Recent reviews by SŦĐ Kaas

This game somewhat surprised me with its quality, I had just completed the Witcher 3 and I got interested in trying out the older games to see if they withstood the test of time. This game definitely feels a bit dated at times, but overall it is quite an experience. I am currently trying to complete the 100% like I did with TW3 and have been enjoying myself so far. It is quite a bit shorter in terms of how long it takes to complete the story compared to TW3 but that is not necessarily a bad thing. The combat in this game is definitely different from TW3 and TW1 and feels a bit souls-like if I had to describe it somewhat, I am currently on an Insane-difficulty (hard-difficulty + permadeath) playthrough which is required for an achievement and the amount of dodges you do is somewhat akin to what I remember from some souls-likes. On the topic of this insane-diff. playthrough, there are definitely some bugs in this game that have been somewhat infuriating at times... I have been insta-killed a few times so far with no way to prevent these deaths and I can only pray that it doesn't occur this playthrough. Besides that though, I actually like the combat a lot. I feel like the difficulty level is somewhat above that of TW3 which I appreciate a lot. Combat can actually be quite challenging at times and you are not as OP as you can become in TW3. The movement in this game is one of my biggest peeves though, jumping isn't a thing in this game and you can't drop off of ledges freely. This makes navigating the map somewhat annoying, especially when you take away the comfort of a minimap that shows you the path to waypoints for example.

All in all, somewhat dated game in terms of certain mechanics with some bugs you will encounter over-time. Quite a bit shorter than TW3 and can reasonably be completed in ~40hours or less, somewhat challenging at times and some cool and unique mechanics, although those are subjective in terms of enjoyability. Exploriation isn't as big of a factor due to the smaller map-sizes and the more linear story progression, great story overall and definitely recommended to playthrough the game atleast once for the more dedicated Witcher-fans. This game offers tons of background info that will make your playthroughs of TW3 that much more enjoyable, TW2 does this well enough that its a fun experience and not as divisive of an experience as you will get when trying TW1 which is far more dated-feeling.

8.5/10 if you dont consider the poorly-aged mechanics/features, 7.5 if you do consider them imo. Definitely worth playing through, especially for fans of the Witcher / people looking to play TW3 afterwards.

This DLC is well worth the cost, and imo one of the best DLCs ever. The content it adds is mostly story-based, but the enchanting mechanic is extremely useful in gameplay and definitely adds a new aspect to the way you can customize your builds. This DLC has what is in my opinion the most impressive storyline out of the entire game and the characters it showcases have some very exciting lore as well as ambiguous morals/backgrounds which make it quite easy to get lost in the theories about them, especially Gaunter. He is probably the most interesting character in the entire game, but at the same time the most mysterious.

Imo this DLC is great, but if you had to pick just one of the DLCs to buy, id recommend the Blood and Wine DLC first due to how much new content it adds. The quality of the content in Hearts of Stone is imo better, but the amount of it is far lower and will have less impact on the gameplay at large, while the Blood and Wine DLC adds a very well-developed new area to explore, with tons of new quests, characters, new gameplay mechanics (your own house, mutations, grandmaster witcher gear, and more.). But if you can afford both, buy both. Both DLCs are simply incredible and masterclasses on how your DLCs should be for any other game studio to look up to (although they usually stray far from this quality....).

"One must imagine Sisyphus happy" is probably the best description of describing this game, you are Sisyphus in this metaphor, and yes, you are happy (usually...). The game is genuinely addicting to play, and has a seemingly simple gameplay loop, appearances can be deceiving however. Just look at the wiki and check how in-depth it truly is. It goes without saying that you will be able to sink hundreds, even thousands of hours in to this game and be happy with your slow and steady progression towards 100% completion. Mods make that task considerably easier, but even though I used quite a few mods over the years, I still needed 600+ hours of pretty much active gameplay to complete the game to my satisfaction. Keep in mind, this would usually take far longer, especially if you play it like it probably should be played, an idle game you check in on every few hours or so instead of actively micromanaging it like I did. I enjoyed the micromanaging far better though... guess that is subjective though, anyways. Yes good game, simple if you want it to be, but in-depth mechanics with complex math, charts, strategies, etc. for anyone who seeks to explore those areas of the game.

TL:DR; Yea its pretty good if you like completionism in games (100% completion) and this game has probably the most interesting path to completing it out of any idler i've heard about.

The Witcher 3 has been out for >10years at this point but it has aged like fine wine. The graphics are simply stunning if you have the hardware capable of running the game at its highest settings, but even at lower settings the game remains beautiful. At times I've just been taken aback at the beauty of the game, I have never cared much about graphics, but this game has nonetheless made me value its beauty which truly gets you immersed.

Speaking of immersion, this is perhaps the games' most important quality as it pertains to user-experience. No other game has made me genuinely care for the stories being told and played through as this game has. The open world of this game is simply beautiful as well, and the details you can discover by exploring are simply astonishing. If you are playing this game and not exploring, you are doing it wrong in my opinion since you will be missing out on so many interesting locations, people you meet, and perhaps the most tangible, loot. At the point of writing I am only on my 2nd playthrough of the game, even though the main storyline is quite easily completed within <50h if you so wish if I had to make an educated guess, however the side quests, open world exploration, witcher contracts, item crafting/progression, are all interesting and well-developed so even with 500+ hours in the game, I have seen far from everything and continue to be amazed at what I discover.

The combat of this game is quite good, some aspects of it could be improved upon though. In my opinion this game is quite easy and is best enjoyed at its highest difficulty setting and with the setting "Enemy Upscaling" turned on, at least if you are someone that likes a challenge. Although even on Death March (the highest difficulty) you are rarely truly challenged. I don't think there has been a single boss that I have had to re-do more than 5 times, perhaps with 1 exception in the DLC, namely Dettlaff in Blood and Wine. This fight has some difficult timings, although if you are privy to the information of how the boss works, this fight is quite easy.

Some animations have "interesting" hitboxes/timings, although generally this game has quite few of these issues. The underwater combat is subpar when comparing it to the other aspects of this game, the crossbow in general is just a bit lack-luster and sees little use outside of fights against certain monster-types or when underwater. I would have liked to see this specific mechanic explored a little more indepth, but it works fine nonetheless.

This game has quite good replayability through New Game +. I recommend anyone to try this feature out when you get to that point and to see what different choices will lead to in the story. The DLCs of the game are perhaps the best DLCs out of any I know of, both are rich in story, and the Blood and Wine DLC adds a beautiful and vibrant new area to explore. Toussaint is perhaps the most beautiful game-location ive ever been able to experience, and if you have the means to purchase them, do so. The DLCs have an insanely high value to cost ratio and do not dissapoint.

In my opinion, Hearts of Stone has the most interesting singular character in the entire game alongside perhaps the most interesting storyline throughout the game, although that is quite subjective. The Blood and Wine DLC gives you so much new content that id call it a must-have to be honest, once again, if you have the means to do so, get the DLC but especially Blood and Wine.

All in all, this game is borderline perfect in my opinion. It has some small issues, but overall this game does it all perfectly, the developers have made it quite clear that they are one of the most capable development studios out there and have produced plenty of just as impressive titles over the years. The choices you make play an important role, and will affect things you may not even realise at first, or ever. The immersion is simply outstanding and the game has had a huge impact on my life (aswell as made most other games seems boring in comparison...). 10/10 game, and one you should experience for yourselves.