INTRODUCTION
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is a 2015 action role-playing video game developed by CD Projekt RED and published by CD Projekt. Based on The Witcher series of fantasy novels by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski, it is the sequel to the 2011 video game The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings and the third installment in The Witcher video game series.Played in an open world with a third-person perspective, players control protagonist Geralt of Rivia, a monster hunter known as a witcher, who seeks to find his adopted daughter on the run from the "Wild Hunt", an otherworldly force determined to capture and utilise her powers. Throughout the game, players battle against the world's many dangers using weapons and magic, interact with various non-player characters, and complete main story quests, side quests, monster contracts, and treasure hunts to acquire experience points and gold used to increase Geralt's various abilities and gear. The game's central story features multiple endings that are determined by Geralt's choices made by the player during certain points of the story.
Wild Hunt was released worldwide on 19 May 2015 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. The game met with critical acclaim upon release, with praise directed toward its gameplay, narrative, world design, combat and visuals. It became the most awarded game of 2015, receiving numerous Game of the Year awards from gaming publications, critics, and award events, and is regarded by many to be one of the greatest role-playing games of all time. The game was also a commercial success, selling over six million copies within six weeks of its release. Two expansion packs, Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine, were produced. A Game of the Year edition, which includes the base game, its two expansion packs, and all additional downloadable content, was released in August 2016.
GAMEPLAY
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is an action role-playing game played from a third-person perspective. In the game, players assume control of Geralt of Rivia, a monster hunter known as a witcher. Geralt can walk, run, roll, and dodge, and for the first time in the series, also jump, climb, and swim. Geralt is equipped with a large variety of weapons, including bombs, a crossbow, a steel sword and a silver sword. Players can draw out, switch and sheathe their swords at will. There are two modes of melee attacks: Light attacks are fast but weak, while heavy attacks are slow but strong. Players can block and counter enemies' attacks with their swords. Swords have limited endurance and need to be repaired regularly. In addition to physical attacks, Geralt has five different magical signs at his disposal. Aard prompts Geralt to unleash a telekinetic blast, Axii confuses enemies, Igni inflicts burning damages on enemies, Yrden slows enemies down, and Quen offers players a temporary protective shield. Using these signs consumes stamina, meaning that they cannot be used infinitely. Players can use mutagens to further boost Geralt's magic power. Players lose health when they are attacked by enemies, though wearing armour pieces can help reduce health loss. Health can be restored through meditation or using consumerables such as food and potions. In certain segments of the game, players assume control of Ciri, who has an ability which allows her to teleport in short distances.The game features responsive, advanced artificial intelligence (AI) and dynamic environments. The day and night cycle influences some monsters and their powers, similar to the common mythological motif of a werewolf gaining powers during the night of a full moon. Players can learn more about their enemies and prepare for combat through reading the in-game bestiary, which is a volume containing information on different monsters. Once players kill an enemy, they can loot their corpses for valuable items. Geralt's witcher senses enable players to find objects of interest, including items that can be collected or scavenged. Items are stored in the inventory, which can be expanded by purchasing upgrades. Players can sell these items to vendors, who give players Crowns, a form of currency, or use these materials to craft useful items such as potions, runestones, glyphs, and bombs. They can also visit blacksmiths to craft new weapons and armours with the ingredients they have gathered. The selling price of an item and the cost of crafting depend on the region's local economy, meaning that it will be different in different regions.
The game has a heavy focus on narrative. It features a dialogue wheel which allows players to choose how they want to respond to non-player characters. In the story, Geralt has to make consequential decisions that change the state of the world and lead to 36 ending outcomes, affecting the lives of in-game characters. Geralt can also engage in a romantic relationship with some of the game's female characters through completing certain quests. Beyond the main quests, there are also books that offer more information on the game's world. Players can initiate side quests after visiting a town's notice board. These side missions include Witcher Contracts, which are elaborated missions that task players to track and hunt monsters, and Treasure Hunt quests, which reward players with top-tier weapons or armour parts upon completion. Completing missions is the only way for players to earn experience points. When the player earns enough experience, Geralt's level increases and players will be given ability points. These points can be spent on 4 skill trees: Combat, Signs, Alchemy, and General. Combat upgrades enhance Geralt's physical attacks and unlock new fighting techniques, Signs upgrades enable Geralt to use magic more efficiently, Alchemy upgrades improve crafting abilities, while General upgrades have a range of functions, from raising Geralt's vitality to increasing crossbow damages. The game features an open world which is broken up into several major regions. Geralt can freely explore each region on foot or using transportation like a boat. Roach is Geralt's horse and can be summoned at will. Players can kill enemies with their sword while riding on Roach, but enemy presence may cause Roach to panic and throw Geralt off. Points of interest can be found on the map. Players will be rewarded with experience points after completing the mini-missions in these regions. Through exploration, players can also discover Places of Power, which grant players additional ability points. Other activities in which players can participate include horse racing, boxing and card playing. The card playing mechanic was later fully expanded into a standalone game.