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It”s been seven years since The Witcher 3 noticed the sunshine of day. With the free Subsequent Gen Replace, it will get one other correct polish. However how does the role-playing recreation play in 2022? And what does that imply for our score?
A lot has modified in my life over the previous seven years. In 2015, I used to be nonetheless a scholar and had simply accomplished my 12 months overseas in Japan. Then got here my Bachelor”s and Grasp”s levels, the transfer to Munich and now I”ve been a part of the GlobalESportNews crew for over three years. Why am I telling you this? As an instance {that a} hell of lots can change in seven years.
So the discharge of The Witcher 3 was fairly some time in the past. And the world of video video games doesn”t stand nonetheless both: Graphics have gotten increasingly more elaborate, the calls for of gamers increasingly more refined and the flood of latest video games is unstoppable. Can a role-playing recreation that’s already seven years outdated nonetheless show itself within the context of immediately”s video games – and is a Subsequent Gen replace sufficient? To reply this query, we returned to the world of The Witcher 3 for a retest.
Discover out what the Subsequent Gen Replace modifications within the PC model, how the role-playing recreation performs in 2022 and what all this implies for the ultimate score in our check.
Graphics replace, ray tracing and implementation of mods
What”s new? Most likely the most important change of the NextGen replace instantly jumps into our eyes even with out witchcraft sense: The Witcher 3 appears to be like rattling fancy. Accountable for this are a variety of technical enhancements:
- World lighting and ambient occlusion by way of ray tracing
- PC Unique: Raytracing Reflections and Shadows
- Extremely scaled 4K textures for characters and environments
- Mounted clipping errors and improved shadow casts for most important characters like Geralt, Triss and Ciri
- New climate results
- Enhancements in vegetation and water
- PC unique: Nvidias DLSS 3 is now supported
- PC-Unique: New graphics preset
Extremely+
which as soon as once more boosts all facets of the sport graphics (shadows, water, terrain, background characters, and so on.)
It”s no secret that The Witcher 3 has been fertile floor for quite a few artistic neighborhood mods. Now the crème de la crème additionally finds its manner into the official NextGen replace. The applied mods embody:
- World Map Fixes by Terg500
- Nitpicker”s Patch – Numerous Visible Fixes by chuckcash
- The Witcher 3 HD – Reworked Mission by HalkHogan
- FCR3 – Immersion and Gameplay Tweaks – by Andrzej Kwiatkowski
- HDMR – HD Monsters Reworked Mod by Denroth
Because the names of the person mods already reveal, they make minor and main changes to the sport. The minimap was adjusted and now corresponds extra to the sport world. Visible bugs have been corrected, the character fashions and textures have been refined and even the nasty monsters have been given a extra fashionable look.
How does it play?
The world of The Witcher 3 has at all times been spectacular, however with the NextGen replace it”s merely – and I”m quoting a well known actor right here – “breathtaking”! The brand new lighting creates a good denser ambiance when a room is lit solely by a candle or a hearth casts distorted shadows on cave partitions.
The vegetation is extra lush, the waves of the ocean and the reflections in puddles of water at the moment are extra stunning to take a look at, and so even longer journeys on foot are much more gratifying. The character fashions, armour textures and small particulars within the recreation world have additionally been tailored and modernised.
We didn”t discover any bugs throughout testing – the clipping errors in hair and clothes are a factor of the previous, as are sudden particulars popping up on characters or within the recreation world. Whereas previously solely occasional gwint video games and aged women searching for their pans or sons used to maintain me from the truly pressing seek for Geralt”s foster daughter Ciri, now it”s the landscapes and environmental particulars that invite me to pause many times. As a result of with the Subsequent Gen replace, The Witcher 3 is extra stunning than ever earlier than.
Since footage are identified to say greater than a thousand phrases, check out This comparability video
Improved operation and comfort options
What”s new? Along with the main graphics modifications, the Subsequent Gen Replace additionally has smaller enhancements in tow. These optimise the controls or just make your life as a wizard a bit of simpler. The next new options have been essentially the most noticeable for me throughout gameplay:
- The fast casting of characters. Now you can change and forged them with out having to open the wheel menu.
- Herbs could be collected instantly with out opening an extra loot window.
- Bombs, bolts and different gadgets can now be exchanged extra dynamically by way of the wheel menu.
After all, there are numerous different little issues that you just in all probability received”t discover when rediscovering The Witcher 3, such because the adjusted drop harm or the streamlined world map. (The overview of all patch notes) illustrates what number of changes CD Projekt has made.
How does it play?
After all, individually these will not be earth-shattering modifications. However taken collectively, these changes imply that The Witcher 3 now performs extra easily and enjoyably than ever earlier than – particularly with the controller.
I can alter my strolling pace extra granularly with the stick, permitting me to walk by the streets of Novigrad at a snail”s tempo to marvel on the graphic splendour. I decide up herbs as I stroll by, with out confirming within the loot window that I actually need to decide up celandine for positive.
I”m additionally lastly experimenting extra with bombs now that I can swap them out a lot sooner within the wheel menu with out opening the stock. Even my beloved Igni is allowed to offer option to different characters extra typically.
Particularly on the controller, switching is a lot simpler and permits fast mixtures – for instance, once I first set my opponents” whiskers on fireplace with Igni after which ship a pleasant punch straight into their guts with Aard. All I’ve to do now could be maintain down the left shoulder button and use the symbols and the fitting shoulder button to decide on which character I need to forged.
However don”t fear: In case you don”t like the brand new management choices, you’ll be able to at all times deactivate them within the settings and play with the traditional controls.
New digicam settings for preventing, driving and exploring
What”s new? Within the settings, now you can swap on an alternate digicam possibility for exploring, driving and preventing (and naturally swap it off once more at any time). The digicam is now a bit of nearer to Geralt and reacts extra dynamically to actions.
How does it play?
The brand new digicam setting makes for a extra immersive gameplay expertise, particularly throughout battles. I’m not an omniscient observer who has your complete overview of the motion and might react to risks in time. As an alternative, I transfer a lot nearer to the confrontations. Additionally it is simpler for opponents to sneak up on me from a blind spot and shock me. Particularly in shut quarters, sword fights appear extra lifelike and intense.
For exploring and driving, nevertheless, I deactivated the digicam setting once more. Right here I merely like having a bit of extra distance to Geralt in order that I can take in your complete atmosphere. Which settings you favor is, after all, a matter of style and could be modified shortly – conveniently even individually for the respective recreation conditions.
New quest “Within the shadow of the everlasting fireplace “
What”s New? Keep in mind the locked mine gate within the Satan”s Pit? In case you”ve been questioning for seven years what may very well be behind it, the Subsequent Gen replace lastly offers the reply. The brand new quest “Within the Shadow of Everlasting Fireplace” opens the gate to the cave system and the thriller that has been hiding there for hundreds of years.
As a reward for our sorcerer”s work, there may be even a small Easter Egg – we get crafting plans for the armour and swords from the Netflix sequence. The armour initially has the look from season 1, however could be upgraded to the season 2 get-up.
How does it play?
The brand new quest matches completely into the already current Witcher quests, however doesn”t notably stand out amongst them. In typical Witcher trend, we’re despatched into the darkish mine by a younger priest of the Everlasting Fireplace to analyze mysterious occasions.
The mine and its enemies are atmospheric and gloomy, the story thrilling and absolutely soundtracked. There are even completely different endings, relying on what I resolve to do in the middle of the hunt. The entire thing will preserve you busy for about half-hour, so by way of effort and scope it”s about midway between a stand-alone quest and an enormous story quest.
“Within the Shadow of Everlasting Fireplace” is a properly staged witchcraft quest for in between, which inserts in splendidly with the exploration of Velen. For that alone, nevertheless, it”s not price returning to the role-playing recreation.
Is The Witcher 3 nonetheless a masterpiece in 2022?
The Witcher 3: Recreation of the 12 months Version needed to wait a complete six years for an improve. Again then there was some extent deduction for annoying “pop-ins” in characters and atmosphere particulars. Now the Subsequent Gen replace makes it potential: We improve and provides the whole version of The Witcher 3 an total score of 94 factors.
Night time assessments of video games whose launch dates again some time at all times current us with a problem: Is the score nonetheless updated in immediately”s occasions and within the context of immediately”s video games? Would we give an analogous score or decrease the rating if we have been to check the sport immediately?
This time, nevertheless, the choice was not that tough for us: The Witcher continues to be an absolute masterpiece in 2022, a pioneer in its style and performs higher than ever earlier than with the Subsequent Gen replace. The novel graphics polish, consolation tweaks and extra settings choices truly handle to shut the hole between 2016 and 2022.
The Witcher 3 nonetheless appears like a contemporary role-playing recreation and doesn”t have to cover from its style colleagues. You all know by now that its content material continues to be among the many greatest that video video games have to supply. And if you happen to don”t, it’s best to positively make the most of the Subsequent Gen replace to lastly immerse your self in Geralt”s improbable universe, expertise the thrilling, poignant and even foolish tales, throw your self into the dynamic battles and easily let off steam within the gigantic recreation world. The Witcher 3 will not be prone to relinquish its role-playing crown any time quickly.
Editor”s Verdict
The Witcher 3 is my absolute consolation recreation. There are few recreation worlds I get pleasure from immersing myself in as a lot as The Witcher”s Slavic-influenced universe. And rattling, am I glad I had saved a complete bunch of quests for myself, as a result of now I can expertise them with the Subsequent Gen replace!
At first, I wasn”t positive if the graphics replace modified something in any respect on my PC. In my reminiscence, The Witcher 3 has at all times regarded so improbable. However a direct comparability clearly reveals that lots has modified. The small print, the textures, the vegetation, the climate and the water look so improbable that I”ll in all probability actually mess around with the photograph mode, which usually doesn”t curiosity me in any respect. Sadly, this was not but out there in our check model.
However even the small (consolation) enhancements make me extremely blissful. Krähenfels lastly will get a wise quick journey level, I’m now much more versatile in battles with the controller, amassing herbs has by no means been so quick and Plötze can now stroll backwards! These are solely small modifications, however they make an enormous distinction to the gameplay. For me, The Witcher 3 continues to be an distinctive recreation, even seven years after its launch, and continues to be probably the greatest the role-playing style has to supply.
