THE GOOD The story is superb. cutscenes are amazing Combat is smooth, though often too easy because you can dodge anything anytime. THE BAD After deciding for a completely new approach to exploration, The Witcher 3 became an Open-world exploration game, differently from the 2 predecessors. In previous Witcher games, as well as other RPG's like Dragon Age, quests followed a certain formula. There were quests showing you on the map exactly where you have to go and there were quests which invited you to be a bit more inquisitive. The way you accquired quests could depend on your own curiosity often times. In the Witcher 3, however, you DO NOT have this second kind of quest. EVERY SINGLE QUEST is shown on the map. Even when Geralt is not supposed to know the excact location of someone, there it is: a big yellow mark showing exactly which house you have to go to. Any quest instrucion is completely unecessary. You don't need to worry about witcher investigation either because the game does it for you, with big red markings on where you have to click. But wait, the game still offers you lots of opportunity to discover interesting places, the map is big and you'll get to explore all that, right? NO. Any undiscovered point of interest is already marked on your map. Put that together with the fact that TW3 has hundreds of side quests, and you just got yourself a tiresome, boring job of running from point of interest to point of interest, going from one big yellow mark on the map to another, until someone gives you some reaward. To sum up this game doesn't want you to read anything quest-related, it doesn't want you to be curious. RPGwise, this game is definitely a step back, after so many interesting improvements in other RPG's, Witcher 1 and Witcher 2 included.
I've tested this game in another plataform and then asked for a refund. I'm not sure yet if it is all that I'm expecting. This game should have customizable Party AI menu. I think that is a basic thing for the game to be enjoyable in the long run. Other than that, It should have better explanations on the effects and have more Special classes, too. Finally, the game should be better balanced. Ideally, Following the 5e of DnD.
After enjoying TW2 and hearing lots of good things about this game I have to say my expectations were HIGH. -> Voices and cutscenes: 4.5/5 They're Really good. Only Ciri's voice is too loud and dissonant. -> The plot: 5/5. It's awesome and keeps true to the gloomy atmosphere of the series. -> Visuals: 5/5. Beautiful and immersive. -> Soundtrack: 4/5. It isn't bad but could be less repetitive. I almost like the W2 better. -> Use of potions and oils: 2/5. It's way too arcady if compared to the previous titles. It actually disappointed me how simplified it's been made in this game. Not fun. -> Combat mechanics: 2/5. Well... Zelda Ocarina of time from 2003 is better. It is, again, too arcady, letting you spawn as many dodges and rolls as you want, making you unhittable, even if the enemy hits you during the dodge. Finally, geralt's attack animations are anything but fluid. They're clunky, and he jumps TOO MUCH. -> Progression: 1/5 Truly horrible. At one point in game you're wielding a sword which deals 20-40ish damage. A few leves later you have a sword that delas 180-233ish damage. Making some lower level enemies impossible to die to. Plus, Geralt suffers a handicap against higher lvl enemies (apart from the normal powder difference), as if the game was telling you that you're not allowed to fight them yet. Is this aspect, TW1 was better than TW2, and TW3 is the worst of all three by far. The witcher 3 enhanced edition: Fortunately, I've learned about a mod called W3 Enhanced Edition, which honesly looks and feels like what the original game should be in the first place. Because of this mod, and a few small others, I'm enjoying the W3 like I think I should.
I haven't purchased the game yet, but it seems marvelous. The mechanics/playability seem marvelous and the atmosphere, a rare piece of art. I just hope the soudtrack is as good. Eager to play it
