Recent reviews by CloudNineTTV

Review is Spoiler Free:

The Witcher 3 is a fantastic game. Truly one of the best of all time. It manages to tell a gripping story in a video game; a medium notorious for stories that are half baked, and quintessentially cringy. It transported me to a faraway land, where the only time it broke immersion was with people all across this massive continent playing the exact same card game.

The story is the best I’ve ever played in an open world game; and one of the best in any game. Gameplay is a lot of fun and I particularly liked combat once I got into the alchemy mechanics. The graphics at maximum settings are still gorgeous, 5 years after release and will be improved with a remaster accompanying the release of the PS5 and Xbox Series X. Voice acting and music are also very good. That’s not to say that everything is fantastic however, the controls often feel ‘slippery’ and if you mistime your roll after a fall from even a relatively low height, you will die. Some areas force you to walk at a slow pace (a way to bypass this is to punch and then roll) and the games ‘Witcher Senses’ are a waste of time.


I can see what the developers were thinking when they decided to add Witcher Senses, an exciting part of the game that makes you feel like a detective, with heightened senses. In actuality it is really dull. You either just easily follow red dots to the next location or wander aimlessly until you find a specific spot where you can then easily follow the red dots. It adds little to the gameplay, and feels to me like just a massive waste of time. At least these parts are over relatively quickly.
Another secondary aspect of gameplay is Gwent. And unlike the Witcher Senses, Gwent is fantastic. I love playing the Gwent minigame in Witcher 3 as well as collecting all the cards. Gwent is so good, that they have made a game completely around it. Now to the main affair; the combat.
I loved the Witcher 3 combat. The combat feels fluid, and easy to understand while also allowing players to play in different styles using signs, alchemy or swords or various combinations of the three. Each style feels different from the others and all are a lot of fun. On the higher difficulties, the game is challenging, but not punishing. I’ve played the game twice, once on Blood and Broken Bones and on Death March for New Game Plus. Death March is in my opinion the best way to play, as it forces you to use all the mechanics the game has to offer, particularly potions and crafting.

On my initial playthrough, I didn’t touch crafting or alchemy and I was oblivious to how much I had missed. While the idea of collecting potions and materials seems boring, it’s not like that at all. You don’t need to grind to do this and once you have made a potion once, you have it forever. Preparing for a difficult fight, by oiling your sword, imbibing the correct potions for the monster, and consuming helpful decoctions makes you feel like a real Witcher, whose life is on the line in every fight. Add to this the sense of pride and accomplishment you get when you finally craft some grandmaster witcher school gear, and this game is a truly detailed and deep RPG.

The standout feature of the Witcher 3 was the level of polish and care that all four levels of quests (Main, Side, Witcher Contracts and Treasure Hunts) received. Even the treasure hunts-the ‘filler’ content of the game-enhanced the world, rather than detracted from it by a lack of care put into it by the developers. Every quest is unique; all of them have a story to tell. All of them are a lot of fun. It is this detail and care, particularly in the side quests which fleshes out the characters, gives them motivations and emotions, and makes you care about them. The main story, played on its own is only alright, it only becomes amazing once you have also played the side quests.


Dialogue is really well written and voiced well. Doug Cockle does a very good job playing Geralt, as do all the main actors. Music is also very good, Marcin Przybyłowicz is very talented and wrote some of my favourite video game music. Songs I particularly liked are “You’re… Immortal?” “Fields of Ard Skellig” and “The Wolven Storm” but the whole soundtrack is enjoyable, and I’d recommend trying everything.

I want to thank you if you’ve managed to read this much of the review. This is the first time I’ve tried to seriously review a game in depth, and I’m sure that it shows. It might sound like I’m praising the game too much, and that it can’t possibly be this good. I thought that the Witcher 3 was overrated too-before I had actually played it. Now I can’t recommend it enough. The sale on steam (Autumn 2020) has just finished for it but it will undoubtedly be on sale at Christmas. But even at full price you will get your money’s worth. I’m certain that you will have a great time, and it will be one of your all-time favourite games. Make sure to buy the GOTY edition, as the two expansions are fantastic. HOS is essentially a 10-hour linear game with -in my opinion- a better story than the main game. Blood and Wine gives you the massive new area of Toussaint and is like a second game. These two expansions add to an already amazing game and make it one of the best of all time.
10/10

Game could be fantastic, I'll never know though, because the controls are so bad it is literally impossible to play with mouse and keyboard.

Absolutely amazing game, barely encountered any bugs (though I'm aware they were prominent upon release) a must have for anyone who loves RPGs.

A good game from what I've played