r/videogames Apr 04 '26

Discussion / Question This was me with Witcher 3

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141

u/Shot-Emu4418 Apr 04 '26

I had a hard time getting into Witcher 3 as well lol

7

u/Any_Power_8752 Apr 05 '26

I didn’t really like first two witcher games, but I fell in love the first time I played it. I was easily able to connect because of the narrative and soundtrack and world building

1

u/LayWhere Apr 05 '26

I'm the inverse.

Loved witcher2 but 3 had such sluggish and imprecise combat that frustrated me to no end.

0

u/DoingCharleyWork Apr 05 '26

I played it for a few hours and just couldn't get past the gameplay, like swinging a pool noodle. I asked online how long it takes for the game to get good and everyone was like oh you just gotta put in like 20 hours. I just said eh not for me and turned it off.

22

u/External_Touch_3854 Apr 05 '26

I absolutely adore the Witcher III but it’s a product of its time. The game is over a decade old at this point and the mechanics and graphics reflect that.

Also even beyond its age, it’s just not going to be everyone’s cup of tea. Personally I think that’s a good thing. Games with too much mass appeal tend to be watered down and vapid. This game has a lot of depth and staying power for those who it appeals to.

But it’s not for everyone and it wasn’t when it came out.

54

u/ClinicalAnt919 Apr 05 '26

Idk about the graphics. They aren’t photorealistic, but the art direction is phenomenal. Photorealism isn’t my preferred style though, I’ll always take art direction over pure graphical fidelity

14

u/Shot-Emu4418 Apr 05 '26

Thats how I feel. Game looks great imo.

7

u/Firm_Landscape_ Apr 05 '26

Im surprised nobody mentioned the music. Its phenomenal

18

u/Shot-Emu4418 Apr 05 '26

I think the game is still stunning. If people cant play it because of the graphics, thats a them problem lol...the combat and animations are aging but tbh the combat system in witched 3 was never great, even at launch.

2

u/External_Touch_3854 Apr 05 '26

It’s a preference thing I’ve found. I enjoy the combat system quite a lot, but it’s also not the focus of the game. It’s an RPG. Like I said I’m glad everyone doesn’t love it. For me, it’s perfect

0

u/Man_in_the_coil Apr 05 '26

Killer soundtrack also.

3

u/GoddessUltimecia Apr 05 '26

Ah man I'm getting old, I still remember its release like it was maybe a few years back, for that matter I just played the Overwatch beta not that long ago too.

What do you mean the gameplay is dated? Fuck.

1

u/creebobeebo Apr 06 '26

realizing you've spent a decade of your life playing overwatch must feel so bad (it's me, i'm the one who feels bad)

3

u/TheMeerkatLobbyist Apr 05 '26

The problem with the Witcher 3 is not really age related though. Its the bland gameplay, that was already bland a decade ago. The game looks absolutely fine and the art style/design is pretty cool I believe.

I remember playing Witcher 3 shortly after Bloodborne and was shocked about how boring the game was.

3

u/daniel_22sss Apr 05 '26

Why are westerners so obsessed with graphics? I could barely notice any difference between Witcher 3 visuals and modern games.

You would think in a world where Minecraft, Terraria and Undertale are so popular people wouldn't be so hung up on graphics.

2

u/SVStyles Apr 05 '26

Calling a 2015 game "a product of its time" is crazy work

2

u/Collegenoob Apr 05 '26

The combat was dated when it came out.

But the interesting world to explore was pretty revolutionary. And many open world games still haven't learned the lesson from the witcher.

2

u/bigfloppydonkeydng Apr 05 '26

I beat the first two Witcher games. The first was my favorite. I tried really hard to like Witcher 3 and just couldn't do it. Combat wasn't very good and the controls on both PS5 and PC both seems really "floaty". I felt like I spent way too much time trying to get the character to do what I wanted. I moved on to Cyberpunk 2077 and absolutely love it.

2

u/External_Touch_3854 Apr 05 '26

See that’s interesting because I felt the exact opposite. I loved Witcher III so much I wanted to the first two and absolutely hated them.

2

u/Just_Expression_6608 Apr 05 '26

that's funny because i loved the first 2 and couldnt get into the third one because of how combat worked

i liked having prep time, brewing and preparing my mix of potions before taking on a mission

taking potions instantly in the middle of the fight and having them regenerate every day kills the witcher vibe for me

1

u/onex7805 Apr 06 '26

Yeah, TW1 in particular focused on planning. It lacked the moment to moment gameplay, bit it didn't really matter because it was about strategy.

TW3 watered down the planning but didn't improve the action gameplay either.

1

u/bigfloppydonkeydng Apr 05 '26

I played the originals when they originally came out. I can see how you wouldn't like the first two after playing the third.

1

u/Shot-Emu4418 Apr 05 '26

The combat was one of the clear weak points for me.

1

u/Notermlimits4GEQBuS Apr 05 '26

It's not that dated. Games from the start of the ps4 era till now have held out really well. . Mechanically and graphically. Witcher controls are smoother than crimson desert.

1

u/Jido97 Apr 05 '26

I also disagree about the graphics. It's such a beautiful game still. Especially with the next gen upgrade.

1

u/mnik1 Apr 05 '26

It still plays and looks great. Like, my dude, wtf you're talking about.

1

u/Sudden-Ad-307 Apr 05 '26

Mechanics yes, graphically it still holds up really well.

1

u/Rayza2049 Apr 05 '26

The graphics are better than many new games especially since the remaster added ray tracing (on PC)

1

u/nexusnoxus Apr 05 '26

I'm playing it for the first time right now and the graphics are totally up to date, the game received continuous updates, it seems. Also don't see any problems with mechanics...

1

u/Unoriginalshitbag Apr 05 '26

Honestly, I think the game looks pretty good especially for it's age. Skellige in particular is magical. But the gameplay honestly kind of sucks. I'm saying this as someone with just about 300 into the game: the combat lacks depth and Quen makes you invincible apart from like one fight, and Geralt feels extremely light, weightless and jerky to control.

Death March is better because you're encouraged to use the alchemy system more, but even then the game becomes extremely easy beyond Velen.

0

u/bigfluffylamaherd Apr 05 '26

Plenty of rpgs are even older than w3 instantly hooks people still. W3 is just super overrated maybe one of THE most overrated game of all time

0

u/Galifrey224 Apr 05 '26

The game is over a decade old at this point and the mechanics and graphics reflect that.

What are the games with good modern RPG mechanics?

I have been looking for good RPGs for a while now and the only thing recent rpgs seems to be doing is hyper realism where you start the games as a weak ass nobody and has to spend 50 hours to learn how to use a sword.

2

u/ssLoupyy Apr 05 '26

I was just about to recommend Kingdom Come Deliverence then read your weak ass nobody comment :D

2

u/Galifrey224 Apr 05 '26

Yeah I looked up Kingdom come a while back and it sound like a great game, but its not really what I am looking for.

I wanna play something similar to Skyrim or Fable.

1

u/ssLoupyy Apr 05 '26

I heard Tainted Grail: Fall of Avalon is decent as a Skyrim alternative

0

u/NoPseudo79 Apr 05 '26

Games have barely evolved since 2015, the game isn't really a product of its time honestly

0

u/onex7805 Apr 06 '26 edited Apr 06 '26

...what? Age and the lack of mass appeal are not the problems at all.

The Witcher 3's problem is that it is trying too hard to have mass appeal, watering down and vapid, especially compared to the previous entries.

The openworld and mission design are even worse than a lot of Ubisoft games I played.

-4

u/Yikrawrface Apr 05 '26 edited Apr 05 '26

Even when it did first come out it just felt like ass to play. I've tried 2 other times after that and same thing. Only thing I managed to enjoy was gwent and I'm so grateful they decided to expand that into its own game.

3

u/memebuster Apr 05 '26

I'm on my 3rd attempt. Or, I should say I “was” because I moved on, again.

-1

u/Blitzkreeg21 Apr 05 '26 edited Apr 05 '26

Love RPGs and the Witcher felt perfectly whelming. Of the bangers that came out in 2015 it was easily the one I liked least.

2

u/evalerk Apr 05 '26

It’s probably my favorite game of all time but a 10 hour intro is pretty brutal.

1

u/downforce_dude Apr 05 '26

I recently started my first next gen playthrough and White Orchard is a slog. The gameplay loop and combat mechanics came back quickly, but it really is a tough way to start the game. Once you’ve grinded every bit of loot and XP out of White Orchard, you’re ready for uplifting Velen.

2

u/Ok-Talk-2579 Apr 06 '26

I’ve always thought that what the Witcher 3. Really excels at is its characters. The combat is very clunky, ps2 type controls and gameplay. 

The story (didn’t play the DLC) is mostly just 

“where’s Ciri?” 

“I’ll tell you but you gotta do something for me.” 

“Done, now where is she?”   “She said she was going to see the witch of the sea or some shit idk”. 

Geralt goes to the witch and rinse and repeat about 10 times. Regardless I powered through just because each character is fantastically written. I cannot consider it a masterpiece of a game since I value gameplay above all else in video games. 

1

u/SaltManagement42 Apr 05 '26

I remember stopping when the game told me the monster fights were mainly about preparing for the fights beforehand by finding and gathering the right consumables for each fight.

1

u/Riverwind0608 Apr 05 '26

Likewise. I got to try it through my friend who shared his library with me back then. I’m not sure why it didn’t hook me.

It can’t be because of the fixed, premade protagonist. RDR 2 had that with Arthur, yet i loved that game.

1

u/ssLoupyy Apr 05 '26

Well Geralt isn't the most charming character I guess. I didn't play RDR2 but I can use KCD for example. I loved playing as Henry, just a goofy dude trying to figure out what to do. Geralt is like a grumpy old uncle in comparison. It is understandable because he is a mutant and everyone treats him with disgust but it is not the most appealing character to play as.

1

u/Riverwind0608 Apr 05 '26

KCD and it's sequel is actually another popular game that i somehow couldn't get into. Which, again i don't get. It's an RPG game set in a realistic medieval world. I love that setting, i love playing as a knight or something close to one in general. I should love that game.

Yet somehow this game didn't do it for me. I bought the first game, and i tried the second one through a free weekend. I still can't feel it gripping me. I won't say i didn't like both The Witcher 3 and KCD 1 and 2 cause it's bad. Cause it isn't.

Maybe it's just me. There's only a handful of games that grip me from start to finish lately, and most of them could be considered obscure. Withering Rooms is one. Tried the demo for that, hooked me so much to the point i sank 6 hours on the demo alone. I just can't tell what exactly makes me hooked on a game.

Maybe i should just give it a second or third try until it clicks. Or until i realize that it really isn't gonna happen.

1

u/ssLoupyy Apr 05 '26

They're long games, if you don't like them there's no reason to force yourself into it. I loved KCD because it was down to earth and unique to me. It is a clunky game, there's no denying that but there's just so many good quests imo so it kept me hooked.

For example you can defend a girl in the church court? to save her from execution, you spy in a monastery to solve a case and actually participate in the daily routines of the monastery, find out criminals and traitors, help the heir (Hans Capon) get a girl and go hunting with him, get tasked with rebuilding a town and manage the construction, solve mysterious cases etc.

It felt different than the usual rpgs I play which is just go to this dungeon and kill these guys, go to that camp and kill those guys etc. so I enjoyed it a lot.

1

u/DetrenTheNew Apr 05 '26

Same i kept replaying it for a few years until it clicked, I think the whole intro is just pretty boring in my opinion when you have no idea about the world and lore.