Platforms: PS4 (reviewed), PC, Xbox One
Developer: CD Projekt RED
MSRP: $19.99
Introduction:
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt gave me some of the most enormous fits of anticipation I’ve ever experienced. I’m not just talking about games, that goes for everything; books, TV shows, movies, comics, and games. Anything that can possibly be considered a creative work, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt stood easily in my “Top 5 Most Anticipated Anything of all time.” So I have a distinct mix of emotions when I say that I’ve played what is likely the last adventure of Geralt of Rivia.
On one hand, it’s sad knowing that we will (probably) not see or hear anything from Geralt of Rivia ever again. The franchise will surely continue since CD Projekt RED would be stupid to say “no” to all that money, but as they have stated time and time again, Geralt of Rivia’s adventure is at an end. That is assuming that they never go back on their word (which could very well happen).
On the other hand, there is a sense of relief. I’ve played so much of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt over the past year, that it’s definitely high time that the brand takes a hiatus so that CD Projekt RED can do something different (which is exactly what they are doing with Cyberpunk 2077).
Blood and Wine is the final expansion for the studio’s epic open world RPG, and it brings Geralt of Rivia to the land of Toussaint, a French and Italian-inspired land full of sunshine, rolling green hills and yes, lots and lots of wine. As is par for the course, Geralt of Rivia arrives in this land to find that not all is well. A monster is once again terrorizing the denizens of a seemingly tranquil region and only he is the man for the job.
Blood and Wine doesn’t shatter the mold, it’s mostly more of the same.
That’s why they call it an Expansion. To put it in layman’s terms, if you loved Wild Hunt’s base game and the Hearts of Stone expansion, there’s literally no reason why you aren’t going to love Blood and Wine. The expansion returns everything that has made Wild Hunt the modern classic that it has become: an expansive open world region that many games would be happy to call their entire experience, an enthralling quest line that keeps you hooked from beginning to end, more map nodes to explore than you can possibly know what to do with, tough moral choices and combat that will kick the crap out of you if you aren’t well prepared.
The main differences between Blood and Wine and the rest of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt lie almost exclusively with the region itself. Toussaint is the most colorful place you’ll ever find in the world of The Witcher. Sprawling green hillsides and vineyards litter a land that is predominantly built on peace and tranquility that very seldom reveals its ugliness to its residents. That’s not to say that Blood and Wine offers only a cosmetic evolution to the traditional Wild Hunt experience. There are also a few game system enhancements lurking beneath the surface as well.
The new mutation upgrade system evolves Geralt into an even bigger killing machine.
Relatively early into the Blood and Wine expansion, Geralt happens upon a quest that helps him unlock some advanced mutations that expand Geralt’s combat effectiveness beyond the standard upgrades that have been present to this point. Provided you have the right materials, and enough Skill Points, you can unlock new mutations that will grant Geralt additional bonuses based on the standard Combat, Signs, and Alchemy trees that have been present in the game so far. Since I had built Geralt into a mage (at least as much as a Witcher can be), I went for the Signs mutation that allowed Geralt’s magic to deal critical hits.
The results were instantly apparent as I could cut down enemies with Igni far more effectively than ever before. Unlocking all of the upgrades takes time and a bit of grinding (or simply finding the right number of Places of Power), but if you commit, you can really turn the game’s combat on its head.
Blood and Wine’s side quests are just as good as any the game has seen to date.
It goes without saying that The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt has delivered a masterclass in how to write and execute side quests in open world RPGs and Blood and Wine continues this trend. The best side quests (in my opinion) had nothing to do with contracts (or action for that matter). One of the best ones involves a mystery behind finding a person who has castrated a statue. It’s these little moments that The Witcher 3 knows just when to pull back and give you a different angle to view its world.
Another quest takes you to Toussaint’s main bank, as Geralt learns that he has a hefty sum of money that has been sitting in an account for many years, accruing interest. As it turns out (since he was presumed dead if you remember), Geralt has to acquire the requisite paperwork to convince the bank that he is indeed alive, so that he can collect his money. What results is a hilarious (and accurate) commentary on the back and forth of banking bureaucracy that makes you feel like the developers at CD Projekt RED are speaking directly to you.
Verdict:
It’s pretty easy to recommend Blood and Wine. Simply put, if you liked what came before, buy Blood and Wine. If you didn’t (or are simply burned out from playing too much Wild Hunt), more of the same game isn’t going to change your mind. However, at $19.99 it’s really tough to find anything on the market that equals the same amount of breadth and depth that Blood and Wine offers its players.
For fans, Blood and Wine is about as fitting a send off as you can possibly have for Geralt of Rivia. Personally, I hope CD Projekt RED doesn’t go back on their word of this being the end of the White Wolf. In looking at The Witcher series as a whole, from the very first game, CD Projekt RED has made every single entry an authentic evolution of its predecessor, both in gameplay and its protagonist. There just isn’t much more you can do with Geralt of Rivia without it being “too much.”
That said, it’s been a blast exploring the depths of one of the greatest games ever made and whatever the future holds for CD Projekt RED, you can be sure that it will carry the same amount of handcrafted attention to detail (and hilariously awkward glitches) that every single one of their games has seen to date.