless, you continue to have to have the ability to forgive the weaknesses within the character and fight system that had been already current in 2015. And anybody hoping for a very new story expertise for the second playthrough may also be disenchanted in my view. Except you a) bear in mind precisely the way you selected the person missions through the first playthrough and b) not like me, don’t have any qualms about taking part in Geralt as an actual asshole.
However in case you “simply” need the identical fascination and surprise again that you just felt throughout your first journey with Geralt, then I can actually warmly advocate the next-gen replace to you. Regardless that, or maybe as a result of, I don”t truly belong to the goal group.
