M
Miyu Tsukino
Guest
A few days ago a person asked me why I "disliked" The Witcher 3, and to your surprise I have been thinking about the question all week. However, I completely lost that thread in my endless stream of notifications from various shitposting groups. Its not unlike me to rat out on a controversial or beloved title, so I thought to make a post. But before I get down to the reasons, I would like to say these reasons are very personal to me, and really are just due to my preferences, and past experience with RPG games. Another thing I would like to say is i'm not a person to be taken aback by fancy visuals or high graphical quality. I'm just as fine with a game of Wizardry Proving Grounds Of The Mad Overlord as I am with Crysis. That being said, this means i'm excluding the entirety of visuals and graphics in my discussion of The Witcher 3. I could care less.
I guess the best way to kickstart this off would be to say, I do not dislike the game. That's a stronger word for a much milder feeling, i'm simply not impressed by the game, or the game's story. Its not a bad game by any means, but does not make my recommended lists for reasons i'm about to provide.
The premise of The Witcher 3 itself, from a gameplay perspective. You play as Geralt of Rivia. He is a Witcher. He has a set fighting style, magic, weapons, and even demeanor. You get the idea. Its restrictive as an RPG, and completely counters the free forming feeling the game tries to portray in its narrative. If you really are to take on this hero and his quest, why can you not effect anything at all that he is, passed a few statistical and cosmetic changes? This is my core problem with the game, how restrictive, and the way it forces you to handle every situation in one way. To duke it out with a sword. And from a gameplay perspective, i'd say GTA San Andreas is more of an RPG than the Witcher 3.
That's not to say that's where my problems end. The story takes a similar fashion that Fallout 4 did, with a rushly paced objective, subconsciously forcing the player to trail the main story and stay on the beaten path. Like Fallout 4, I felt restricted to walk this path instead of trailing to the game's rich side content, in fear of wasting time I could be tracking the main plot. This form of story-telling never works for a free form game like this, and makes me feel like every minute i'm not on the main quest, i'm simply wasting time. I'd also like to make a side mention that many of the major plot points I noticed, came down to which woman you'd like your scarred hero to bone, a boon I found meticulously boring, and very stupid.
Once you did start to explore the side content, I was surprised to actually find side quests with actual story, and consequence. However, that is extremely dampened again by the lackluster gameplay, and the repetitive feeling it brings. Monster hunts for instance, always come down to the same dodge and swing, and the potion mechanic is usually all but forgotten. You don't have an option to sneak, no real ranged combat, or any other forms of conflict resolution, or even change of tactics. It made the side quests although a step up for sure in some aspects, no less boring than Skyrim's radiant style.
So there you have it, those who asked for it, and those who didn't now have my answer to why, I really don't think this beloved game is all that great. Maybe if it was your first RPG, or you never ventured far from Bethesda's or Bioware's style, sure I can see this being a very enjoyable experience.. but for me, it left a lot to be desired, and a lot of wondering as to why i'm not just replaying Neverwinter Nights again. Thanks for reading, feel free to hate in comments. ^-^
I guess the best way to kickstart this off would be to say, I do not dislike the game. That's a stronger word for a much milder feeling, i'm simply not impressed by the game, or the game's story. Its not a bad game by any means, but does not make my recommended lists for reasons i'm about to provide.
The premise of The Witcher 3 itself, from a gameplay perspective. You play as Geralt of Rivia. He is a Witcher. He has a set fighting style, magic, weapons, and even demeanor. You get the idea. Its restrictive as an RPG, and completely counters the free forming feeling the game tries to portray in its narrative. If you really are to take on this hero and his quest, why can you not effect anything at all that he is, passed a few statistical and cosmetic changes? This is my core problem with the game, how restrictive, and the way it forces you to handle every situation in one way. To duke it out with a sword. And from a gameplay perspective, i'd say GTA San Andreas is more of an RPG than the Witcher 3.
That's not to say that's where my problems end. The story takes a similar fashion that Fallout 4 did, with a rushly paced objective, subconsciously forcing the player to trail the main story and stay on the beaten path. Like Fallout 4, I felt restricted to walk this path instead of trailing to the game's rich side content, in fear of wasting time I could be tracking the main plot. This form of story-telling never works for a free form game like this, and makes me feel like every minute i'm not on the main quest, i'm simply wasting time. I'd also like to make a side mention that many of the major plot points I noticed, came down to which woman you'd like your scarred hero to bone, a boon I found meticulously boring, and very stupid.
Once you did start to explore the side content, I was surprised to actually find side quests with actual story, and consequence. However, that is extremely dampened again by the lackluster gameplay, and the repetitive feeling it brings. Monster hunts for instance, always come down to the same dodge and swing, and the potion mechanic is usually all but forgotten. You don't have an option to sneak, no real ranged combat, or any other forms of conflict resolution, or even change of tactics. It made the side quests although a step up for sure in some aspects, no less boring than Skyrim's radiant style.
So there you have it, those who asked for it, and those who didn't now have my answer to why, I really don't think this beloved game is all that great. Maybe if it was your first RPG, or you never ventured far from Bethesda's or Bioware's style, sure I can see this being a very enjoyable experience.. but for me, it left a lot to be desired, and a lot of wondering as to why i'm not just replaying Neverwinter Nights again. Thanks for reading, feel free to hate in comments. ^-^
