The Witcher 3 Game Of The Year Edition - Review

 

Wow, what an epic and fantastic year 2020 was....well it probably was in an alternative universe but here it sucked ass. Everyone has been affected by COVID in some way and even typing the word sends shivers down my spine. Feeling everything creeping in around me I needed a reliable escape and after nearly fives years decided to play Witcher 3 again - this time it was the Game Of The Year Edition with all the downloadable content.

There is nothing better than roast dinner, its reliable, hearty, and - depending on how much you consume - healthy-ish. Over the Christmas period, I had days and days worth of roast dinners. Did I get sick of eating so many of them? Nope. Playing Witcher 3 I found myself was there almost too much game and was it as good as a Christmas roast dinner?

Story

The Witcher series does not do simple when it comes to storytelling - it is filled with politics, revenge, espionage, war, romance and monster slaying. Geralt is a mutant - a skilled fighter with two swords; steel for humans and silver for monsters, on top of that he can perform small amounts of magic referred to as Signs. Witcher 3 sees Geralt trying to find Yennfer his love and Ciri someone who was his ward and like a daughter to him. Things are never simple for Geralt and he will have trade blows politically and physically to get her back. The main storyline is excellent, the side missions are even better. Helping out people who are looking for loved ones, sorting out disputes, helping people get back their land and even some more unusual deeds.

There are two large DLCs for Witcher 3 - Blood and Wine, and Hearts of Stone. The Blood and Wine DLC is set in a brand new area of the game and is clearly inspired by the French with the new area being called Toussant. It is a story filled with wine, lots of it, along with a mysterious assassin, royalty, oh and did I mention, wine. A really solid story that I dare say is better than the main game story itself. Hearts of Stone focuses on a deal with the devil of sorts, partying with a devil, talking cats and dogs and living paintings. The story is many ways in more heart wrenching than any other in the game and is a solid example of CD Projekt Reds commitment to not just phone it in but to really create something new and special.

Overall the main story, side missions and the DLCs are amazing and I would be hard-pressed to think of a game of this size and magnitude that does it better. 

Visuals

For a game that has a few years under its belt, it really looks amazing and being honest it puts a few more recent games to shame. The cities in the game look old and grim and tell a story of downtrodden people, back-alley dealings, and other much darker elements. The villages in some ways are a breath of fresh air, open country farmland, animals and something resembling peace if not a hard life - although still, waters run deep. Where the game shines visuals is the open world, the vast lands, mountains and wooded areas. The enemies, especially the monsters, have a lot of unique designs that make monster-hunting all the better. 

That all being said the Blood and Wine DLC leaves the rest of the visuals in the main game in the dust. They are fantastic, the buildings, artwork, vineyards, animals, it is just breathtaking and once again shows CD Projekt Red going above and beyond to create fantastic content.

Overall the game looks amazing and I would be really curious to see a little upgrade in the visuals to bring it more up to date. I genuinely feel if this happens few other games will be able to stand above it.

Music

The music used in The Witcher 3 including the DLCs is some of the best fantasy music I have heard in a game. The music moves between epic battle music, to folksy melodic music which works really well when roaming the countryside. The music is composed by Marcin Przybylowicz who has worked on Cyberpunk 2021, The Vanishing Of Ethan Carter, and Duke Nukem Critical Mass to name but a few and accompanied by Polish Folk Group Percival.

The complete soundtrack runs around three and a half hours and features some brilliant pieces of music, my favourites being:

• The Trail
• Commanding The Fury
• Silver For Monsters
• 4. Whispers of Oxenfurt
• Cloak and Dagger
• Forged In Fire
• Drink Up, There's More!
• After The Storm
• The Song Of The Sword Dancer
• The Hunt Is Coming
• Back On The Path
• A Story You Won't Believe
• Fanfare and Flower
• For Honor, For Toussaint
• Wine Wars
• On the Champs-Desoles

Overall a magical and powerful soundtrack that I never got tired of and may even feature some of it myself and Noll's wedding in 2021 (we're having a fantasy RPG themed wedding).

Gameplay

When I say there is a lot to do in The Witcher 3 it is an understatement. The world is huge, the story is huge and the gameplay is no different, I will do my best to try and summarize it all.

Fight, fight, fight! Naturally, there is a lot of killing to be done, roll, sword attack, use a sign to set someone on fire, roll again, throw a bomb. That is just a snapshot of what is involved in combat. The system works pretty well and while the lock-on targeting system is not always 100%, it works well the majority of the time. Everything can be upgraded if you have enough coin and materials. There is a levelling up system that is one of the most satisfying I have experience in a long time. The levelling is steady, every time you level up and upgrade an ability you genuinely feel more powerful and is extremely rewarding.

Need a break from the main story? No problem. There many people who need your help and are willing to pay for it; some are simple, while others take time and patience. There are treasure hunts, quests for new witcher gear, and of course witcher contracts so take down troublesome monsters terrorizing the locals and threatening their livelihoods.

Sick of swords? Like boxing? Got you covered. There are opponents big and small waiting to be defeated to you can be crowned champion -  lots of fun and a great way to make coin. Horse racing is another great past time as long as you have the right upgrades for your horse. One of my favourite card games of all time is in this game - Gwent. It's not only about playing the game but also battling to win cards and then getting others from merchants, tavern owners and some unexpected people. It is so much fun and has such a following a stand-alone game was created from it.

Overall the gameplay is really good bar a few glitches, there is so much to do and none of it ever seems to be boring or a waste of time and the DLC adds even more including a home for Geralt and his trusty steed Roach to stay in.

Final Thoughts

So after a hundred plus hours (this time), how did I feel? Excellent and like I could easily play more, I'm even considering starting the plus game already. The story is so in-depth and enthralling, the visuals are in places boarding on the masterful, the music is impactful and helps to create a more organic world, the gameplay is like the Christmas dinner you can't finish as your heart might shut down but you keep going anyway. After careful consideration, this one gets a solid 5 out of 5

This War Of Mine - Review

At the end of last year, Steam was offering a great deal.  Basically, you buy Frostpunk (a masterpiece in my mind) and This War Of Mine.  Eagerly I bought them, played Frostpunk and forgot about This War of Mine, until recently.  Being on top of most games I wanted to play that been released this year I decided to give it a go.


Salmon Wellington.  For those who have not tried let me give you a breakdown, it a massive piece of salmon covered in usually a dill or prawn sauce, all wrapped up in pastry.  It is a mammoth eat, and leaving the table there is no way you still be hungry.  I usually share one between two of us and finish feeling like I have fought a battle and won, barely.  Well, why don't you buy salmon parcels, same thing but smaller and you won't feel that way?  That's good advice and is exactly what I now do.  Playing This War of Mine, I found asked was this too much for me to swallow and was I left satisfied?

Story


This War of Mine is set in the fictional city of Pogoren in Graznavia.  A war has broken out between the government and the rebels.  Outside of this, there is no back story so you never know who are the good guys and who are the bad guys, in honesty though wars are never that black and white.  Exploring the locations around you and listening to the radio gives you a small insight into the world that was and now is.


The game is short on story, but in many ways that is not important.  The game is about survival and very quickly you realise that nothing else matters.

Visuals


The visuals are incredible and each scene looks like images from a sketchbook.   This along with many other elements make the game feel very haunting and are a constant reminder of how bleak things are in Graznavia.  Even during the day when sunlight pierces through parts of the house it still feels dark.  The house you and other survivors call home is beaten up and is barely a shell of a house, most of the places around you are in a similar state.

The game has a 2D style and has you looking at cross-sections of buildings similar to dolls houses.  This works well for the most part but on occasion can be difficult to tell if you can walk forward or have to find another route.

The visuals are impressive if not other reason that the emotions it stirs inside you,  it isn't about winning or losing, it's about surviving and 11-Bit Studios the creators are very good at instilling this point.


Music


Easily my favorite video game soundtrack from last year was Frostpunk composed by Piotr Musial.  He also created the score for This War Of Mine, Witcher 3 and Anomaly Warzone 3. The soundtrack is downbeat and offers little hope, of course, this all helps in making the world you are in seem more desperate.


The soundtrack comes in a little under an hour, my favorites tracks were; 'This War Of Mine', 'Still Alive Inside', 'No Good Choice', and 'We Keep Going'.


Overall it well put together soundtrack and is a perfect example of how a well-written soundtrack can really help set the tone and mood of a game.

Gameplay


This War of Mine is a pure survival game and it never lets you forget it.  From day one you and your group of survivor need to spend time raiding the house and building items before nightfall.  One night comes you will have options to scavenge.  This is where things can get tough. You need to ensure someone is on guard in the house, anyone sick should be asleep and where ever you visit you need to ensure the pay off is worth it.  Especially in the early part of the game, there will be a number of low-risk places to visit, as you move on this will change.  If a character gets wounded during scavenging or gets killed it can massively effect if your group will survive or not.  There will a lot of trial and error and even then you will often be left wondering will you survive?


Scavenging is essential in the game, you will need it to upgrade your house, keep everyone fed and healthy along with making sure everyone is armed and can defend your home.  I found the game could be unfair at times, even with bulletproof vests and guns some character would get severely wounded.   The game also doesn't seem to like if you are doing well, characters can go from perfect to exhausted in a night even if they are well rested and there is no drama in the house.  Equally, if things are tough it likes to pile it on, for example, one person had died and one was quite ill but was getting better.  I go out scavenging, I come back and damn Anton started fighting with the other guy in the house, two days later they were dead.


Peoples mood have great importance in the game so having someone who can boost morale is great.  Build a guitar, radio, make sure defenses are good and if someone like coffee or cigarettes makes sure you have them.

The game offers you the options to kill people, some are fairly innocent and others are far from it.  This can affect the group's morale but sometimes there is no choice if you want to survive.  Luckily people will come to you for help and this seems to help in balancing this out


When it comes to survival games I kind of have a love-hate relationship.  I really enjoy games like The Flame In The Flood and Frostpunk, they offer a challenge and while they can come close to toeing the line of wanting to pull your hair out it stops just shy of it.  There are others like The Long Dark and This War of Mine which continually beat you down, pushes you over the line and makes you pull your hair out.  This is likely a reason why I am almost completely bald (that and a number one razor blade).  While some people may like this level of torture, in the end, it wasn't for me.





Final Thoughts

So, after thirty hours how did I feel?  Happy, really happy.  The war finally ended and I survived (well Cveta did).  The story was lacking but it wasn't wholly necessary for there to be more.  The visuals and music were close to perfect and helped in creating the war-torn world.  The gameplay was often grueling and sometimes felt you unnecessarily hard and I certainly felt like I was suffering from my group at times.  I found it hard to best describe the game lucky enough my partner in crime Nolls did, 'it's like The Sims, but depressing and set in war-time'.  The game was pretty solid as a whole, this one gets 3 out of 5