I didn't play this for years because I wanted to play the first two games first. Because at the time, nearly a decade ago when I got this, I hated Witcher 1, I ended up missing on Witcher 3. Since then, countless updates and the next-gen update (much more than just incorporating the most popular graphic mods and others) have come through and the game is in its definitive version. I'll address the two DLCs in their own page, so this is solely a base game review, free of spoilers.

Few games can touch me so deeply that I become invested in them. KCD, Oblivion and Minecraft are some of these games. And now, Witcher 3 joins this tier of game. I said in my Witcher 2 review that it improved quest design tremendously and this one manages to go even further. There are far more Witcher contracts and the vast majority of them are so unique and fun to do. I felt a little sadness once I got the achievement of completing all of them. The sidequests are far more plentiful and enjoyable, with some being pretty comical and others having ramifications to the main quest. But, of course, the main quest takes the cake. Because this game, unlike its predecessors, is an actual open world, rather than small parts of a world divided by chapters, the main quest had to be similarly all-encompassing. The result is a gigantic adventure spanning three entire regions (and even a couple of dimensions) that easily vaults over fourty hours, 100 counting the sidequests and exploration. And yet, at no point, it felt it was dragging on or stopped making sense. Character personalities was always a strong suit of the Witcher games, even in the first where they felt a bit more 2D than the rest. At no point you feel lost on why you are doing things, because the main quest is led by a core goal: find Ciri. The final battle is insanely fun and tense, even if a little too easy because you can parry and counterattack Eredin.

Like in W2, I imported my save from that game into W3. But unlike W2, I'm not sure if it had any real consequences, besides my Geralt carrying the drunken tattoo. Vernon still greeted me amicably and aided me despite siding with Iorveth eight months before. Yet, the quests in Witcher 3 have consequences to the game world itself, rather than past games influencing outcomes. This is still one of my favorite things about the Witcher games, the fact actions have tangible, even if unpredictable consequences. Even down to the ending, where your actions with Ciri or regarding the assassination of Radovid (whom you help establish as King in Witcher 1) determine the possible endings. It's fantastic.

Mechanically, the game is a solid step up in all regards, especially in combat. It feels so much more fluid and fair, Geralt's actions are more predictable. It is what Witcher 2's combat wanted to be, but failed in that regard. Parrying matters in this game and while sometimes our hero will still attack stuff you don't want him to (especially during the Wraith battle in the Hearts of Stone DLC), the combat never felt like a chore or impossible, even in difficult battles. This is largely due to potions and oils mattering so much more now. While not straight necessities, they have far more use and importance than in W2, where you couldn't drink in combat and oils didn't affect your damage in a tangible manner. I'm glad they brought back that ability of drinking in battle from W1. What I dislike is how, unlike in the previous games, alchemy was revamped and now it requires specific ingredients rather than anything that has a particular element, leaving the familiar Rubedo, Aether, etc, components to a role of upgrading them to the Superior version. I miss Witcher 1's alchemy that allowed and incentivized experimentation. It didn't require you to learn the recipes, you could just brew them yourself and identify them that way. Alcohol also had more importance as it was the base for the potions and determined their strength. But we can't have a cake and eat it too, it seems. In the end, the current system isn't bad, it just feels limiting compared to what we used to have. However, a thing I don't miss from the past is the skill tree. W3's skill tree and perks are far more interesting and simpler than the gigantic, limiting counterparts of the other games. No longer do you need to invest points in Training or Strength to get a simpler +10% damage. Now there's perks that affect the whole playstyle. Will you prefer to use the weak as hell flamethrower Agni or smite enemies through Rend? In particular I love the alchemy tree this time, it's far more useful and important, with Synergy and the Acquired Tolerance being all-around reliable. I love that Whirl exists, reminding me of the beauty of Group style from the first game.

Witcher sense is far better this time. While in W1 it was just a key press that identified anything interactible nearby like it was some old school MMO, in W2 it became a touch of the medallion to reveal, in a short area, anything worthwhile. In here, it's similar to squinting your eyes, canceling the ability to sprint, but revealing stuff as you go. And you'll be using it so often it becomes second nature, especially when those contracts I mentioned above require a bit of sleuthing to help you prepare and identify the monster. That leads me to the bestiary. Keeping with W2, the journal, character tab and bestiary are written from Dandelion's perspective. The bestiary is, by far, more helpful than the versions the other two games had, with a clear cut strategy using only sign icons, bomb and oils, rather than the lengthier texts of W1. Learning about monsters in detail is no longer required to blow up their nests or collect their drops, which streamlines the experience in a very good way. This is the type of streamlining I love to see in RPGs, rather than, for instance, Bethesda's version, where it washes down everything to make it very simple and shallow as a consequence. Knowledge in Witcher is always half the battle, but in this game, it isn't a mandatory battle, and that makes it less tedious. Still didn't stop me from acquiring every single book in the game.

On the topic of minigames, I miss dice poker and arm wrestling. I felt they could be far better done here than in W2, where the physics were janky and laggy. Gwent and horse racing is a suitable replacer, I guess. Gwent in particular was made in two days, and it always felt very unfair, but I guess that's a result of being a card game. For the most part, spies and decoys are very broken and I never felt the need to use any deck besides the Northern Realms. At least fist fighting remained and as you progress, it becomes harder because enemies hit for more while taking less damage. In the end, it makes every battle a waiting game of dodging everything and hammering them when they throw a strong attack, rinse and repeat. I just wished poker and arm wrestling could've stayed.

There's really nothing else I can say. The game does everything it sets out to do far better than its predecessor, while keeping in line with the gameplay that made the first game enjoyable. There are quite a few nods to W1 and W2's story that I fear get lost in someone that never played those games. But if you played those two and now touch this one, you'll find this is the true Witcher experience, through and through.