the witcher 3 review game informer

the witcher 3 review game

Test: The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, the witcher bewitch us

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is a work that has crystallized many hopes. Carried by a studio with a very special status in the hearts of players, the saga The Witcher has carved out a special place in the world of Western RPG with a mature universe. Hitherto compartmentalized in closed environments, CD Projekt RED has bet to offer its favorite witcher a showcase of choice for the conclusion of its trilogy. A vast world open to licked technique and the promises of freedom loudly proclaimed with big shots of trailers. Connoisseurs and neophytes have seen The Witcher 3 as a sort of RPG messiah. But in the little game of the open world, many have broken their teeth, because if you want to do too much you can lose sight of the essentials. It was without counting on the talent of the Polish studio ...

IN SEARCH OF HIS DAUGHTER

The northern kingdoms are at war with a powerful opponent in the midst of conquest: the Nilfgaardian Empire. Led with an iron fist by the emperor Emhyr var Emreis, Nilfgard spreads his grip over most of the lands visited at stake. The war has left deep scars on the ground and in the hearts of people; more than ever, misery, fear and superstitions are weighing on the world of The Witcher. It’s in the middle of a large, occupied area that the witcher disembarks soon after The Witcher 2 ends. Ciri, his adopted daughter, would be back after a journey to the edge of space and time. Geralt de Riv will therefore move heaven and earth to try to find it. The return of famous faces does not stop there since the beautiful magician Yennefer de Vengerberg, his lifelong love, also resurfaces. But in a world plagued by conflict, the slightest clue is minted, the witcher will therefore have to mingle in intrigues that do not concern his area of expertise to obtain precious information on the place where Ciri might be. If hunting monsters is still on the table of occupations of the butcher of Blaviken, The Witcher 3 continues the heritage of novels with the highlighting of more human, more political stories, always playing as skillfully with the nebulous border between good and evil.

Who is Ciri?

If you didn't know, The Witcher's video game trilogy is based on a fantasy saga by the Polish writer Andrzej Sapkowski. Huge success in his country, the series has enjoyed international circulation thanks to the video games of CD Projekt. Cirilla Fiona Elen Riannon to be more exact is actually Geralt’s adopted daughter whom he recovered after a series of events already involving this dear kingdom of Nilfgaard. Raised in the fortress of Kaer Morhen, the child followed the training of the witcher without being subjected to the ritual of herbs, phase during which the hunters of monsters ingest various decoctions conferring them capacities higher than the normal while rendering them sterile at the same time. If Ciri doesn't have the alchemical skills of the witcher, her fighting and magic skills make her a formidable fighter. However, its origins and status make it more than desirable in the eyes of the powerful in this world. The girl is therefore tracked on all sides, by Nilfgaard on one side, by certain mages on the other, but also by the Wild Hunt, a carnival of spectral horsemen riding skeletal steeds, symbol of misfortune and death. The game offers to control the character at regular intervals in order to learn more about his journey.

A GAME OF CHOICE ... AND CONSEQUENCES

As a good self-respecting RPG, the scenario of The Witcher 3 is above all a series of choices, not always obvious and with repercussions often quite heavy. Whether you decide to take on the role of protector of the weak, defender of "monsters" or absolute pragmatism, there will always be some unexpected in the flow of things. The Manichean side left in the closet, the choice of the least harm will not always be the happiest! The game also excels in the art of using its vast space as the theater of its scriptwriting ambitions. The card never looks like a theme park filled here and there with compulsive copy-paste content. Exploration and progression of the intrigue are intertwined brilliantly, each quest, main or secondary, takes you for hours of breathless and visceral play. A special effort was made to the staging, the quality of the dialogues, but also to the many cutscenes using the game engine. The whole is served by French dubbing of a quality and a natural to salute. No, dubbing in the language of Molière should not be ashamed of his English counterpart, let it be said once and for all! It is possible to alternate between languages directly from the game menus and play in English (or another language) while keeping the French subtitles if you wish.

The quests are broken down into several categories: the main screen, which unfolds over approximately 35 hours, and the secondary missions which have only the name secondary as their richness and their lifespan would make any single DLC pale with shame paying; Added to this are the witcher contracts involving going to hunt an ugly beast against a pretty jackpot to negotiate. Finally, treasure hunts, short missions in the form of exploration, make it possible to recover very beautiful weapons and armor. It is difficult to quantify the lifespan of an RPG in the open world as the journeys of each player will be different. Allow at least 80 hours to see the end of the game, it is in any case the time it took me to complete the adventure by sacrificing many side quests on the altar of the imperative of the test. In short, the game is full of content and succeeds in making it thrilling from start to finish.

In their progress, the missions regularly involve the tracking skills of the witcher. Like the investigation phases of Batman’s Arkham saga, Geralt will use his keen senses to uncover numerous clues to the locations of his hunts or investigations. Tracking footprints, studying a corpse to determine the causes of death, following in the footsteps of a wild beast, such is the daily life of our hero. And if your wanderings lead you to a fiddling with fights, it is also possible to settle certain situations thanks to your sense of distribution, diplomacy, thanks to the subtle art of bribe even by using a few tricks of mental hobbies.

Exciting from start to finish, the main quest alone could justify a shower of praise for the game since the start of this test. It stages a gallery of characters straight from previous shutters and novels. Readers of the romantic saga can rejoice, the cast reveals many famous faces. And this is again a strength of the title of CD Projekt: its high quality cast both for its main characters and for its NPCs with expressive broken faces. Endowed with absolute charisma in this episode, Geralt appears more mature and more determined than ever to find his daughter. He is supported by a Yennefer with whom the relationship will not only be verbal. Because The Witcher 3 does not again deserve its mature label, the title tackles different subjects like incest, alcoholism or the horrors of war with the quality of writing and staging that we know from now on . Let the lovers of the beautiful redhead reassure themselves, Triss Merigold is indeed there and will make you understand that the era is decidedly very dark for the magi. The game has the gift of raising narrative tension, creating an atmosphere of inexorable fall. All with a dazzling realism tinged here and there with squeaky humor.

GRAN WITCH AUTO

In terms of the open world, The Witcher 3 pushes open the door to the big leagues and puts its feet on the table with a balance given by the certainty of having done things big, in very big even. The map is actually made up of several regions: the lands of Velen where we will spend most of our time between level 1 and 16, apparently peaceful, the place is in fact devastated by war. Its steaming battlefields with the appearance of mass graves attract both ghouls and looters from villages plagued by poverty and misfortune. The area has two major cities: Oxenfurt to the east and Novigrad to the north. The port city is also part of many hours of quests that will remind players of the first part the atmosphere of the alleys of Wyzima. To the west, the Skellige Islands offer a more Viking snowy climate at heart, barbarian peoples and angry giants reign over these archipelagos away from the political issues of the world. We also find the fortress of Kaer Morhen during the tutorial, the palace of Wyzima, seat of the occupation government of Nilgaard and the great prologue area of Blanchefleur. Not content to offer a devilishly large playing surface, the title of CD Projekt succeeds in making it lively and above all very coherent. For its first attempt at open world, the Poles sign a real masterpiece, they deliver a world where beauty and violence rub shoulders at all times.

There are several ways to explore the extent of the map: on foot, on horseback, by boat or via the rapid travel system introduced for this third part. The first method will be the most common. In accordance with the opening of the game, Geralt is now able to jump at will for the very first time in the saga, he can also hang on to the ledges or step over the barriers, a very significant freedom of movement. For longer distances, Ablette our horse will be preferred. It is enough to whistle outside to reveal the kitty not far from the witcher, then the wild escapades with the airs of rides of Red Dead Redemption. For very long distances or for all moments of laziness, it is possible to trigger instant trips near many signs on the map. This option, like triggering a cutscene or reloading a game following a death, is accompanied by a loading time. Small boats finally make it possible to sail on the lakes or between the various islets of Skellige.

Can you play The Witcher 3 without having touched the first two games?
The question has often been asked to me. Many players feel the wild appeal of The Witcher 3, what they have seen or read has convinced them to explore the open world of gaming. CD Projekt and Bandai Namco have managed to spur some hype (too many?) many trailers in recent months. The answer ultimately depends on what you are looking for when playing such an RPG. No, The Witcher 3 is not a more mature Skyrim, nor is it a sandbox of activities to peck around here and there. It revolves around a complex scenario involving many well-known figures from the previous two parts, but also books. Showing up in The Witcher 3 without having got your hands on previous games will therefore deprive you of many references. Novices will inevitably miss a lot of intrigue and stakes. However, the thing remains possible thanks to the work of the studio in terms of codex, introductory cutscenes and simulation of important decisions made by the player in The Witcher 2. Some dialogues indeed fill the lack of backups of the previous parts on your machine by questioning you about your past decisions.

THROUGH THE SWORDS, THE DANCE OF STEEL AND MONEY

The combat system of The Witcher 3 is part of the logical continuation of the gameplay of The Witcher 2. It remains based on the use of two swords and different magic signs to be used both in combat and on certain elements of the decor. Steel blades for humans and silver blades for monsters well wedged in his back, Geralt forcibly recovers a crossbow whose use will be preferred to calm flying or aquatic creatures. Sword battles are more fluid than those of his more agile predecessor, Geralt is also more ruthless in his assaults. Prepare to see heads, arms fly, or to cut the rib cage of many monsters diagonally. A visceral flow is released from the confrontations, served by convincing sound effects accompanied by some bloody finish moves in slow motion mode for the best effect. In short, The Witcher 3 has that little Arkham side with the sword-knocking sauce, we want more!

Four difficulty modes are accessible from the launch of the game, regulars of the saga should consider playing mode three because the title turns out to be a little simpler than its predecessor at normal level. As usual, increasing the difficulty will have a direct impact on the damage of opponents, the automatic regeneration of hit points, the importance of alchemy and the quality of the objects found.

To shine in combat, you need to master the art of parrying and dodging. If parrying proves to be particularly useful against human adversaries equipped with knives, we will be more willing to dodge to avoid the claws of the monsters. Once the system is taken care of, the clashes in The Witcher 3 show great technicality. Opponents rarely appear alone, move with the agility of a feline in the midst of a troop of bandits, parry the blows at the right time, then retaliate with a well placed attack, all this is quite exhilarating. The AI still shows a few failures in normal mode, especially on certain creatures who let themselves be a little too roughly handled without reacting. Geralt retains a certain versatility since he can always use bombs or his crossbow to glean some damage from a distance or underwater. But in this area, nothing is as effective as the signs to gain the upper hand during fights, and that's good, they have been somewhat redesigned.

The five elementary signs of the panoply of the perfect little witcher therefore appear in the cast: Igni, Aard, Axii, Yrden and Quen, always accessible on the fly via a radial menu. Revised and corrected, they now have more than significant impact improvements on their behavior. Igni, the fire sign goes for example from the status of flame wave to that of continuous flame thrower. All draw their power from the endurance bar of the witcher. Little advice for the road, if the sign of Axi offers short-term stunning or even mental control of targets once much improved, it is also used in many dialogues where the witcher can influence the behavior of his interlocutor to the way of a Jedi. So think of investing at least two points in its branch to pay you for some Obi-Wan Kenobi scenes and avoid a lot of confusion in the process.

The essences have also been redesigned and simplified both in their preparation process and in their use. Potions are now swallowed in the middle of a fight via a simple shortcut. And if they still raise the level of intoxication of the witcher, the gauge still goes down much faster than before. This ease of use is paid for by a reduction in the overall efficiency of the essences, which are faster to ingest, their effect also fades much faster. The collection of ingredients (plants, monster substances or alcohol) also benefits from a very significant overhaul. No more waiting for pellets to pick up an object, everything is done at the touch of a button, stopped or in motion. It is also enough to have a few glasses of alcohol in your bag for the witcher to automatically refill his stock of potions during the meditation phases. Be careful, however, The Witcher 3 is a generous loot title, the crates overflow with trinkets, the barrels are full of craft components. Overloading occurs less often than in The Witcher 2, however, remember to greet a merchant from time to time at the risk of seeing friend Geralt dragging his leg, crushed under the weight of your greed.

INVENTORY AND MENUS EARN CLEARLY

Fortunately, the inventory had the charming idea of abandoning the consolidated list side at the end of the second part to return to a much more practical grid organization. The management of equipment and materials therefore also gains in speed of execution. A welcome fluidity when you start to plunge your nose into the craft system of the game. Rich and above all very useful, it allows you to use the talent of the most talented craftsmen to craft high quality weapons and armor with components collected during the adventure or recovered by dismantling other trinkets. The pleasure of rare loot does exist in The Witcher 3, its impact on Geralt's look and combat performance is significant. Each weapon or armor, whether made from a scheme supplied to a craftsman or unearthed around a dark cave, changes the appearance of the witcher. Too bad the developers had their hands a little too heavy on the wear of the equipment. How many times have I found myself in the midst of a quest, buried deep in a dungeon with a broken weapon as my only makeshift tool. It is still possible to use equipment with exhausted durability, but its statistics will be greatly diminished. So be sure to always go out with some repair kits!

Additional activities. Where's my dice poker ?!
The news will shock more than one, dice poker, the ideal companion of a good pint at the tavern of the Hairy Bear is not present in The Witcher 3! It was replaced by a TGC-like deck of cards called the Gwynt. Here, you will have to play strategy to align your cards on a battlefield-like board. Melee forces, ranged attackers, siege vehicles, all have attack scores and additional talents. In fact, the Gwynt is far from uninteresting and even has direct access via the game menus. In use, we may regret the more direct side of dice poker, a feature that CD developers Projekt would consider bringing back for future additional content. The game can nevertheless tickle the collector fiber that lies dormant in you because many cards are to be bought from merchants or to be won against prestigious opponents. The brawls between pinted gentlemen are still in the game, they even have the good taste to leave the QTE low in the closet to let speak only against and dodge. On the other hand, we say bye bye to the showdowns (is it a big loss?) To see land a few races of canassons not very complicated to win once the management of the stamina of the dada drawn.
Each leveling up rewards the player with a skill point to be awarded in a talent tree regaining its splendor after a The Witcher 2 perhaps a little too sparse in customization possibilities. Increase the damage of your quick or powerful blow, perfect your dodge, change the effect of a particular sign, it's all about choice and renunciation since it will be impossible to activate all our improvements at the same time. CD Projekt has indeed introduced an active skill location system to the right of the talent tree. Only the talents inserted inside are in fact taken into account but can in return be associated with the effects of mutagens (a mutagen can confer its bonus up to three talents at the same time). A good way to encourage the player to specialize in one style of play rather than another.

WHAT IS THIS PC VERSION WORTH?

Tuesday May 19, 12:01 am, the PC world is in turmoil, The Witcher 3 is finally unlocked on our computers. Pressed to get the answers to the questions they have been asking themselves for long months, the night owl PCists press the play button with some glee. Is the game running on my config? If yes, what is its graphic rendering? Is it properly optimized? Here are our feedback on the optimization of the title, its different options and its handling on PC.

Configurations used
Configuration 1: Intel i7 4970k, 32 GB of ram, Nvidia GTX 980 SLI, Windows 7 64 bit. The game is installed on an SSD. A muscular first configuration to push the game to its limits.

Configuration 2: Intel i5 4690K, 12 GB of ram, Nvidia GTX 970, Windows 8.1 64 bit. A powerful gamer configuration but already more like consumer machines.

Configuration 3: AMD FX 8350, 12 GB of ram, AMD Radeon R9 290x, Windows 8.1 64 bit. The AMD counterpart to the previous configuration.

The game has been tested with the latest drivers published by Nvidia 352.86, special drivers adapted to certain features and optimizations for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and under AMD Catalyst Omega Software 14.12 in 1920x1080p.
A FULL OF GRAPHIC OPTIONS
Good news, all the modifications of graphic parameters are done in game and on the fly in The Witcher 3. This was not the case on its predecessor, the functionality is therefore welcome here since the title has many parameters. In addition to its various adjustable sliders to play on the quality of shadows, vegetation, textures or resolution, The Witcher 3 offers four modes of graphic quality: low, medium, high and extreme. Each one influences the graphic rendering of the title to different degrees. There is also a second special processing menu containing various options such as anti-aliasing, bloom effects, depth of field or even the activation of the different Nvidia GameWorks technologies which we will discuss later in this insert.

The differences are not excessively marked between the high and extreme modes, they are a little more when we switch to medium mode. Logically, the weak mode marks the biggest gap with the other three settings. Notice to owners of mid-range gamer configs, the game is pleasing to the eye from the medium preset. In low mode, two major compromises are made by the game engine and there is a severe decrease in the display distance of the decor elements and the quality of the textures. Vegetation and foliage are then subject to clipping and populate very distinctly on the screen. Textures like rock, paving, wood and the characters' clothes become ill-defined or even blurred. The level of detail is thus sacrificed in favor of performance.

Things work out in medium mode, the textures regain their finesse and the clipping becomes less abrupt. This mode offers more than adequate performance on our machines equipped with GTX 970 and AMD R9 290x with 60 frames per second held without flinching in the event of vertical synchronization activated on a 60 Hz screen (65 to 85 fps on a 120/144 screen Hz). However, a PCist equipped with this type of card will certainly want to play in high or even extreme mode, which is quite understandable.

In high mode, The Witcher 3 is close - with a few details - to its display in extreme mode (we will come back to the differences). SSAO and higher texture resolution give the game a striking rendering on certain scenes with a stable framerate at 60 fps on our GTX 980 and oscillating between 45 and 55 on our GTX 970 and AMD R9 290x. Extreme mode with HBAO + activated, ultra shading and HairWorks logically consumes more resources on our GTX 970 and AMD R9 290x with an average of 40 fps marked by some falls to 30 fps during passages where vegetation and climatic effects are dense. Reducing the quality of the shadows from ultra to high, switching the ambient occlusion to SSAO (in principle activated basic) and deactivating the AirWorks will greatly improve performance without sacrificing the graphic quality of the title.

CD Projekt RED worked in partnership with Nvidia to optimize certain aspects of the title thanks to the GameWorks program. Particularly highlighted, the HairWorks technology gives hair and fur a more realistic look, the hairs come to life, the hair twirls, the tail and the mane of the canassons fidget, the wolves rustle. The whole offers a pretty convincing rendering at the expense however of the performance of the game. If everything runs on our configuration equipped with a SLI of GTX 980 (fortunately…), we note drops in framerate between 5 and 15 fps when AirWorks is activated on our GTX 970 and R9 290x. This option can therefore be easily reduced (to the only character of Geralt) or even deactivated to gain smoother display. Notice to owners of AMD graphics cards, the HairWorks option remains activatable on the manufacturer's cards. CD Projekt does not however guarantee its full optimization. As for other effects, note the presence of PhysX technology for managing the physics of debris and the animation of fabrics, clothing and flags, HBAO + for a more realistic rendering of shading and a range of other options techniques available for all cards on the market.

AND OPTIMIZATION IN EVERYTHING?
Patch Day One applied, the game is well optimized on all of our test configurations. The rendering is obviously superior to the PS4 and Xbox One console versions in terms of framerate, display distance, shading and texture resolution. If we want to compare, the console versions are at the level of the game in medium to high resolution depending on the scenes, 60 fps less. CD Projekct has managed to do an excellent job with its new Red Engine, the engine is comfortable in many configurations in medium and high, or ultra, however, lowering some greedy options. The PC version also stands out with greatly reduced loading times during game reloads or during rapid movements. The climatic effects are also richer, the flames more beautiful and the fog better rendered. The physics engine nonetheless always makes its own during certain collisions or on the placement of certain NPCs, so we will sometimes come across dogs moving 30 centimeters from the ground and certain jostling with the villagers is still too steep.

The notes
+ Positive points
A vast and splendid environment
Technically very successful
The game is well optimized on many configurations
A breathtaking scenario with undeniable finesse of writing and colossal lifespan
No quest seems to be stupid filling
Endearing characters, colorful, broken mouths as we would like to see more often
In line with that of The Witcher 2, the combat system gains even more fluidity and technicality
Easy-to-use interface and crafting system
The Gwynt and its strategic side, a game in the game
High-quality masterful soundtrack and dubbing (vf and vo)
Rare loading times, mostly very short

Negative points
Inconsistency in the quality of lighting
Unconvincing water rendering
We feel that the gameplay has been optimized for the controller
Equipment wear too fast
Foufou physics engine at times
IA perfectible in normal mode
Where did dice poker go?