The Witcher III: Wild Hunt is by far the best game that I own to date. It's so real, and terrifying, and beautiful, and peaceful, and violent, all at the same time. It tackles a gorgeous world ravaged by war, poverty, and plague like no other. It tackles extremely taboo topics with a grace that only The Witcher series could. This is a game meant for very mature audiences. Not only is the combat satisfyingly gruesome, but the cold, hard reality of the struggles that the common folk in this world have to go through, and the way they handle or don't handle it, is almost even more gut-wrenching.
As in past installments of The Witcher franchise, you play as Geralt of Rivia, a witcher, or monster hunter essentially, on a quest to find Ciri, your lost "adopted" daughter. She is not your biological daughter, but you and your lover, Yennefer, have raised her as your own. The search for her leads you to cross paths with a fascinating cast of characters. There was no single character that I found to be boring or like a recycled personality......... every major character you come across is intriguing in their own light, with their own personal motivations that affect the way that they act towards you or others around you. Many of them are profane and don't consider other's feelings, which makes since although they might worship a god, the world of plague and monsters they live in can drive some people to insanity. Seeing how the world has affected some of these characters can be either enlightening, heartbreaking, or disgusting. Some characters have been empowered to do good as a result of the plague, some are suicidal due to the punishing brutality of the war, and some are fueled by their greed for wealth in a land wrought with poverty. Every single character has a backstory. You cannot trust anyone, and I mean ANYONE. This is a horrible land you live in. Each character may have motivations that do not regard your existence or the existence of others. Greed is truly mightier than the sword in The Witcher.
Now on to gameplay. The Witcher III is phenomenal with its combat. Geralt is swift and agile with the sword, and the sound of swords clanging together or steel slicing through a bandit's head or a soldier's torso is chillingly satisfying (more on sound design later). Geralt also has an array of magic spells, or Signs, that he can use, including Igni, a sign that allows Geralt to spew fire from his hands (that one is my personal favorite). However, Geralt's enemies are just as formidable in combat as he is. Rushing in and swinging away when fighting against a group of enemies or a monster is the last thing that you want to do. Enemies will attack you one after the other, and will work to surround you in order to take you down. They're smart, so it's up to you to be smarter. Hanging back and waiting for individual enemies to strike before parrying and cutting them down (or lighting them ablaze) will lead you to victory. Monster fights are similar in the sense that it would be suicide to wail on it all at once without worrying about dodging their attacks. There is a wide variety of monsters that you will come across, and some are easy, like the Drowners, while some require much more skill and patience, like the Golems. In addition, when you discover a monster for the first time, it is recorded in your journal. At first you will know nothing about the monster. But if you travel to libraries found around the world, you can find books about those monsters that will tell you where their common habitat is and what their weaknesses are, giving you the upper hand should you fight them again.
The gameplay isn't the only thing that (literally) rings true in The Witcher............ it's also the graphics and sound design. As of right now, The Witcher III is the most insanely beautiful game I have owned. The world is painstakingly detailed, down to the smallest plant, and the lighting puts an emphasis on it all. Walking through a forest in late afternoon and seeing the sun's rays shine through the trees in a haze of beauty befitting the arrival of a god gave me chills like never before. The architecture is a wonder as well. Building design varies based on the region that you are in. In the more wealthy areas of the world, buildings will look more lavish and elegant, while the more poverty-stricken portions of the world will have simple, almost dull shacks that may or may not be decaying due to lack of proper care or maintenance. And this world just feels so real and so alive. Even if you were heading down a trail to finish a quest, there is more than an 80% chance that you'd discover a new town ripe with life and story behind it, or a bandit camp just waiting to be cleansed of crime. The sound design is beyond incredible. Everything from the clanging of swords and the screams of enemies are they're toasted by my Igni sign, to the rustling of trees and bushes in the wind, is startlingly realistic. There is so much sound in the game, that sometimes I felt as if I were really there. Just walking through a deep forest and hearing the wind blow through my ears, the mud and grass squishing beneath my feet, the swords quietly clanging on my back as I walked, and the birds and assortment of hidden animals calling through the woods made me feel like I had been transported to a real, breathing world. It is full to the brim of life and character.
There's also a very deep crafting system in The Witcher III. Using tools and materials that you can either loot as you travel through the world or buy from a kind (or not-so-kind) store vendor, you have the ability to craft everything from armor and weapons to potions and runes to upgrade your equipment. It's rewarding and fun, enticing you to explore for loot and look in places you may have overlooked in your travels, such as neglected caves or cabins. Potions prove to be very useful in combat. For a while, I have merely overlooked them, thinking I could handle myself as long as I had my steel and my magic. But I soon realized that potions gave me an advantage that I didn't know I needed. Some increase your overall damage output, while some increase the amount of damage you can withstand. But be careful, because you can only take so many potions before the rising toxicity consumes you. Don't take too many at a time.
Although the Witcher seems flawless from a distance, there are some minor glitches and bugs that slighted halted my experience, but only slightly. Some visual errors, like textures on buildings loading in late as I'm riding by on my horse or Geralt's hair blowing in the wind when he's inside a building stuck out in stark contrast against the beauty of everything else, and certain quests not loading and the very rare hard crashes I encountered somewhat stuttered the overall experience, but I enjoyed everything else so intensely, so overwhelmingly, that I was able to more-than-easily overlook the minor annoyances that popped up here and there during the nearly 300 hours I've spent with the game so far.
The Witcher III: Wild Hunt is beyond a masterpiece. This is the best video game I have ever played, hands down. From the stunning visuals, to the brutal combat, to the heart wrenching story on a quest to find your lost ward, this is truly one of the greatest RPG's ever made, even one of the greatest games ever to be crafted. CD Projekt Red has pulled out all stops to make this game feel alive, like you're really there experiencing the beauty and horror of the world. I'd give this game a 15 if I could, but since I'm limited to ten numbers, this game gets a solid 10 out of 10 with my own personal Seal of Awesomeness.