Rediscovering Fun: The Witcher III Wild Hunt Part II

I forgot how to block attacks… Thankfully, I remembered how to dodge, because I apparently stopped playing on the quest Following The Thread, where I had been investigating an attack which turns out to be a lesser vampire. I honestly forgot how much I enjoy the gameplay, and the way that CD Projekt Red made the lore of the series actually meaningful.

Strolling up the stairs, my instincts kicked in and I remembered to slather Geralt’s silver blade with Superior Vampire Oil and check the Bestiary for info on what vampire weaknesses are.

It’s needless to say, but the vampire is now slain.

Off topic: Why do we say something is needless to say, but then say it anyway? If it was needless to say, then I wouldn’t need to say it, right?

Of course, Lambert might’ve had something to do with my success.

Growing Appreciation

I have a deep appreciation for games like The Witcher III for avoiding some of the more annoying aspects of gaming. Despite being an open-world game, it doesn’t force you to travel manually to every location. After completing the leg of the quest I abandoned last time I played The Witcher III, Lambert has Geralt follow him to collect a reward from the person who hired him. It doesn’t turn out the way it should’ve, for reasons I won’t divulge, but what I loved is that I didn’t need to follow Lambert to the next step in the quest.

There’s something refreshing about that. While The Witcher III has instances where you follow a character somewhere, generally the travel to the next location serves as a way to introduce new information or allow for combat. Too many times have a played a game where you’re forced to follow someone from point A to point B, with little to no reason other than to transport the player character to the next area. I know that’s a minor annoyance, but it’s a waste of time.

Jennifer and I can never pass a body of water without looking for drowners

Going back to the topic of the Bestiary, I love that there’s more to the lore of the series than flavor. The Bestiary in The Witcher III is instrumental for success if you’re playing on higher difficulties, and I love that. Nevermind the fact that I love reading in-game codices, journals, and the like; yeah, I know I’m weird. I’ve lost hours in games like Mass Effect and others to reading. Jennifer keeps mentioning that I need to read more. I guess reading in video games doesn’t count?

Let’s not forget that Geralt is pretty awesome on his own. I love the character that has evolved from the books and games, and I get the feeling that I’m not alone. After all, one of my posts with the highest traffic is my Character Alignment Profile of Geralt.

Then there’s the music, which is absolutely fantastic. I remember when I bought a copy of the game at launch after overcoming Jennifer’s hesitance to allow me to do so, and being filled with childish glee that CD Projekt Red included a CD copy of the soundtrack in the game case. I honestly wish more developers would do that, because that disk hasn’t left the CD player in my car since I bought the game. Granted, it’s the only CD I’ve ever owned (other than a Pantera CD I got for Christmas over ten years ago for some reason). Besides, other than Bad Habit by The Offspring, I need some good music to accompany my road rage when commuting to and from work. The track Forged In Fire is excellent for that, but then again, so is Steel For Humans. Thankfully for those around me, I can’t afford a Legendary Wolven Silver Sword.

More To Come

I’m actually surprised how easy it has been to get sucked back into The Witcher III. Generally, when I’m in a bit of a slump, it takes a long time for me to find something that draws me in and immerses me in a different world. The Witcher III is just one of those games that can do that at the drop of a gauntlet.

I’ll have to play more as soon as I get the chance. I have a feeling that I’m getting my groove back.

Did you like this post? You should click “Like” if you did. Feel free to follow Falcon Game Reviews as well. You can also find Falcon Game Reviews on Twitter, Facebook, Discord, or even send a direct email to falconreviewsblog@gmail.com!