Fans of Andrzej Sapkowski’s The Witcher novel series, rejoice! CD PROJEKT RED’s 2015 release, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, an action role-playing game with a third-person perspective, remains as thrilling and captivating as ever. Some of us here at Player Opinion have had the opportunity to step into the boots of Geralt of Rivia, the beloved and revered monster slayer. Standing in a war-torn, monster-infested continent, we explored it all while tracking down Ciri, our cherished adopted daughter.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Game Review
Gameplay Experience: 22/25
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt allows players to explore a massive fantasy landscape on an Earth-like planet in a distant parallel universe. The game opens with excitement and intrigue, immersing players immediately by teaching them the basics of combat through encounters with ghouls. The controls are intuitive and easy to pick up, making the gameplay accessible from the start. The game maintains a balanced difficulty, which can either drop off or remain steady based on in-game choices, even on the toughest setting, Death March. These choices have significant consequences, leading to over 30 different possible endings—an impressive feat that keeps players engaged throughout. As you progress, the game rewards you with tidbits of information, cutscenes, and the occasional Gwent card, ensuring a constantly engaging and rich experience.
Presentation & Immersion: 22/25
Which means the game is completely immersive, from monster hunting contracts to incredible voice-acted side quests. James Clyde’s voice as The Bloody Baron is particularly memorable, delivering a performance reminiscent of Brian Blessed. Although the story doesn’t explicitly follow Andrzej Sapkowski’s novels, it borrows enough to create a compelling narrative. Visually, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt might seem a bit dated by 2024 standards, but it was a marvel at its 2015 release and remains beautiful today. This is complemented by a wonderful soundtrack, ambient noises, and voice work that make the world feel alive. Our only gripe is the HUD, which can be cumbersome at times, and the in-game menus and skill trees, which seem small and uninspired. However, these are minor issues in an otherwise exceptional presentation.
Design & Technical: 21/25
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is indeed well-crafted. Its mechanics are solid, and with enough game knowledge—of which we have several hundred hours—you can over-tune and trivialize even the hardest content. There is an abundance of things to do and collect, though some areas are notably more frustrating than others—looking at you, Skellige Isles. Limiting collectibles in this area would have saved completionists several irritating hours. Despite this, the rest of the content is excellent. The enemy AI is intelligent and aggressive, capable of catching you off guard. Various in-game settings keep you coming back, especially the more challenging ones. Throughout our playthrough, we only experienced minor technical issues, such as some character clipping, but nothing game-breaking.
The Skinny About The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
Final Considerations: 25/25
At Player Opinion, we thoroughly enjoyed our time playing The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (Steam Link). Several of us have 3 or even 4 complete playthroughs, a testament to the game’s replayability, longevity, and worth. The game features no microtransactions but offers optional downloadable content for those wishing to continue their adventures as Geralt of Rivia. Even without the DLCs, the game is immensely satisfying and remains engaging almost 10 years after its initial release. Despite its age, The Witcher 3 proves to be a valuable investment, delivering both in terms of money spent and time immersed in its captivating world. We fully recommend The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt for its beautiful storyline, captivating environments, rich combat, and abundance of content. Beware the Nekkers!
Think we got it wrong? Share your thoughts on The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt by scoring the game on our Steam Review Template. Click Here to review and rate the game—Don’t forget copy to clipboard at the end of the review survey and paste it into your Steam reviews.
For players eager to engage with our community, you can find us on the Player Opinion Steam Community. For developers looking for feedback and exposure, check out our Steam Curator page. And for additional reviews, explore our dedicated Game Reviews section on our website.