Private Picks
Along with our fundamental Sport of the 12 months Awards 2022 (opens in new tab), every member of the PC Gamer staff is shining a highlight on a sport they liked this yr. We’ll submit new private picks, alongside our fundamental awards, all through the remainder of the month.
If you happen to’ve someway missed Bathtub Geralt over the past seven years, then enable me to introduce you to our lord and saviour, Geralt of Rivia, aka the Butcher of Blavikan, Sir Ravix of Fourhorn. No matter you need to name him, he is the best male protagonist to grace videogames, and now that The Witcher 3 next-gen replace is lastly right here, I can inform you why The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is my sport of the yr. Once more.
The subsequent-gen replace brings with it some much-needed quality-of-life enhancements, a fundamental however fulfilling picture mode, and now you can present Roach just a little love and give her a pat. The ray tracing continues to be just a little iffy throughout PC and consoles, and whereas it is nonetheless a phenomenal-looking sport, The Witcher 3’s promoting level has all the time been its story. A brand new questline to tie in The Witcher Netflix collection has been added, full with Henry Cavill’s iconic armour (opens in new tab). There’s additionally the choice to change issues up and alter the looks of the Nilfgaardian armour to that of a pair of wrinkly testicles (opens in new tab) if you wish to make this terrifying military look pathetic, like a slight breeze would damage them.
Regardless of the violence, torture, and basic depravity present in The Witcher 3’s story, there are tender moments the place you possibly can see a way more “human” aspect to the titular witcher. At its coronary heart, the story focuses on a drained outdated dad trying to find his adopted daughter, declaring his like to a sorceress—that is Yennefer, thanks—and banding along with the final of his brothers and buddies to save lots of the world from a bunch of evil elves in skeletal armour. Only a easy fairytale journey, actually.
Whereas there is a prolonged fundamental story to sink your tooth into, I nonetheless felt I needed to emotionally regular myself earlier than starting a brand new playthrough, even when I can zoom into each character’s face in essentially the most unattractive means with the brand new picture mode as a distraction. The Household Issues questline takes you thru an advanced and at instances extraordinarily uncomfortable story about home violence and miscarriage which, even after seven years and a number of other playthroughs, I nonetheless discover a robust quest to energy via. The opening hours can really feel like a slog as a result of everyone seems to be depressing, the Nilfgaardians are wrecking the place and the despair is palpable—the proper setting for a hero or two to emerge from.
Regardless of actually liking Geralt, closely influenced partially by Doug Cockle’s improbable gravelly tones, he isn’t an excellent man within the conventional sense. He is all the time taken his obligation to The Path, his vocation, and even to his youngster of shock, Ciri, very critically, however that does not make him good. Certain he has an ethical compass and, relying in your playstyle, you possibly can form Geralt to be extra kind-hearted and, dare I say, extra loving than different witchers you encounter, however on the finish of the day, Geralt’s fundamental goal is to stay as ambiguous and ambivalent about petty human squabbles as attainable.
Pray inform, then, why I spent an unimaginable quantity of hours serving to individuals with their bullshit. Whereas there’s all the time the choice to stroll straight previous these people or inform them you are too busy to assist, finishing these seemingly innocuous duties typically subtly modifications the world round you which of them, on the very coronary heart of it, is a witcher’s job. The Witcher books typically weave out and in of various timelines, masking tales and occasions that formed Geralt and result in him discovering his youngster shock, and The Witcher 3’s sidequests do the exact same, albeit largely inside a chronological timeline.
With out venturing off the literal Path, Geralt’s persona is just a little stale and an absence of exploration and interplay will chew you within the ass additional down the road—you actually will not earn any coin should you ignore individuals. A witcher is a grasp hunter in spite of everything, and if you wish to roleplay as Geralt correctly you will go away no stone unturned and no request unanswered.
Moreover, should you do not interact with any sidequests, you are going to miss out on all the great things, like getting drunk and dressing up like sorceresses to prank name unsuspecting males, having intercourse with a bunch of sizzling witches, and tripping balls so you possibly can speak to your horse and ask the way it manages to quick journey to precisely the place you’re on a regular basis.
The Witcher 3 has the perfect minigame of all time, too—I’ve a full Gwent deck in actual life so should you ever need to throw down some playing cards, you already know I am sport. Not solely that, however the DLCs add on one other 40 or so hours of gameplay—stunning, wine-soaked gameplay with thespian vampires and making offers with a man who’s actually only a bald Devil—so it is time to cease with the reasons and play The Witcher 3.