5th Anniversary of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

Not So Long Ago, or Was It?

While browsing gaming news today, I couldn’t believe my eyes! The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt celebrated its fifth anniversary. It seems like just a little while ago, I planted myself into my recliner and plunged into The Witcher 3. This gem of a game holds some of my fondest memories. 

Memories

The first time I saw the haunting visage of The Hanged Man’s Tree in Velen, which I happened to catch as the sun was setting. Bodies left to rot were strewn from its limbs, leaving a chilling thought of what the people were like that did this. 

From Lord Of The Rings, Thoughts of Gondor came swirling when I laid eyes on Kaer Morhen from a distance. The stone walls and its ramparts were reaching ever higher towards the sky as if the surrounding rock spat it from the earth. 

I don’t bother with side quests most of the time, but I am so happy that I made the exception and traveled to Freya’s Garden to find Morkvarg, the immortal werewolf. Without “In Wolf’s Clothing,” I would not have found the ruins. Like an ancient elvish landscape sprouting from roots, we see nature recapturing its environment. We see a few wooden buildings dotting the area by day, welcoming us into an enchanted world with unknown secrets long forgotten. By night, it appears as a graveyard conjuring thoughts of who once inhabited the place. 

Events That Linger With Me Still (SPOILERS!)

A choice that has to be made that still haunts me is in the quest “Family Matters.” Whether you kill the botchling, a cursed baby, or not was a decision that somewhat put me on my heels. While monstrous in appearance, the thought of having to kill a baby was a rough one indeed. I opted not to kill the child on the first playthrough, turning it into a Luberkin where it haunted the house for all eternity. This quest was one of the main reasons I played through the second time.

My most satisfying time was the quest “Get Junior,” and let me tell you, whatever choice you make is delightful. When you find Junior, you see in the background dead women in various positions. Junior is an evil man, and you have two choices to make: Kill him on the spot or let him live. Killing him is the most logical option, and the result is the illegal operation is dismantled, and legitimate businesses are allowed to flourish. Allowing him to live seems counter-intuitive, but he still loses all power and is forced to become a beggar ridiculed and picked on by children. Either way, you’ll feel better knowing that justice has been served.

5 Years Well Spent

I have played The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt to experience different activities and scenery over the years so many times. I feel is well spent out of all the play-throughs and sometimes discover little gems I missed previously. I could go on and on about this game and tell you what you want to hear, but in the end, all I can say is play this game you won’t regret it.

Thank you, CD Projekt Red for the many years of enjoyment from The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and the others.