Welcome to the Xectoran Homepage!

Story

Picking up after the events of Witcher 2, Geralt of Rivia, who is the game's protagonist, is moving through a war-torn country looking for his adoptive daughter, Ciri. Along the way, the Wild Hunt, a race of otherworldly elves, is pursuing Ciri, and much of the story is moving from country to country following in her footsteps and interacting with people that were affected by her presence. While there is a main storyline, which is far too complex, long, and full of spoilers to lay out in this review, how the story progresses is left up to the player to extraordinary degrees. Along the way, also, there are a plethora of side-quests, many of which can affect the main plot, and there are tons of activities that add to the development of your character. The story is rich and rewarding to play through in every possible way.

Graphics & Performance

This game is a masterful work of art. Everything is intricately designed and rendered with an incredible amount of detail. Simply put, the visuals are striking in a way you're probably not yet experienced. The lighting effects, in particular, are hands down the best I've ever seen. Ever.

The overall visual presentation is absolutely jaw-dropping. Complementing this are the weather effects. The weather systems in the game are the most convincing I've ever seen in digital entertainment. Every branch and blade of grass moves independently with the wind, and the skybox is breathtakingly realistic. Day and night cycles look visually spectacular, and no single facet seems off or poorly represented.

The game's engine is also extremely well-optimized. Granted, the game was designed to focus more on NVIDIA machines, but it runs very well on AMD platforms, and much of the issues can be relieved by downloading AMD's Witcher 3 drivers, available on their Website.

Soundtrack & General Audio Design

The audio design is among the best I've ever experienced. Everything sounds authentic, from the snapping of twigs in the distance, to the pounding of hooves on the ground. This can be further enjoyed when utilizing Geralt's Witcher senses. When using this, much of the audio is muted, and certain ambient sounds are amplified, such as rabbits moving through the brush nearby. This does very well to showcase the sheer quality of the audio effects.

Furthermore, the soundtrack is stunning; utterly and completely moving material. Every song is appropriately placed for maximum effect, and even the most minor and inconsequential fights are accompanied by a rousing piece that will stay with you after the experience. Simply put, the sound effects and music in this game reflect the quality of everything else to craft a final product that is more lifelike and convincing than any other game on the market right now.

The Cast

The cast in this game is massive, and many of the old favorites from the previous games will make an appearance, as well as many, many new additions. Regardless of the quantity, every single character has depth and is fully fleshed-out. Even the minor supporting characters are so strongly presented that I felt some kind of emotional connection to them. The player will really care about these people to some extent. Every choice you make seems to affect somebody, somewhere, and you'll find that all of these interactions between characters make for seemingly endless outcomes. At last count, there are 36 different major character endings that are spelled out for you at the end of the game, and they are all quite dramatic. The network of relationships the pervade the cast and story ties everything together beautifully, and it makes these people feel REAL.

The cast is complemented by written dialog that is in a league of its own. Every line uttered feels authentic, and this is enhanced by absolutely top-shelf voice acting. Altogether, this adds up to make for a cinematic experience that will leave your jaw on the floor.

Features

The quality of the quests make for a massively important part of the game. Despite the sheer number of available side-quests, all of which are expertly voiced and written, each one feels unique and rewarding, and have enough genuine content and story to rival those of the main quest-line. Everything feels worthwhile. And if you feel like taking a break from the story, or you need to do some extra activities to level up for the next step in your adventure, the world is absolutely brimming with activities and lore-friendly material strewn off the beaten path. The Witcher contracts, in particular, are extremely rewarding. These benefit, heavily, the prepared. Preparations can often be elaborate, and may take as much as an hour or more just to have everything you feel you'll need to best the inevitable boss fight at the end of the contract. Bestiary entries are useful, in that they can tell you how best to prepare for said encounters. These preparations can include crafting potions, oils, armor and weapons that are geared specifically to fight that particular creature.

Combat is definitely an improvement on the previous entry of the series. Fighting, overall, is fluid and responsive. Everything connects flawlessly, and it requires a healthy balance of timing, thinking, and preparation. Every encounter matters and has weight to it, and you'll often think twice about certain fights if you're not prepared and you know it. The crafting system, user interface, intentory management - all of it - is crisp, visually pleasing, practical and superbly designed.

Gwent, a deck-building mini game, is something of a major game in its own. It's very well designed, and incredibly addicting. Later in the game, after your decks are showing real growth and you've become a more practiced tactician, Gwent games can suck up hours and hours of your life.

Finally, it must be said that every decision matters. The storyline is almost an example of the butterfly effect: even the tiniest dialog choices can have drastic repercussions far down the line.

Issues

Movement can be a bit awkward, especially in tight corners. Geralt, and his horse Roach, often make goofy turns and bump into everything, but it's something the player will quickly acclimate to, and it's not a game-breaking problem. There are tons and tons of glitches, but many of them are quite funny and they tend to be patched quickly.

Finally, Roach can be mind-bogglingly stupid, particularly when Geralt parks him nearby, or when trying to summon him. He often spawns in inaccessible areas, or gets stuck trying to manage the terrain.

Overall Impressions

This is easily one of the best games I've ever played. There is enough content here that it rivals games like Skyrim and Fallout in terms of things to do, places to explore, and overall replayability. The large areas, combined, make perhaps the largest open-world game available, yet the game's performance does not suffer as a result and the content does not feel stretched or fluffed in order to adequately fill it.

I cannot recommend this game enough, and it's easily worth the full asking price, no question about it. This game has practically limitless replay value, consistent content updates and developer support, and is becoming increasingly popular with the modding community.

Final Score

10/10