The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Understands War

After calling The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt the best game of 2015 and one of the best games the author has ever played in his life, this editorial on War is Boring analyzes how CD Projekt RED managed to build a game that accurately portrays a war-ravaged setting. “There is no good or bad in this world, just competing interests”:

The soldiers in this world are rarely interested in glory or conquest. They want food in their stomachs, a safe place to sleep and equipment that works. Geralt never comes across grand battles, but is present at the moments between.

Dead bodies litter the ground of the Northern Kingdoms. Nilfgaardians and Northerners alike rot in the sun. People hang from trees, a sign posted in front of their swinging and bloated bodies lists their crimes desertion, stealing provisions and rape. The North and the South hang criminals in equal measure. Refugees huddle outside of the few cities untouched by the war. Soldiers demand the proper paperwork and keep the rabble from flooding the last civilized outposts in the North.

Civilians cling to tradition and appease whichever army is currently occupying them. They know it could all change tomorrow. There are no heroes, just men and women desperate to survive. This sense of despair and struggle permeates The Witcher 3.