Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales

I did every puzzle and sidequest I encountered and completion took me on max difficulty about 50 hours. It is remarkable how much work went into this title which is rather cheap considering its content. I found that there is pleasantly much deck building opportunities and content. (But I am a gwent amateur). I soon found a combination that would work wonders and started stomping through enemy lines ... but found out in the middle and late game that I had to rebuild my deck twice completely to overcome certain enemies. Inbetween there is lots of fine tuning and not only the standard battles will rattle your brains, but tons of puzzles that use entirely unique cards and mechanics that shall keep you entertained. The story told is intriguing and gives interesting (and oh so satisfying!) moral choices. I never left with the feeling that all options and outcomes were something that I did not want. They fit to my playstile. If you liked Gwent in the Witcher series, but do not care for multiplayer, this is a sure buy. If you do like the multiplayer, then consider that this game uses cards and mechanics differently, but it offers lots of treasures (cards and goodies) to be found which will be added to your Gwent account if you own one or wish to start one after you played Thronebreaker. The artwork and voice acting are also marvellous. If you like the witcher world and are a strategist, there is no way you could go wrong with this one.

I love the world of the Witcher, I love the petty politicial maneuverings in it, I love card games, I loved Gwent in Witcher 3, so this game seemed like a no brainer for me. Sadly, I find the first few hours where you are travelling through some backwater region to deal with some band of bandits so utterly boring that I'm not sure if I can go on and enjoy the rest of the game. Obviously not everyone shares my experience, but I felt zero investment in the world, story, characters or their goals and when nothing seemed to change within hours I just lost my drive to move forward, and I think that's a pretty big detriment for any title. That said, I would imgaine this initial section can't go on for much longer as I did clear most of the map: Maybe one day I will progress forward and modify my review based on the full experience of the game.

The five-star mark might be a wee bit misleading - the game ain't perfect nor the best. That said, playing it was pretty cool (some 40 hours to finish the main plot)! If you were keen on playing Gwent in Witcher 3, Thronebreaker has your back - although these are two different-ish card games (yet akin). The one from Thronebreaker is more or less a copy of the online Gwent, which I didn't like. However, Thronebreaker is worth the shot, as it has added value. The main feature, playing the cards (the longer and shorter battles, plus the puzzles, some of which were mind-boiling), is addicting! It is like, e.g., the Total War games - the 'one more round/game' effect kicks in repeatedly. The plot is well-written, giving additional stimuli to shuffle cards. This isn't your standard, cookie-cutter fantasy world. The atmosphere is saturated with different shades of moral grey (no, not this Grey!); choices carry their fair share of evil weight (though there are also some positive outcomes depending on how you treat your party members). The protagonist, queen Meve, is a lady of strong character, and playing a woman's woman was very rewarding (yep, this comes from a man). Other characters are equally well-developed. The graphics are pretty distinct - simplified 3D for map movements and complete art extravaganza while playing the cards. Comic book plot stories - included! Computer slowdowns during board battles as well - puzzling... All in all, a good game! PS. The Thronebreaker's Lead Writer, Jakub Szamałek, wrote a stunning trilogy with all sorts of cyber issues at the plot's core. Worth checking it out!

Thronebreaker teaches the basics of Gwent for any new player. Thronebreaker uses various unique rulesets often and has its own default modified ruleset in relation to Gwent. These modified rules create a very interesting moment to moment gameplay dynamic. Bosses & Puzzles take the highlight. Bosses tend to be completely over the top which require thinking of a new strategy within the pool of available cards. Even after identifing a winning strategy some bosses can still win if you've misplayed or make it extremely close. Puzzles tend to have alternate win conditions and rules. There's several and near every one is expertly done. For what it executes, being a single player RPG with Gwent as the mechanical focal point, there's no comparison between this and other single player games tied to card games.

Great in the car. I have this on my computer and ipad. Not sure why it doesn't get talked about more. I'm obsessed with Gwent. I bought the real cards too so there.