Alright now that I'm about 25 hours or so into the game I think I can finally give it an honest assessment. It's probably the best fantasy RPG we have to date and I think will replace
Skyrim in that regard. It's pretty hard to believe that this game only cost 15 million to make because it absolutely blows a lot of western developed games out of the water in terms of just sheer depth. Like I said, I'm 25 hours in and I have only been to one major settlement, and that was only at the 23 hour mark because I had finally gotten a clearance letter and even then I only wanted in so I could find a proper blacksmith. Before that I was absolutely content roaming around the massive countryside of what I believe to be just 1 of 4 regions (although I could be wrong on that front). So scope, the game is absolutely massive, with more than enough to keep you going for a very long time.
The Witcher series has always been about writing. Some criticize it for being that particular bit of grim-dark fantasy, and yes there are rarely moments of pleasantry, but even in all the bleak horribleness it never feels hopeless. The game does a fantastic job of making side-quests varied, and introducing long, sprawling ones with fantastically written characters that never feel like the cliches they could have easily been. The last quest I just did was a very long one where I had to reunite a Robert Baratheon-like brute with his family in exchange for information relating to the main quest. It was a very well designed quest that took me throughout the area, with multiple branches and some very memorable moments, culminating in a satisfying ending that saw character arcs and some actual redemption and feeling of accomplishment beyond checking the quest off my to-do list.
The combat is easily the best in the series. While the first game had a weird kind of rhythm/ strategy based combat, and the second flirted with button mashing, this one takes some ideas from the Dark Souls games and makes a very robust and satisfying combat engine. From the first and second game it takes the idea of properly preparing for fights by reading up on the monsters and finding out what they are weak to, and from the Souls games it takes the idea of learning their attack patterns and understanding that you won't always kill them in one flurry of attacks. It becomes incredibly satisfying when you take down a group of 3 or 4 enemies without taking damage, especially when you're playing on the harder difficulty levels. It is also nice that I can apply oil to my swords and drink potions midfight rather than having to prepare ahead of time. While that level of preparation was kind of what made the Witcher series standout from the other melee focused fantasy games, it does make it a little easier to just wade into battle and try and brute force your way through it. That said, the game is pretty unforgiving, even on the medium difficulty and having the various oils and potions ready ahead of time, as well as utilizing your signs is necessary for any skirmish.
From a graphical standpoint, I think the game is one of the benchmark games of the new generation and definitely something that makes the new consoles actually worth the price. Apparently there was a bit of a graphical downgrade from the trailers and demos and whatnot, but I tend to avoid those, especially when it comes to games that I already know I want to play. I will admit though, I was a little surprised that I could pretty much max out the settings with my 970 but then again, the recommended card is a 770 so it's not all
that surprising. The latest patch has really sharpened up the texture work and made the foliage look less flat and I have a feeling that by the time the Enhanced Edition comes out it will be closer to what people saw in the preview footage. As far as I'm concerned though, it's a game that looks gorgeous and is incredibly well optimized (at least with the stupid hair physics engine thing turned off) and it really says something about the current state of gaming when "hey the game actually works" is considered a point of praise instead of just an expectation.
That's not to say the game is without its faults. As well optimized as it is I have found a couple of bugs, some of which still haven't been addressed, one of which has made a quest completely unplayable. I wish that there was a little bit more direction in Velen because one of the first quests I got in it has a suggested level of 33 and I was maybe 3 or 4 when I got it. It would also be nice if level requirements were a little more apparent when crafting items because I've had a few instances where I had finally found a blacksmith able to craft some awesome sword I found the diagram for, only to find out that I was 6 levels under what I needed to be to wield it. The game also continues the series' habit of not properly telegraphing dialogue choices, some of which can make the game go in ways you really didn't want, or make you unable to go back to other choices. This came to ahead at one point where I ended up fighting someone I really didn't want to and killing them without any context other than "they used me". It really didn't sit well with me and I actually save scummed my way back about 20 minutes so I could redo that quest. In doing so I learned a lot more about the character's motivations and was actually able to not have to fight them. I know it's a part of what makes the Witcher series unique, but it can become very easy to just stumble your way through the quests and story without fully understanding the context of it and not being able to go back and learn more about it. One thing I've definitely learned is that when a dialogue tree comes up, always go for the grey options before proceeding with the yellow ones. There are a few other nitpicks here and there, mostly related to the repetitive combat song shriek thing that gets annoying, but it's easy enough to just turn off the combat music altogether, which I would actually recommend doing.
In summary, this is definitely the game I was hoping it would be and probably the first game that has completely lived up to the expectations, if only because I purposely distanced myself from the hype and previews and went in with a blank slate. I can see this game being my game of the year and possibly even one of my favorite games of all time.