PLFT Games

The Witcher 3

Finished: February 2025. Article: June 2025.

Spoiler warning: this article may include what you would consider spoilers for various story and character moments.

The Witcher 3 is one of the most lauded games of all time. Based on the fictional works by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski, The Witcher 3 stars Geralt of Rivia, the titular Witcher. For those unfamiliar, witchers are humans who have undergone mutation to tolerate alchemical potions that enhance their physical abilities, but which would be fatally toxic to a non-witcher.  Witchers undergo years of rigorous training in combat, hunting and tracking, and alchemy to prepare to hunt monsters that roam the countryside and occasionally the cities. They offer their service as monster hunters in exchange for coin, like paranormal bounty hunters. Witchers are often scorned by society for being non-human, seeing as relatively akin to the monsters that plague civilization, tolerated only for their utility. 

Thus is the background of the protagonist, Geralt. The backdrop for the game is a vaguely medieval/renaissance era dark fantasy world filled with all the political intrigue and drama of an HBO series, even including some of the steamy bits as well. The main plot follows Geralt searching for his ex-girlfriend, Yennefer, (a sorceress of dubious morality and ethics) to help track down his adopted daughter Ciri, who is on the run from a cosmic interdimensional group of bandits called The Wild Hunt. Over the course of the game Geralt uncovers conspiracies, fights the wild hunt, is entrapped in royal court intrigue, various optional romances, and of course he hunts and slays monsters. Along the way you are given many opportunities to make choices in how to apply justice as your Geralt sees fit, although I find that the truest feeling of Geralt to me was that of a merciful slayer, staying his hand at times and offering succor to the downtrodden non-humans who are often wrongfully demonized by humanity. There is a strong overt story of oppression and pogroms throughout the game. 

The Witcher 3 contains many memorable characters. Geralt himself is a stoic, often terse, crass, nomadic warrior. There are of course choices in how you can behave as Geralt and everyone’s results may vary. For my time, I found him a very compelling and complex character, but perhaps that’s just how I played him. Accompanying Geralt is a large cast of supporting characters including three (or more?) romance options, and various allies and enemies.

The other main characters are Yennefer, Triss and Ciri: two love interests and Geralt’s adopted daughter. The love triangle aspect of the game can sometimes get tiresome, and it offers some potentially surprising outcomes depending on how you direct Geralt to engage or not with Yennefer and Triss. Ciri is a constant object of pursuit until near the end of the game.

The enemies and allies, both true and of convenience, are very compelling. Some principle enemies are a trio of witches who are the Crones of Crookback Bog – ancient beings of mystical and druidic power that sustain themselves through sacrifice and cannibalism; The Church of Eternal Fire – a cult based on xenophobia and persecution of the other; The Wild Hunt – a group of cosmic interdimensional bandits who raid villages to shanghai recruits for their piracy and who are after Ciri for her powers to jump between dimensions. Most of the game entails following different trails of clues to trace Ciri’s whereabouts, which leads you to run-ins with these various antagonists. 

I found all the main antagonists intriguing. They are all steeped in some kind of mystery that you can uncover as you play the game. I found the use of European mythos as a basis for the dark fantasy setting to be quite refreshing. Yes, it’s often used as a basis for fantasy settings, but the game bases its mythology in Slavic and eastern European folklore and mythology, which I think is rarer in western-facing media. 

Probably the most intriguing story beats to me were the moments where you will hunt a monster, only to realize that the monster is sentient, and just trying to live their life, and is potentially a victim themselves – giving Geralt the opportunity to choose between coin and benevolence. I don’t want to offer specific examples because they are often a surprise in themselves. It’s an “old” game by today’s standards, but it’s still one that many may not have experienced.

The last thing I’ll say about the main story is that I wish I had experienced it sooner, as the potential payoff is quite large, depending on what choices you make as Geralt along the way. There are multiple endings available depending on key decisions throughout the game. I thought at the end that I had obtained the “worst” ending, when in-fact I had obtained the “best” ending in my view. It was very rewarding. I’ll admit that I did use guides to obtain the best ending because at my age I just don’t feel like I have time to dedicate to replaying an 80+ hour game to see all the endings without having to use YouTube.

As far as gameplay itself goes, I found it quite enjoyable. There are moments where it feels almost more like an immersive simulation rather than an RPG.  I say that because as you venture along, you are given opportunities to forage materials from enemies, plants, and pilfering various homes and locations throughout the game. The materials collecting system is one of my nitpicks with the game. I am annoyed when I feel like I am compelled to scour every square inch of a location to wring it dry of every resource available so that I can craft the best items in the game. I know that’s a common factor in games, especially RPGs, but I greatly appreciate it when there are optional mass-collection actions so that I’m not spending extra unnecessary time rooting out every resource in each location. That said, the crafting and itemization in the game is extensive and fun!

If you’re playing the game as I think it intended, you’re reading in your bestiary, researching the strengths and weaknesses of the various minions you will encounter throughout the game, and devising plans to take them down effectively. The game is notoriously difficult on its hardest difficulty, Death March, which I will no doubt, never attempt. Kudos to those who can best its most difficult mode, but that’s not for me. I am certain that in Death March, one must use every advantage they can in a fight. As it was in my normal playthrough, I still made use of every poison, beneficial potion, bomb, trap, etc. that I could use. The need to prepare for a fight helps create the illusion of living as an actual witcher. Touring the countryside, traveling from town to town, speaking with residents and business owners, negotiating fees for services rendered, tracking the monster, preparing for and ultimately slaying the monster for coin and a trophy, well it’s compelling gameplay. I could see a game being successful that uses these systems with a more procedural generated world and quest system, solely to create the immersive simulation that’s brewing here.

There’s more to itemization than just the alchemy. There’s armor and weapons that can be crafted, as well as runes that can be slotted into items to offer further benefit. I found this to also be compelling – searching for recipes in the world which gives incentive to explore remote and mysterious locations, then crafting ever better and more advanced gear to become stronger. By the end of the game, it felt like the power curve was very appropriate and you do feel like a badass at many times in the game, but especially towards the end. An enjoyable power fantasy for sure.

Combat in the game is a bit hit or miss, in my opinion. Maybe it’s a skill issue for me. I found that combat eventually boiled down to learning a moveset of the enemy, and dodging until an opening appeared, hitting the enemy and repeating. At times when surrounded by enemies, even with an optional camera setting that pulls the camera further back from the action, it was easy to become overwhelmed. There is a definite rhythm to combat that at times feels very good, but by the end of the game it felt somewhat tired. Maybe that’s just my experience when I do all the optional side content and I burn out, or maybe it’s a personal taste situation – I don’t know. In general, as you level up your Geralt and learn more alchemical formulae, you are encouraged to optimize your loadout for every enemy. For me, this included pausing the game frequently to apply the proper poison oil to my blades, switching between the steel and silver blade depending on enemy type, etc. frequently. To be clear I think the combat is very good, but it’s not without its quirks.

Traversal is pretty good in the game. Players can navigate between different open zones, which are quite large even though the entirety of the game is not open world. The open zone aspect does not feel limiting like in some other titles. Players can walk, run, ride horseback, pilot a boat, and fast travel to and from specific locations. Traveling manually is encouraged as you’ll find various enemies, special locations and items, but eventually fast-travel is a good option so you’re not needlessly retreading the same area for no benefit. I found horseback combat to be very frustrating, but when hist are well-timed it can feel almost like cheating. 

Overall, I would say The Witcher 3 is a fantastic game. It’s not a unique opinion, but still one worth sharing, I think, and I hope. It feels like it would be potentially worthwhile to replay the game making different decisions, particularly in the love triangle between Geralt, Yennefer and Triss (optionally a third choice in Keira). The Witcher 3 offers many moments with rewarding payoff throughout the game. Compelling stories and character developments are not confined to the main story, which I think is one of the most compelling reasons to play the game. Much like another title, Cyberpunk 2077, developed by the same company that made The Witcher 3, the interstitial spaces between major events and plotlines are where some of the most interesting moment occur. Indeed, The Witcher 3 was made prior to Cyberpunk 2077, and so it’s not much surprise to see similar design philosophies between both games, but it still bears mention. For fans of dark fantasy, complex morality and ethics, and hunting, The Witcher 3 is a fantastic game no matter how you slice it.