The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Reviews

We’ve rounded up quite a few reviews for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt at this point, and I think it’s fair to say that the RPG is getting universal praise worldwide. And that’s really not going to change with this latest batch.

Quarter to Three gives it a perfect 5/5:

That’s really the bad news for players of The Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt. It raises the bar on story and personality so much higher than its been for RPGs. After spending some time as Geralt, it’s tough to shake the sense that being Commander Shepard, The Dragonborn, or even a Jedi Knight is so much less exciting than simply being a monster-hunter in fantasy Poland. Saving the universe is nothing compared to the look you’ll get when you confirm someone’s worst fears.

RPGFan gives it a 95%:

The world of The Witcher 3 is pure delight for any RPG and fantasy fan. You should be warned that the game is filled with incredibly dark and sometimes disturbing themes: undead babies, rape, murder, coarse language, and a range of sexual encounters. Sometimes the content feels forced, cheesy, or awkward, but it is mostly treated in a gritty but mature way. If none of those deter you, then The Witcher 3 should be at the top of your purchase list. There are some glitches, though I encountered few myself, and the controls are occasionally unresponsive, but the developers have already released a couple of patches with more on the way. You could easily spend hundreds of hours exploring the world of Wild Hunt, completing quests and meeting memorable characters. And, I suspect, that’s exactly what you will do.

RPG Codex doesn’t score it:

Witcher 3 is a bit of a mixed bag. Weak in its gameplay yet surprisingly strong as a story and a game world, console-centric but intelligent, it is likely to be a very divisive game for many, on the Codex in particular, and yet, when the dust will settle, it is likely to end up as a game to ride to a rather high position in the local pantheon of story-heavy games. Not due to the heavy Polish infestation of our glorious forums, nor due to the incompetent storytelling attempts presented by the gaming industry, however, no Witcher 3 stands strong on its own and has much to teach to others in terms of writing and world-building. It is a worthy entry in the lists of (diamonds in the rough) that our locals admire so much, and it is an excellent final chapter in Geralt’s adventures. There’s a lot that other teams could stand to learn from Witcher 3 from avoiding to ever make the same control schemes again to making excellent stories and fantastic worlds. I hope CDPR will not forget their lessons in the future titles, a one-hit wonder would surely be a shame.

GameBleed doesn’t score it, either:

This may be Geralt’s story, but it remains a harrowing depiction of the plight of the entire Northern Realm, and the lives of those affected by a seemingly never-ending bombardment of tragedy. But despite this traumatic existence, the world that CD Projekt Red have built is as vibrant as any I have ever experienced. It may take you a while to sort the deceptive from the just, and the killers from the kind-hearted, but moral ambiguity is just one of the many traits of this horrible, wonderful hyper-reality. A reality that, despite all of the monsters that inhabit it, remains magnificently human. CD Projekt Red’s The Witcher III: Wild Hunt is one of the finest RPG’s ever crafted.

KillScreen gives it an 87/100:

I don’t think I’ve ever seen a game’s protagonist get such a hero’s welcome after an out-of-the-way job. It’s a whole standalone scene with thoughtful camera movements and blocking, four voiced roles (not including Geralt), a small dialogue choice, and even a memorable line reading from the last guy. It’s a low-key but oddly moving ending, a rush of gratitude when you expected nothing. That’s the sort of trick The Witcher 3 pulls off all the time: emotion out of nowheres.

Technology Tell gives it an “A”:

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt made me laugh, cringe, groan, and feel an ache of soulful longing. There were moments bittersweet and times when I took actions uncertain of their morality. This was a game that caused me to feel and to consider, and more than its gameplay elements, strong though they may be (and so this gets a hearty recommendation to any fan of swords and sorcery action-RPGs), I found myself playing just to be in that world, that depressed and destitute world on the verge of collapse, just a little while longer.

PCMag gives it a 3.5/5:

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt sets the bar for open-world RPGs on the PS4. The world is gorgeous with realistic weather, sunrises, and sunsets. Combat is, for most of the game, fluid and fair, if unforgiving. Storytelling is deep, and the ability to shape the events that take place through your choices makes it even deeper. Yet, glitches and serious frame rate errors in later battles hold The Witcher 3 back from greatness.

And Windows Central gives it a rating of “instant classic”:

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is among the most beautiful, majestic and engaging games on Xbox One today. I’d not hesitate to call it the best game available on Xbox One today, but those are a Witcher fan’s words. If you like RPGs, you’ve probably already picked this up. But, fans of third person action, fantasy story telling or just good games should also buy this. It could be a long time before we see an RPG on this level again.