Still working on this game (it's quite a long one), but so far I'm very impressed. I will continually update this review as I progress through the game. At the moment, no complaints...



The graphics are amazing, even almost three years later. Still very impressed with how everything looks each time I play it. I love the lighting effects especially; one place they really pop is when you're running through a wooded area...the shadow detail is quite noteworthy. There some lens flare effects when looking near light sources like the Sun, and they are not at all overdone. Nice subtle detail. And of course the wide variety of colors are awesome.



There's more than enough things to do. The beautiful landscapes are quite expansive, littered with not only main story quests but also tons of side quests involving witcher contracts (with paid rewards once the beasts are slain), monster nests (which you must destroy), abandoned areas (which you must clear so that people may return safely), etc. I like the way they've done this because you can continue along with the main story if you'd like, but at any time (thanks to the open-world setup) you can mix it up with some secondary quests or witcher contracts or treasure hunts. Each mission is different enough so that it is not simply "go to location X and kill Y amount of Z monsters." There are a nice variety of things to do and it seems like the quest writers actually cared about interesting dialogue and plot.



After the more linear and scripted nature of Witcher 1 and 2, I really appreciated this change for Witcher 3.



Enemy behavior is similar to Souls-like games in the sense that there is a lot of parrying/dodging attacks from powerful enemies with a limited amount of stamina. You also have the Witcher Signs at your disposal: Aard (a gust/wave of energy or wind), Yrden (a trap which slows and weakens enemies), Igni (a burst of flames), Quen (a protective shield that takes all damage - once. Then it pops and you're vulnerable until you can use it again), and Axii (a charm you can place on enemies).



I should also mention that this game received a free next gen update for PC, Series X|S, and PS5. It upgraded the graphics quite a bit more, as the game was originally developed for the Xbox One/PS4 gen. This was awesome.



Overall, I'd say if you like slightly more challenging open world RPGs, this is a must buy. The two expansions (Hearts of Stone, and Blood and Wine) are also widely regarded as some of the best DLCs of all time if you're looking for more. They are quite meaty and add many hours of gameplay as well.