Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales

As stated. Sorry but that's not fun. They have better cards, more of them, etc. Long are gone the times from Witcher where after a while there was no one to match me in Gwent. Thronebreaker is an elaborate, tedious work where you have to adjust your deck all the time. Maybe for some people that works but after a long day at work I just want to have some fun and not this. Other than that it's a well-crafted game with good story and amazing music.

This game is a masterpiece, both narratively and functionally. They managed to blend RPG elements (consistent ones, not just as a gimmick; the web of possible paths you can take is quite large, many decisions actually count) with a fun Gwent-inspired CCG. I say Gwent-inspired because as I am writing this review actual Gwent is very different from what can be found here. This is not a bad thing, since in this way Thronebreaker serves as a window into how Gwent use to be. At times, I found that there are too many standard battles and too few puzzles, but at times I felt the opposite so, in the end, I think that they managed to achieve a very healthy balance of the two. I will say nothing about the story, voice acting, and art of this game, other than that if you are a fan of the Witcher universe and you skip this title, then you are missing out, are not a true fan and I hate you (well, okay, ignore the last part). This game is excellent for any fan of the fantasy genre, and I think is a great example of how a story can be told through the medium of videogames. I cannot give it five stars, sadly, because even in 2020, it still has game-breaking bugs. I'm not sure if bugs is the right word, but what I experienced were repeated (and unexpected) freezes. I did everything I found online and in the end a combination of running the .exe as an admin (not through the Galaxy app) and whitelisting the game for my antivirus managed to get me through the final battle. It was not the only instance of these freezes and I can say it diminished considerably the fun I had with the game in the last week before I finished it. Now, if a patch were to be issued that would solve these problems, then this game would be a solid five-star game. It is definitely worth the money

A big motivation for getting this game is the Golden Chest which unlocks features and cards in Gwent. What you are not told is that these chests are missable, and that if you do miss them on your first play-through, for eample because you decide to play blind without a guide to get the most of the story, then you are up a certain brown creek without a proverbial paddle. The only choice left is to start again. Whoever decided that was a great idea is an idiot. The story is a drag, the maps are big and the walking slow. I can't recommend this game to anyway.

Easy cash in, good enough to captivate for some hours of easy fun. Unfortunately, it seems as if nobody tested the game to see if the balance is fair.

I was travelling during my first playthrough using a cheap Chinese laptop with integrated graphics and the game just blew me away. Top-notch voice acting, really innovative gameplay and an engrossing story make this one of my favorite experiences. I loved Gwent and this game just broadens its appeal. Once I got home, I replayed on a modern gaming PC and the graphics, which were incredible on the cheap PC, really came to life. The game is an incredible value and rewarding experience. Highly recommended.