The Witcher 3 next-gen review: Customize one of the greatest RPGs ever

‘next generation’ upgrade The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt I spent a few days playing the first few hours of the game (very slowly) to see what it was like. I have good news for you.In fact this is the complete witcher 3 Experience some minor quality of life improvements and major graphics upgrades. It also serves as a high-water mark for RPG design, to the extent that other games look darker by comparison.

This update, which I played on my PlayStation 5, is based on three main pillars: a visual upgrade, some fan mods integrated into the base game, and a new DLC that integrates Netflix’s aesthetics. witcher Turn the series into a game.

A visual update offers a performance mode that locks the game at 60 frames per second. I know they’re great frames and PC players have been living in this world for a while, but nothing beats the experience of sitting on the couch watching Geralt of Rivia’s pirouettes and cutting a drowner in half there is no. It’s great outside of action. Watching Geralt’s facial expressions at 60 fps on her big 4K TV is mesmerizing. His signature “hmm” and “hmm”, along with subtle variations in expression, have always been at the core of his character. There’s a cleanness to the game’s lines and movements in performance mode, and it brings them out, making way for defined edges and a slightly softer palette to make it more stylish.

It also doesn’t matter that Performance Mode never roused my PS5 fans. In contrast, whenever I thought of Geralt talking to townsfolk or running Roach through a monster-infested swamp, my PS4 sounded like it was on track in my previous-gen playthrough. rice field.

However, I was less than impressed with the update’s 30fps ray tracing mode. I’m not sure if it’s an interaction with the TV or a real framerate issue, but turning on high-fidelity mode seems to have caused some real stutter. An early cutscene for Yennefer seemed to completely break the audio sync with the character model (pausing the cutscene and returning to the performance quickly fixed it). I didn’t leave it too long, other than just to see how things would look with major lighting changes.

As we continue to replay games on this new console, we intend to stay in performance mode simply because it allows the game to lean to its strengths.Geralt’s world it’s the world, and new 4K textures in lush greens and agitated browns, providing beautiful backdrops for Geralt and crew to stand out. The ray tracing called here is just the right amount without compromising all the motion. Velen has always been mostly swamp, witcher 3‘s new 2022 incarnation, the swamp takes on an ethereal look, like a glob of petroleum jelly poured into the wilderness. fantasy Vaseline.

Image: CD Projekt Red

The improved graphics, mods that make inventory management and map navigation a little easier, and some throw-in DLC are all excellent. But I’m not sure they’re explosively exciting about returning to the world. witcher 3 In 2022.These are the elements that you’ll want to replay or, if you’re lucky, lure you into your first foray into Geralt’s interlocking world of commoners, creatures, immortals, and lords. may be things, but they are not Party.

Party — This means the huge political and interdimensional story that takes place within witcher 3 — it’s still incredible and could make most other open world RPGs (most other RPGs are gamereally) seems to be lacking in comparison.

Take White Orchard as an example. This is the first area of ​​the game and serves as both a catch-up for franchise veterans and a tutorial for new players. Geralt and his pseudo-father Vesemir are about to meet her old friend Yennefer in the middle of a war zone, but she’s not where she said she was. You are immediately drawn into what witchers do. There are gryphons to hunt and local politics to navigate, and hunters must find solutions that satisfy both. The White Orchard section of the game takes less than two hours (less time for others) But it’s packed with information about the world and its characters’ goals, both big and small. We get to know the countries that are fighting. Learn about their policies and who will be in power if the invaders win. We see inefficiencies and hope for a better tomorrow.

Image: CD Projekt Red

Geralt lives in more fleshed-out locations than any game ever. More than that, he’s sick of it. Through him, we can learn how to get sick of it ourselves and resent the shortsightedness of its inhabitants. It was amazing to me how quickly I fell in love with this fantasy world after I thought it was completely over. There are new efficiencies in menus that are less obtrusive and allow you to navigate through the whole thing more quickly — but that’s not something we’re going to keep people engaged over the next few weeks, or months. The magic was there all along.

Oddly enough, while I was playing, the general thought that was haunting me was witcher 3 Once again, it was actually about another game.I was wondering Cyberpunk 2077I played earlier this year, witcher 3The strength of Geralt’s adventures is that they have little to do with him. He’s in some key rooms and meets Movers and Shakers, but warriors live and die without him. Monsters kill the weak. The mechanics of life happen and he doesn’t have to be there to see it all unfold. He’s a hero when he’s around, moving and swaying as needed, but his world isn’t driven by the protagonist. It’s a humble fantasy, or at least presents itself . In contrast, Cyberpunk 2077 He was a self-centered player, as if people didn’t exist if they weren’t in his field of vision. In that game, history happened so that protagonist V could be there to inherit it.

The next-gen upgrade will make it available to more people and I’m looking forward to it.cyber punk Witcher games may go. Hopefully CD Projekt Red’s 2020-released RPG is the foundation for his 2015 RPG.

next-generation upgrade for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt will release on PlayStation 5, Windows PC, and Xbox Series X on December 16th. The game was reviewed on PS5 using a pre-release download code provided by CD Projekt Red. Vox Media has affiliate partnerships. These do not affect editorial content, but Vox Media may earn commissions on products purchased via affiliate links.discoverable Additional information on Polygon’s Ethics Policy can be found here.