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Peasants and clueless guardsmen might fear the creatures that supposedly come from the mountains and take away their children, but Geralt of Rivia certainly doesn't. Which brings us neatly to the intense combat. You can relate to imperfect stony outcrops and battered wooden bridges in a way that makes their normality seem interesting, and then the fantastical element kicks in when you have to fight a grotesque monster near them. From decrepit swamps to vast farming fields, the world feels practical, but that arguably makes it all the more intriguing. Instead of putting an emphasis on gigantic mountains and flamboyant expanses of land that look like they belong in an art gallery, Wild Hunt's environments are far more subtle, and appear more natural as a result. The landscape itself doesn't offer the same romanticised grandeur of something like The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. Again, the atmosphere is often breathtaking. Standing in the middle of a forest while the wind's howling, you can see trees bending, hear branches snapping, and listen to leaves clapping together. From slight breezes to full-on gales, greenery sways appropriately. If the title can lay claim to anything, it's that it has the best wind effects that we've ever seen in a game. The Witcher 3 has suffered a hefty graphical downgrade since its initial trailers, that much is certain – but what's on offer is still more than impressive enough.
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We don't even want to think of how much time it took to hand place every shrub, tree, and rocky pathway, but the often staggering attention detail is the icing on the cake – a cake that already looks every bit as good as it tastes. Serene little villages yet to be touched by the wars remain idyllic and cosy, while the bustling streets of one of the title's big cities actually instil a sense of safety – even if there happens to be a group of thugs waiting ahead in a dark alleyway, preparing to beat Geralt senseless.Įven when you're riding at breakneck speeds, it's hard not to notice just how much detail has been hammered into the release. Danger appears to lurk around every corner – but there are lighter moments, and the brutality that's found out in the wilderness makes you appreciate them all the more. The land's atmosphere is consistently heavy and threatening. The world seems to be perpetually bathed in war, and when peasants aren't being murdered and raped by invading armies, they're being eaten alive by unspeakable horrors. Make no mistake – this is a fantasy game, but it's dark fantasy with a capital D. Split into several separate regions that are all huge to begin with, the land's as varied as it is disturbing. With that in mind, the developer has stepped into the already swamped open world market with Wild Hunt – and it's probably one of the best decisions that the firm could have made. However, its gameplay was rough in that combat was clunky, and environments were somewhat limiting. A critical darling, the previous game was held in high regard because of its engaging narrative and player choice-driven scenarios.
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The Polish studio was on the brink of something special with its last entry in the franchise, The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings.