'If it bleeds, you can kill it - Geralt Of Rivia'
Of the many adventures a gamer such as myself goes through there comes a time when a game is so grand in it's making, so rich with content, so complete in telling a story that you wish you could very well be a part of it. CD Projekt Red have crafted a masterpiece, 3 years in the making. And my god Witcher 3 delivers.
For all the first timers like myself to the world of the witcher, this game does enough justice by helping us settle into the game, giving us an idea of where the story is set to go and who all these characters are. To me this is quite very important being a PlayStation fan all my life never have I had the opportunity to play the previous games.
When you set out to play an RPG you usually expect the story to be engaging , your choices to matter and the side quests to be plentiful. Well here every single quest be it a side quest or the story itself is treated with so much importance you begin to wonder if this is how all RPG's must be. Not just the in depth story for the quests but the variety of monsters we face, the different challenges we encounter and the overall satisfaction of completing one is something that is so very new to me. How many ever monsters I slay there is always another stronger foe to face, better gear to equip and interesting lore to find. Skyrim is possibly the only game which could come close to the vast open world constructed for us. Witcher 3 out performs every single RPG out there in terms of the sheer size of the game.
Back to the story you are Geralt Of Rivia, a witch hunter set out to find your step daughter Cirilla as she escapes the Wild hunt. That forms the crux of the entire story but the amazing plot twists, decisions we are forced to take and the characters we meet all make such a memorable experience for the player. Every character we meet has something to offer us and nothing is ever wasted.
Romances galore, I mean literally never had so much fun at romancing such well built characters. From Yennifer to Triss Marigold and everyone inbetween I certainly hand my hands full :D :P .
Next stop combat, though repetitive at times, the different foes we face keeps us engaged, weapons are bountiful, we have an array of options and all of it is amazing. Crafting your own gear and reparing it well it sure is fun to take care of yourself in game. Monster hunting has never been this fun, the variety and creativity used in making all these monsters shows the amount of hardwork put in by the development team, kudos for that.
While the story is vast and you will easily lose about 80 to 90 hours in the game, the true success of the witcher 3 lies in the story telling and the environment. Weather mechanism is simply top notch this my friends is a living breathing world full of secrets for us to uncover. As the end credits roll so many emotions ran through me, geralt might be rid of emotions but I had experienced all of it thanks to him.For creating the most powerful female character to ever exist a special shout out to CD Projekt Red, am gonna name my first born girl Cirilla ^_^
Fast Forward a year now two of the most sought after DLC's have been released. If there is anything at all other gaming companies need to learn from CD Projekt Red it is how big, bold and beautiful their DLC's need to be. I mean paying money for extended content is one thing, giving us the content of almost a new game is a totally different thing. Thank you for being a gem among the rest. I having played both of them feel compelled to complete my review as I bid goodbye to one the greats in the RPG franchise ^_^
Hearts Of Stone
Well we are right back in action in fact Geralt Of Rivia is rather facing a really bizzare circumstance. Remeber Shani a girl whom is quite familiar with those who played the first 2 witchers well, geralt happens to come by a contract which makes him cross path with her. In an attempt to help her geralt is caught in a serious problem and just before facing trial is saved by a seemingly old friend, then and only then does all hell break loose.Geralt is branded a mark to show his gratitude, he is forced to play a wicked game which involves him fullfing 3 wishes for a certain someone.
The intricacies with which each quest is built and the sheer brilliance in making them work is what makes Hearts Of Stone such a pleasure to play. The foe geralt faces is the most dangerous, cruel and non merciful thing to ever exist. To come out of the story unscathed is a triumph in itself. Exotic weapons and soulful side quests make this DLC a true charm to play.
Romance is a one timere here with Shani being there for a fligh , a romantic one at that but nevertheless a flig. (P.S> : It doesn't affect yennefer or Triss Romance, have fun :D :P ) Without divulging any more to keep it spoiler free I would love to say that Hearts Of Stone is a testement to how twisted and dark the world of Witcher actually is. If you dare to go beyond then and only then shall you survive.
Blood And Wine
Well all good things must come to an end. All great stories must have a conclusion. Every hero has to one day lay down his arms and find a place in this world. A place to enjoy the rest of his life. Geralt is called to such a place,Toussaint. But before he can actually earn his well deserved rest there lies a matter of grave importance. The city is under attack and the killer has claimed 3 victims sending terror across the streets. Anna Henrietta summons the witcher to deal with the problems and bring back peace to her city once more. Before I go on to talk anything about the game itself, let me take a few moments to say how beautiful Toussiant really is.
I mean the people at CD Project Red are men and women of fine taste. To give us a city so beautiful, that it actually feels right out of a fairy tale is simply mesmerizing. Unlike the men of the north this city is at the peak of it's civilization. culture and trade florish and the people here take no crap. To them our manners fail in comparison. Geralt is simply a thug, his customs alien and his way of dealing with things totally uncivilized. Well what can I say I always get the job done. The city, it's outskirts the weather and everything related to Toussiant is simply gorgeous. If I ever wanted to lay eyes on a peacock well am in luck cause they dance to the rain here. One of the many fantasies of this land. The exotic animals, monsters and beasts, yup they are three different things are truly a sight to behold.
Getting back to the story at hand Geralt is tasked with investigating a series of murders and long before he is drawn into a serious twisted story of blood and wine, literally. Remember Regis the friendly vampire who helped us save Ciri well he makes plays a major part in the story. As you uncover the horror behind the murders you begin to understand how everyone including yourself are merely pawns to the grand game. Nothing happens for a reason and no amount of justification can make this right. Well am gonna stop there, lest I say more to spoil it all (P.S: That Dark Souls reference though ^_^ https://twitter.com/vigneshk1706/status/739965772819095552 ), back to the gameplay itself, it has received a significant boost thanks to the addition of mutagens. Those tiny things pack quite a punch and give you access to several crazy and super powerful abilities only remember to have a lot of attribute points left for these require a whole bunch of them.
Exotic weapons and armor galore, literally 5 different pieces of Master Crafted armor available along with several insanely powerful silver and steel swords. It's celebration time at Toussiant and a grand tourney is taking place and we get to participate in it ( Yay, all my Greek mythological dreams finally came true ^_^ ) from dueling to horse racing, it truly is a fight to the very end. Immensely loved the time I spent there. The side quests are some of the most astute awesome and outright bizzare quests I have ever had the pleasure to play with. At times like these I feel the only way I would ever get to experience such things is through a game. I am eternally grateful. Toussiant's fashion statements are cheesy and witty but bright colors and charming women more than make up for it. It is every man's dream to visit such a place thanks to geralt I got to visit it.
As I finally lay down my controller after completing the game I understood that this is perhaps Geralt's final adventure and he truly received the send off he deserved, a well deserved rest and time of his life with his girl by his side ^_^
Hearts Of Stone
Blood And Wine
Final Verdict : Geralt OF Rivia has given a high bar to every other RPG out there, make way for the witcher, make way for the king of Next gen. CD Projekt Red, my holidays were so much fun thanks to you. 10/10 you guys keep rocking, forever a fan ^_^
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