The Witcher 3: Hearts of Stone

⭐ 9.0/10

(Originally written by Joseph)

I know all my loyal Weview fans have been wondering why I've written so few video game reviews recently. The answer is that I've been replaying the Witcher 3 for approximately five thousand hours. I kinda wanted to include my thoughts on the game now that I've read the novels and am now a top percentile Witcher fan, but tbh my thoughts have not changed much from that first playthrough.

Essentially, I think this game is amazing in a lot of ways. It looks mostly good, and at times great. The music is phenomenal, the voice acting is consistently great, especially considering there are hundreds of characters, and also this was a translation. The story meanders quite a bit, but has its highlights, especially during random side quests. It's also just very funny. This is, without a doubt, one of the great open world RPGs.

Still, the game as a whole has its issues. My main one is simply... What's the good part? The combat is good, not great. The writing is phenomenal for a video game, but if I want good writing, I can read a book. The voice acting is terrific, but not movie quality. The open world is interesting, but it's no Red Dead. Is the best part Gwent?? It's possible. There are also enough glitches and jank to be truly annoying, and I think the game spends way too much time in Velen (the big city) and Skellige (Norway).

Still, I think the best parts are the spooky, dark fantasy elements in this game. I love the crones, for instance, or Jenny O' The Woods. Anything that plays off local superstition. I think the attribute that makes Geralt the sexiest character rendered in 3D is that you'll hear a blood curdling scream and Geralt will be like, "hmm, I should check that out." Also, again, I cannot stress enough that he has the sexiest voice in all of video games.

Anyways, as for this actual expansion? It's good. After the high of the Wild Hunt finale, this is definitely feels inconsequential as Geralt deals with smaller personal matters. This is always my issue with DLC, and why I never play them. You just saved the world, and now go back to fulfil 3 wishes for a rando? Don't love that. But the writing here is a step up from the main game, and introduces a number of bosses that are all cooler than any base game boss. It also tells a haunting tale, with great villains, and the trek through the abandoned manor was chilling and heartbreaking. Very good stuff.

So anyways, Witcher 3 still rules, and I'm looking forward to Blood and Wine which I've never played. I'm so intimately familiar with this game at this point that it will feel weird playing anything else, but if there's a world I want to spend so many hours in, it has to be this one.

Also, one last note: I played a few hours of this DLC with my friend in Toronto and we stayed up late into the night. That was an all time gaming moment for me and sharing these kinds of experiences are special opportunities.