The Witcher 3 is certainly a game that has been hyped since it was released, and it still is, to some degree. I am sure that you've heard a lot about how this game is so great and blah blah blah. Sure, you can believe that and try the game yourself, but today I want to give you an honest review about what makes this game so loved. Buckle up, buckaroos.


At a first glance, it seems that everybody plays this game because Geralt is so popular among the fans. He is, and with good reason. Geralt is a witcher: a monster hunter traveling the world far and wide in search of contracts on monsters only people like him can take down. He's got the full set: bombs, swords, potions that make him 10 times more badass than he already is, allies, etc. Witchers are trained to hunt monsters by passsing "The Trial of Grasses", a chemical procedure that injects potions into young boys to sharpen their senses, give them strength, speed, dexterity and the unforgetable cat eyes.
The full lore is, of course, way deeper than this quick explanation. From The Witcher 3 is about (I reccomend playing the Witcher 2 before this or at least reading some of the books, to understand the lore better since it can be a tad bit confusing at first) Geralt's odyssey to find Ciri and Yennefer, his "daughter" and his lover, in a race against time to save the world from The Wild Hunt and the White Frost. Going into the story anymore than this would mean spoiling the experience for you. Once you get to play the game though, you will experience for yourself the loveable characters, develop a bond with Geralt and feel like you are actually a part of the game's world.


The game features classic rpg elements. The gameplay is pretty straightforward: you do quests to acquire better gear and level up, rinse and repeat. Even so, the side quests are not the basic "go there, kill that many things, come back" type of quests. They all have their each own unique little side story which gives the game even more flavour. They are memorable and fun, unlike other rpgs these days.
The main quests feature choices which leave a mark on the game's world and truly affect the story. The WItcher 3 also features treasure hunts for better gear and quests that you can actually fail, adding an overall more realistic feeling to the already complex game.
The map is huge, the vanilla version featuring 4 different regions. There is plenty to do other than explore. From finding easter eggs to clearing the places of interest on the map, I can guarantee you won't have time to be bored in this game. Other systems like crafting weapons and armor to forging runes are also a major component of the game, with Witcher armor sets blueprints to find and legendary weapons to forge or collect. Every artisan in the game's world has a certain level of experience and can only forge gear up to that point. To forge better and better gear, you must find the master and eventually grandmaster (in Blood and Wine) craftsmen.


The Witcher 3 features a variety of skills and builds you can choose. Like wearing light armor and casting signs from afar? No problem! Like engaging in swordplay and slaying your enemies with graceful finishing moves? No problem! Like not even fighting? Sure thing, you can even control people's minds to do just that!
The plethora of ways in which you can play this game is most welcome, since it makes the game have a very high replayability value, both from a story perspective (you can experiment with choices and try to get different endings) and a gameplay perspective (even though you can change your build on the go with a Potion of Clearence which resets your skill points).
The game has quite a basic fighting system. You can get close and personal with the dual swords Geralt features (steel for men, silver for monsters) and either perform light/heavy attacks, parries and counter attacks (there are skills which expand the swordfighting with special moves and finishers) or you can fight from afar with signs like Igni, Yrden, Aard, you name it. The signs are powerful spells which can be modified by skills as well. Overall, the combat system feels great. You can also install mods (the community has plenty of them, especially on Nexus) to make the experience even better.


This game has absolutely beautiful graphics, which hold a place among the top even in 2017, almost 2 years and a half after its release. Everything from the grass to the monsters and rocks looks amazing! The soundtrack features masterfully composed music that fits just right in every situation, be it combat or just peacefully exploring the amazing map.


The two expansion packs, Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine feature so much content that they almost match the game time you get in the original version of the game. Hearts of Stone is a beautiful story about Olgierd von Everec, an immortal man who has been cursed with a heart of stone, whose content adds roughly 15 more hours of game time, and Blood and Wine even features a whole new region of the map to explore and complete quests in, which adds another 35 hours of game time.
Hearts of Stone features a whole new crafting system called enchanting, which allows you to enchant your gear with the help of a runewright. In Blood and Wine, all crafting systems are expanded with Grandmaster craftsmen, which can forge grandmaster armor and weapons. Just like the main game, the expansion packs are also full of choices and can have different endings. If you have your mind set on buying the game, go for the GOTY version.


This game is a masterpiece in my opinion. It satisfies all of the gamer's needs a modern rpg should satisfy, while also offering endless hours of playtime and replay value. If you are at the very least interested in rpgs, you will enjoy this and immediately fall in love with the wonderful cast of characters, making you want to play the game more and more. It also has that unique je ne sais quois that no other game can match. The current price of the game is a solid deal, guys (20$). I reccomend buying it. You won't regret!