Diving into the World of Monsters and Magic: My Witcher 3 Experience

I've been a fan of single-player games for years, and The Witcher 3 has been on my radar for ages. I needed a new laptop to meet the system requirements, so I held off until I could upgrade. Once I had the right hardware, I dove right in, starting from the beginning with the first game. I quickly got hooked, learned the lore, and enjoyed playing through the first part, then struggled a bit on the second, and finally, here's the legendary The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.

GAME FACTS

Release Year: 2015

Game Mode: Single-player

Genre: Action/RPG

Developers: CD Projekt RED

Recommended System Requirements:

DirectX: DirectX 11;Resolution: 1080p;OS: Windows 7 (64-bit) or Windows 8 (8.1) (64-bit);Processor: Intel CPU Core i7 3770 3.4 GHz or AMD CPU AMD FX-8350 4 GHz;Graphics Card: Nvidia GPU GeForce GTX 770 or AMD GPU Radeon R9 290;RAM: 6 GB;Storage: 50 GB.For comfortable gameplay, it's recommended to have at least 16 GB of RAM.

I upgraded my laptop, and it met the system requirements, so I was able to play The Witcher 3 without any issues. The default settings were maxed out, but I toned it down a notch, and the game ran smoothly - no hiccups throughout.About the Story

The immersion began with a familiar prologue - a concise intro that set the stage. We play as Geralt of Rivia, the brutish wizard. He looked a lot better and more appealing compared to the first installment.

Following the classic formula, the game starts with a tutorial in the witcher stronghold of Kaer Morhen. Geralt's in the bathtub, Yennefer's primping in front of the mirror, Ciri's training, and Vesemir's dozing off. But, the idyllic scene is shattered by the Wild Hunt - a group of elven riders who kidnap Ciri.

This is a dream from a bygone era, but Geralt knows his adopted daughter's in danger, and he must find her. As his memories return, he's driven to find the one who saved him in the past - his old friend and sorceress, Yennefer (the canonical love interest).

I'm excited to dive into the first (tutorial) location - the White Garden. Here, I'm joined by my guide, Vesemir, as we search for Jennifer and help the local folk. This is where I'll get a feel for the game's mechanics and explore the world and its possibilities.

The training is thorough, with helpful tooltips and hotkeys on the screen.

After the White Garden, I'm given a ton of freedom and a genuinely open world. There are seven locations to explore in total.

White Orchard - the first location to get familiar with and a large village northeast of Vizima.Velen - a neutral, impoverished land. Hunger, war, ruin, and rural residents. Miserable and grey landscapes, frequent rain. A great atmospheric place.Novigrad - the wealthiest city and a hotbed of conflict. Wealthy merchants, diverse social classes, and beautiful architecture.Skellige Islands - cold and harsh, inspired by Scandinavia. Not a small location, but full of questions.Castle in Vizima - a very small location with nothing but the Emperor.Kaer Morhen - a witcher's castle in the mountains, where the witches will spend the winter. A small location with few additional places and questions.Toussaint - a vassal state of Nilfgaard. A vibrant and colorful place with beautiful views. Architecturally and in terms of names, it's a mix of France and Spain. Events from the 'Blood and Wine' expansion will take place here.

GRAPHICSI wasn't intimidated by The Witcher 1, and this one didn't scare me either. Even in 2025, everything looks great and playable. I don't have any criticisms, the landscapes are beautiful, and the NPCs are quite diverse.

I've got a soft spot for cutscenes. There are even entire YouTube videos out there that compile all the cutscenes into one epic film.SOUNDTRACK

This is a 10 out of 10 for me. It's immersive, engaging, and perfectly complements the game without overpowering it. I'm particularly fond of the 'Stone Hearts' DLC - the music really gets to you. I find myself listening to it on its own from time to time.

VOICE ACTING

The initial voice acting was a major letdown for many players. Some lines were delivered at an unnatural pace - either too fast or too slow. Thankfully, the developers have since addressed these issues in later updates. Triss no longer speaks at a breakneck pace, and Yen's drunken ramblings have been toned down.

I've got to give a huge shoutout to the voice actors for their hard work. Not only did they pour their hearts into it, but they also nailed the dialogue. The conversations are full of clever humor, sarcasm, and - yes, I'll say it - some pretty choice language. I mean, let's be real, The Witcher 3's use of profanity is a masterclass in immersion and setting the tone for the game's world. The cussing is plentiful, which might scare off some players, but it's a major part of what drew me in.

The game's quotes have been flying around, and some of them are even quotable.

1.— How's life treating you?

— Like a potato beetle: I'm quiet, I'm unassuming, and I'm quietly ruining the potatoes.

2. — What's with the tears? Don't be sad, my lady, it's not becoming of you...

— You must have been disappointed a lot.

— I was just born ugly.

3.— I see you're getting along great with that troll.

— I've had a lot of experience working with idiots.

4. — Come on, Piotr.

— What am I doing?

5. — How do you manage to appear out of nowhere the moment I whistle?

— You're my guy. I have to keep an eye on you. Come with me, and I'll brave the dark nights!

— And then why do you cross oceans to answer my call, but stop at a little fence?

— Well, you know, everyone has their limits.

6. — You're getting more sensitive than Yen.

— Just don't fall in love.

7. — You... You smell amazing.

— Geralt! We're at a funeral!

— You smell amazing at this funeral!

8. — Well, go ahead.

— I'm already there, you know.

9. What's the point of being a jerk? Come on, let's just get along. I'll do the same to you.

10. — So what if the trout bites more often if it tastes like crap?

— That's the kind of cook you are, like a donkey playing the clarinet. I caught a fresh thyme last time...

— …and it tasted like thyme with garbage, haha.

11. I thought I'd be greeted with a hot roast and a cold beer, but nope, not here.

12. Don't mess with us, just keep it real... oh, shoot, I'd say it in rhyme, Geralt, but it's not ladylike.

13. Oh, Geralt, leave her alone, give in to her. See how she looks... like my Bobik when he had a gut twist.

ATMOSPHERE

The Witcher is that game where the more you play, the more you realize there's more to it. Not everything in the game is on display. To connect some dots, you need to listen to NPCs, read notes and bulletin boards, or just observe. Some parts of the game are straight-up creepy. There are quests that are terrifying on their own (like the baron's storyline). In one of the expansions, the devs dove head-first into the dark theme. There are curses, sold souls, and devil's games.

And then there are the unexpected moments. Like the whale on Skellige. It just pops up out of nowhere and freaks me out.

CONVENIENCE

I've gotta say, there's nothing unnecessary in this game for me. A lot of people complain about the inventory, but it can be a lot worse. The controls are pretty basic: walking is WSDA, attacking is a mouse click, blocking is a mouse click, dodging/jumping is the space bar, and the wheel mouse is for the crossbow/bombs. That's it. You can customize it if you want, and you can also find your inventory, map, quests, and other stuff on the hotkeys.

QUESTS

The world of Witcher is all about the gray area between good and evil. Good deeds can lead to bad consequences, and brutal killings can save an entire village. Apart from the main storyline quests, there are also additional ones. They're divided into:

- side quests

- contracts

- treasure hunts and armor searches

And they're all interesting, with some of them being quite complex. The creators did a great job with the story even in the simplest quests. Contracts and treasure hunts are pretty straightforward, but the side quests... They're the kind of quests where you can actually affect the fate of an entire state. I'd recommend completing all of them, don't skip anything.

UNKNOWN LOCATIONS

Unexplored areas on the map, where something's waiting for us, are marked with a '?' . We'll get to some of them through quests, and some we'll have to find on our own. It can be anything - from a chest with loot to a gang of bandits. Or maybe just a harmless place of power. Cleaning up Skellige from question marks will take a lot of time.

CRAFT

You can create armor and weapons with the blacksmith, enchant stones for armor and weapons, brew potions, oils, and bombs.

MAGIC

There's a mini-game - witcher signs. There are five of them.

GWINT

GWINT's been a staple in The Witcher series. In the first games, we played dice, but in GWINT, it's cards. You can play with traders, innkeepers, and friends. Cards can be bought or won. I didn't immediately take to GWINT on my first playthrough and missed out on a lot of cards. I needed a bit more tutorial guidance, and it wasn't until I watched some YouTube tutorials that I understood the basics, although the game itself isn't complicated. That's why I decided to replay the game.

ADDONS

There are two of them: 'Hearts of Stone' and 'Blood and Wine'. Both are fantastic. The developers have done a great job of creating new characters and bringing existing ones from the books to life. I'd love to see a few more addons, but Geralt's story has reached its conclusion, and now we're waiting for The Witcher 4.

Glitches

I've definitely experienced some issues. There's no freezing, but the game can get a bit glitchy. I've had tasks fail to register a few times, and I've had to reload my save and redo the quest. Sometimes, even that wouldn't work, and I'd have to refer to the guides on how to complete the quest in the right order. And, of course, there was the time my trusty horse, Plootva, decided to take a break and rest on the wall of the elf ruins. It happens, right?

The game has this weird, internal magic that makes you want to keep coming back, even after you've completed all the quests and storylines. You want to explore, find new things, talk to NPCs, and see the consequences of your choices – it all plays a role here.

I'm not a fan of replaying big games, but Witcher 3 has me hooked. The lore and mechanics are well-balanced, so you can enjoy the engaging story without getting overwhelmed.

I'd love it if you took a minute to check out my other reviews – I've written about movies, TV shows, some beauty products, and gadgets.

Thanks for reading, and I hope you found this review helpful!