The Witcher 3 is an open world masterpiece. You will find yourself wading through swamps and climbing great mountains. On your adventure you come across many foes, man and beast alike. Witchers are equipped with 2 swords a steel sword and a silver sword. One for men and beasts, and the other for monsters. Throughout the game you will be continuously using various items from potions that give you health, to oils that increase your swords deadly abilities against different opponents. You also have an arsenal of various bombs and a crossbow that are very useful in combat.
Witchers are also able to use signs. These are 5 different abilities that include Yrden(Traps enemies), Quen(a protective shield), Axii(Mind control), Igni (Blast of flames), and Aard(A telekinetic blast). These signs are extremely useful in combat, and effect each enemy differently so you have to make sure and do your homework and look into what certain enemies are weak against before diving into combat.
The map is huge and you will find yourself traveling throughout the vast land, but you are not alone. You have your horse, Roach, with you throughout your journey. I did however have issues with Roach. He can be difficult to control and very glitchy, especially around gates (They won't open when on horseback). There are also fast travel locations throughout the world that are unlocked upon your first arrival to them.
The combat takes some getting used to and has a slight learning curve, but once you get used to it, combat is a lot simpler.
There are so many main quests, side quests and Witcher contracts in this game that it can keep you ocupied for days, or even weeks at a time.
There is also gwent, an in game card game that can become extremely addicting and very entertaining.
The graphics are awesome and very detailed given the size of this game. With the huge map the different lands have their own feel, and characters are very distinguishable.
The audio is spot on and very immersive, however I continuously experienced stuttering audio throughout gameplay. This was not just isolated. It happens randomly throughout the game from start to finish(For me anyway). These audio issues could get very annoying when it was happening constantly in one game session.
In the Witcher series, you play as Geralt of Rivia, a Witcher. Witchers are monster slayers with many mutations that make them dangerous and deadly hunters. Throughout The Witcher 3 you find yourself traveling through many lands in search of Ciri, Geralts "daughter". You must find her before the wild hunt does. If they do it will only mean death and chaos. She is the key to a sinister plan put on by the wild hunt. Geralt must get to her first.
The Witcher 3 is an astonishing game that is so close to deserving a perfect score, but with all the in game issues I came across I can't give it to it. Let Me list the issues: Can't get through a gate on horseback, Constant audio stuttering, Your horse not following the trail it should be, stuck running in place when you run into something(on foot and horseback), I even ended up sky diving once when I left the helm of a boat. I was going to get off the boat and ended up in the sky, falling toward the ocean... but only to land in the boat to my death. And these are just a few that came to mind.
With that being said, these feel like minor dings that are outweighed by the depth of this game. In the end I didn't mind all these issues, because it is such a great, fun game.
-Miguel
9.5/10
