Written by: Silje Sveen
Name: The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Complete Edition
Developer: CD Project Red
Publisher: Bandai Namco Entertainment
Released: 15.10.2019
Platforms: Nintendo Switch
Reviewed on: Nintendo Switch
Acquired: A copy of this game was provided by a publisher for review purpose
It happened, guys. The highly-acclaimed game formally known as The Witcher 3, as well as all of its expansions, have made it to the Nintendo Switch. I vaguely remember thinking “Wow, this console looks great! Too bad its selection of games is so poor.” when the Switch hit the shelves, and then getting it anyway because I am a weak person. Little did I know I would be eating those words with each of its plentiful and diverse releases, be it original games or ports. A lot of them have proven to translate over to the Switch with flying colors, is this big name one of them? Let’s find out.
The Good
First off, the elephant in the room: I never got around to playing The Witcher 3. That does not mean I didn’t buy into the massive hype, though, I remember thinking this game looked GORGEOUS! Now, as a handheld Switch player, this was one of my main concerns. Turns out, I had absolutely nothing to worry about. Granted, it probably looks a lot better on a TV screen, but the screenshots I managed to snap in handheld really don’t do it justice (transferring from Switch to PC when you don’t have an SD adapter is not recommended but I digress). I did not feel like there was anything lacking, meaning you can effectively play this huge, beauteous game on something you can pretty much shove into your pocket. The controls allow you to switch it up (get it?) on a dime when you’re in a fight, the voice acting’s charming, everything is downright solid. There’s even Gwent, a card game within the game! Last note: the signs, or magic, if you will, are a really nice part of the game, and I may or may not have taken a worrying liking to ‘igni’.
The Bad
Then there’s the startup… The storytelling stills are really nice, don’t get me wrong, but is it all that necessary to see them every time you load up your game? They feel like they were made to get the players immersed, but personally I feel like they had the opposite effect. The movement is maybe a little too realistic, in that Geralt takes a bit to stop moving when you let go of the analog stick. This can get frustrating when you’re trying to gather things or otherwise stand in a specific spot. There’s also the leveling. The system is nice, you can put points in a whole lot of options, but the leveling itself seemed to take forever. This coming from someone notorious for accidentally over leveling! Can’t dock too many points for this, though, combat was pretty fun (especially with ‘igni’, cough).
You can check out our review policy right here if you wonder how we set our scores.
-
Nintendo Switch version 8.5
8.5/10
Verdict
In short, The Witcher 3 is looking as attractive as ever, and experiencing it for the first time in a way like this was a delight. The controls could use a bit of fine-tuning out of combat, but it also added to the charm in a way.
Overall
8.5/10
User Review
( votes)Pros
- Looks outstanding, also in handheld
- Huge map full of things to explore
- A whole lot of voiced dialogue to go along with the massive plot
Cons
- Movement may be a little on the drunk side
- Slow leveling
- Tedious to start up
