The Witcher 3 Next-Gen Review – Wind’s Howling

Since its launch in 2015, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt has been hailed as a masterpiece. Its captivating story, intricate themes, and thought-provoking decisions have earned it a spot as one of the most beloved games ever released. And with our The Witcher 3 Next-Gen Review, we will be revisiting the title for a new generation.

Developer CD Projekt Red has also shown an immense dedication to the title since the day of release, fixing any issues that came to light and continuously improving its visuals and gameplay. With its unrivaled narrative and astounding visuals, The Witcher 3 has truly become a timeless classic that can be enjoyed for years to come.

Story And Setting

The story is a loose adaptation of the book series of the same name and follows the story of Geralt of Rivia. Geralt is a trained individual from a group of people known as Witchers, who specialize in monster-hunting and assassination. They are adept in alchemy, sword-fighting, and the use of magic, and though their arcane capabilities are not equivalent to a Mage, their skills are still advantageous in battle.

And Geralt’s out on a mission to find Ciri, a girl he has raised as his daughter. He’s tracking her down, doing odd jobs here and there to get any information he can get, and sometimes, you even get to take control of Ciri herself and see things through her eyes in cool little side-story missions.

Unlike the first two titles, the Witcher 3 offers a deeper level of choice, with more complex and nuanced characters.

Her unique heritage and blood grant her access to special powers, and that has caught the attention of The Wild Hunt, a mysterious military force that wants to enslave the young girl.

Finding Ciri is a thrilling journey, but without the context provided by the novels, she is a bit of a mystery until the last quarter of the game. Despite this, the campaign was made all the more interesting with a slew of intriguing characters who have supportive background roles throughout the 60+ hour adventure. Even those who haven’t played the first two games in the series are guaranteed to have an engaging experience.

But unlike the first two titles, the Witcher 3 offers a deeper level of choice, with more complex and nuanced characters. There is less of a binary between two options and more meaningful consequences for the decisions you choose to make.

I found the story of Ciri to be particularly engaging, and it kept me motivated to find out what happened to her. Additionally, the game allows greater control over personal story arcs rather than relying on a handful of sweeping choices.

Gameplay

CD Projekt RED took the Witcher experience to a whole new level with their creativity and community mods, as well as an exciting crossover with the Netflix series. Plus, the all-new picture mode that they included makes the adventure even more immersive. 

This update brings a new side mission, new gear, and some fresh looks for Dandelion and even Nilfaardian soldiers. The mission’s a bit on the short side, but it’s still satisfactory and a great new reason to revisit the game. Some of these options are cool, but some, like the new Witcher outfit and Nilfgaardian ones, just don’t really fit the game’s vibe. 

CD Projekt RED has definitely stepped up their game with their latest release, adding some great gameplay tweaks and options which really allow players to tailor the experience to their liking.

For example, I appreciate the new switch signs option which helps to make combat much more speedy, as well as the improved camera controls and visual details like updated models and environments that really make the game look and feel like a true next-gen title.

Other gameplay tweaks, like reducing the impact of fall damage and removing the loot menu for collecting herbs, as well as improving the radial menu, are great for players who have gone through the game multiple times. These smaller adjustments will likely go unnoticed by most, but they help make the overall gaming experience smoother.

The Next-Gen update also makes it simpler for players to manage their various save files. Cross-progression across multiple platforms is a feature that may be beneficial for players who use different platforms for the same game, and they may now switch between platforms without having to start over thanks to this function, which enables the transfer of save files between PC and consoles.

Performance And Visuals

The Witcher 3 looks way better now that it’s got all four ray-tracing settings switched on. Global lighting, reflections, shadows, and ambient occlusion all make it seem even more real; plus, the jittery screen space reflections on water are fixed, and the ambient occlusion adds loads of extra depth to places.

The Witcher 3 has gotten an incredible makeover – its vegetation and environment have been totally revamped, leading to an aesthetic upgrade that’s truly remarkable. Every leaf and plant is so realistically rendered that it almost looks alive, responding to Geralt’s actions with each step.

The Witcher 3 has gotten an incredible makeover – its vegetation and environment have been totally revamped, leading to an aesthetic upgrade that’s truly remarkable.

Even more impressive is the improved ray tracing and lighting that adds an extra layer of drama to the already fantastic high-fantasy setting. All of these improvements create a breathtaking atmosphere where brilliant whites contrast with intense blacks, making each scene truly captivating.

It’s so great to see both DLSS and FSR working together! DLSS Balanced and Quality settings offer sharper visuals than FSR, so no matter what GPU you have, you’re covered. Wouldn’t it be incredible if every PC game had these performance boosters as standard? Even better, RTX 4080 and RTX 4090 owners can also use DLSS 3 with frame generation.

For those playing on either a PS5 or Xbox Series X, you have the option to choose between Performance Mode or Ray Tracing Mode for the highest quality. Xbox Series S gamers have the opportunity to set the FPS at either 30 or 60; however, Ray Tracing is not available on this console.

However, I much prefer Performance mode as you get to enjoy a smooth 60 FPS gaming experience. The visuals remain of the same high quality, and the combat feels unbelievably smooth. The gameplay is fluid, and the graphics are stunning in Performance mode, while Ray Tracing offers 30 FPS with improved screen space reflections and adjustable resolution.

Verdict

For those who intend to play The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt on next-gen consoles, the game is bound to offer an upgraded experience, with improvements such as an alternative camera, improved graphics, and quick sign casting.

Unfortunately, PC players should be aware that their mods might not be compatible with the updated version, which can be a huge loss. Nevertheless, console players should definitely take the plunge and experience the revamped version of the game.

This has been my The Witcher 3 Next-Gen Review. While you’re here, consider checking out some of our other articles.

• Blacktail Review
• High On Life Review
• Hello Neighbor 2 Review
• Crisis Core Final Fantasy VII Reunion Review
• Marvel’s Midnight Suns Review