The Witcher 3 is Here!

I guess I was wrong about when The Witcher 3 was coming out.  Last night I was pleasantly surprised when I logged into Steam and saw that after a smallish download that the game would be available for play.  I crammed down a quick meal and then pressed the magical play button.

I didn't get to delve into the game as deeply as I would have liked, but I did get a few initial impressions from my brief stint.  I decided to play the tutorial to see if any of the control schemes have changed and that was a choice that I am somewhat glad I made.  The tutorial consists of playing through a brief sequence at Kaer Morhen that covers the gameplay basics.  I was happy to see that, for the most part, the controls are pretty much the same as they were in previous games and maybe even slightly more simplified--there doesn't appear to be a need to specify what type of sword you want to draw and using bombs and food has become considerably easier then in the previous games.

I thought it was interesting that, like in Mass Effect, players could choose their difficulty level before starting the game and that one of the levels seemed to be strictly story based.  I, of course, did not choose this option but it appears focusing solely on the story in a game must be popular option if it's being offered more widely.  To me this feels like players would miss out on the challenge and fun of combat but I can understand why some might want to leave out the fighting.

Geralt and young Ciri at Kaer Morhen

But back to the tutorial!  The tutorial serves the dual function of introducing players to the basic gameplay controls in the game and also to the central characters.  The game opens with an amazing cinematic that follows the raven haired sorceress, Yennefer of Vengerber, as she weaves her way through the middle of a huge battle.  This cinematic is really amazing and you get a strong sense of the power wielded by this sorceress as you witness her using a spell to avoid being trampled by the charging cavalry in the midst of the battle.  (If you haven't watched this opening cinematic, you should try to check it out on YouTube) It also involves a raven burrowing itself in the face of a soldier and killing him--not for the faint of heart, but still cool.  The cinematic sequence also shows Geralt inspecting clues like he is trying to track her at a later time.  So, Geralt is trying to locate Yennefer.  Key story point revealed.  Then, Geralt is at Kaer Morhen and he and Yennefer are enjoying some quality time together (if you've played a Witcher game you know what I mean).  You learn a few important facts about Yennefer while learning the basic controls--she only wears black and white, is vain as a peacock (all sorceresses are), and she and Geralt are obviously close.  She urges Geralt to go find Ciri in the courtyard for training and players are introduced to the freckled and precocious young girl who is training with the witchers.  It's obvious that Ciri is very skilled and that all of the witchers, even Vesemir the hardened veteran, have grown attached to her.  After completing a tutorial on sword fighting basics Geralt has a strange vision...something related to the Wild Hunt.  Then he wakes up and you realize he is dreaming--that's where the actual gameplay begins.

Upon finishing the tutorial, players are introduced to the much more open world.  Geralt and Vesemir find themselves riding into a village in pursuit of Yennefer.  One interesting new addition to the game is a card game known as Gwent that has replaced dice poker as the new casual tavern distraction.  I played a tutorial game and am still not one hundred percent sure I understand the more complicated aspects of Gwent.  After interrogating the peasants in the tavern about Yennefer's whereabouts and having a fistfight with a few rowdy ones, I ventured Geralt to the local notice board and picked up some information and a contract to kill a monster.

The big change I'm noting is the much more open world in this game.  Locations of importance are placed on the map and some exploring will help you locate important monsters or locations.  Crafting also appears to have changed somewhat.  Throughout the world you will find objects that can be dismantled into useful crafting components.  This is useful as I have managed to amass a number of crafting materials, but I am having serious cash flow issues (I stupidly invested in a bunch of Gwent cards).  It costs money to dismantle an object so save those orens for crafting!

My adventures with Geralt will continue tonight and I'll try to share more impressions tomorrow.  So far I am very impressed with what I have seen and some of the new features like the use of "Witcher Sense" to find objects.  CD Projekt Red has created this amazing, vibrant world to adventure in and I can't wait to keep discovering new quests and monsters.