RPGs today have exceeded almost every expectation for the genre. Over time, stories and plots have improved, and various mechanics have been tweaked and tuned to perfection. This beautiful combination results in superb immersion and enjoyment.
An open-world RPG series that has evolved in this direction over the years is the Witcher series. With its latest entry, the third game, it has reached new heights and set the bar for future RPGs—one that will be tough to beat.
The fast-paced, gripping story
The Witcher series originally began as a book series by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski and was later adapted into games by CD Projekt Red. Before long, a TV series would also arrive. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt even won Game of the Year in 2015.
But what kind of world are we stepping into? What should we expect? The Witcher series is known for having one of the most interesting worlds in the fantasy genre (dark fantasy). The universe blends classic Dungeons & Dragons themes with the brutal realities of the Middle Ages. Much like Game of Thrones, not just anyone has special powers or can use magic, and those who can often have to adapt to this dark, grim world in chaos.
You play as Geralt of Rivia, a renowned witcher known for his courage, cunning, and skills. A witcher is essentially a monster hunter who dedicates his life to selling his services to people with dangerous creature problems—provided they can pay.
What makes a witcher special is both their upbringing and biology. Witchers are usually orphans taken in by the witcher order. They are then genetically mutated to improve their senses and combat abilities. For example, they gain cat-like eyes that let them perceive things normal people cannot.
One day, Geralt senses that Ciri, a young witcher with whom he shares a father–daughter bond, is in danger. She is being hunted by the “Wild Hunt,” a mysterious faction of powerful beings whose purpose is unclear at the start of the game.
Geralt begins searching for Ciri after she disappeared without a trace years earlier. As Geralt follows in her footsteps, you, the player, get to explore many fascinating regions such as Velen, Oxenfurt, White Orchard, and more. Each area has its own distinct character, but they all contain clues to Ciri’s whereabouts and a populace suffering due to war, political strife, and monsters.
The game’s story is expanded through a wide range of DLC you can purchase as supplements to the base game. These include Blood and Wine, Hearts of Stone, and many more.
The Witcher 3’s fantastic gameplay
The Witcher 3 is one of those RPGs that lets you play almost exactly how you want. As is typical for RPGs, the progression system is based on levels and skill points you can use to change how you play and what Geralt can do.
Each level you gain awards a skill point you can place in different trees, each affecting different aspects of the game.
For example, a witcher is also a skilled alchemist and can brew potions that provide a vital edge in dangerous situations. But to craft the best potions, you’ll also need to invest skill points in the Alchemy tree.
If you prefer running around with your weapons dealing exceptional damage, you can focus on the Combat tree, which lets you perform special, effective attack combinations and improves your regular attacks.
Beyond these two, there are several other trees where you can spend points to improve more practical aspects during your playthrough.
A witcher can also perform limited magic through what are called “signs.” There are several of them, making combat easier and often essential when fighting a powerful monster. There’s a skill tree for signs as well.
To gain levels—and thus skill points—you must venture into the world to complete main quests and side quests. Main quests bring you closer to Ciri as you progress and are part of the core story needed to finish the game. Side quests focus more on local situations. For example, a grieving woman may not have seen her husband for days. You can choose to help find him, but typically something has gone terribly wrong. Through side quests, you can obtain armor, money, and other useful items for your adventures.
Beyond main and side quests, there are also “Points of Interest” on the map. These are places that may hide treasure or enemies you can defeat for rewards while learning more about the area’s history and condition.
A game for those happy to spend weeks completing it
The Witcher 3 is, in many ways, like The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim when it comes to how much time you can spend before you’ve seen and done everything. Some would even say it’s impossible. You can easily spend 100 hours or more and only be about halfway through.
Once you’ve finished the main story, there are of course all the DLCs to play through. That’s a few extra days. And then what?
Because there are so many ways to play The Witcher 3 (with different character builds you can create and dialogue choices that change the story), it has tremendous replay value. It wouldn’t be surprising if you wanted to play again just to see how a magic-focused Geralt compares to a pure melee build.
If you have lots of free time or a good vacation to burn, this is the game for you.
A unique, dark fantasy world
At times, it’s hard to separate the Witcher series from the horror genre. In many ways, the game is designed to be dark and frightening, with everything that entails. It’s a powerful blend of traditional fantasy and brutal medieval realism that collide in a beautiful yet bleak, depressing, and hopeless world.
A world where nothing good comes for free, and where everyone is plagued by something that could ultimately cost them their life. Of course, you can role-play a witcher according to this cynical philosophy, but you can also choose to be a white knight in shining armor. It all comes down to dialogue choices and what you want to achieve in this world.
Stunning visuals and a slick UI that impress in The Witcher 3
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt can proudly claim to be one of the most beautiful games to date, despite already being over four years old. That’s nothing to scoff at.
The game’s Polish, medieval-inspired style comes vividly to life with detailed graphics that make a sunrise in Novigrad feel so real—melancholic yet beautiful at the same time. Clearly, the budget wasn’t skimped on here.
Audio-wise, the world is filled with atmospheric sound effects that can make a city feel truly alive—or a dark forest feel like somewhere you probably shouldn’t be. The music is incredibly fitting as well, helping build the perfect mood. You’re guaranteed an emotional roller coaster every time you play.
The game’s UI is also exceptionally well thought out, making it easy and intuitive to manage your inventory, skill points, and character build.
The combat system is engaging and encourages using different mouse combinations to perform special attacks that deal more damage. These can also be unlocked with skill points.
Alternative games
The Witcher 3, as the name suggests, is the third and final game in the series (trademark of CD Projekt Red). It’s worth playing the other two entries to fully understand where you are in the story when you start the third. It’s not strictly necessary, but it’s a good idea.
The earlier games haven’t aged particularly well, but both still offer interesting moments, and enjoying them isn’t hard.
The Witcher 1 marks the beginning of Geralt’s adventures and can be downloaded here.
The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings kicks off with a confusing event in which Geralt is mysteriously implicated in the murder of his own king, Foltest.
The Witcher 3 is an action-packed RPG
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is everything an action-packed RPG should be (and then some). It’s hard to say anything truly negative about the game, because every aspect is so well designed and entertaining to explore. We recommend it wholeheartedly.
Buy and download The Witcher 3 here.
Download The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
