Like, on the surface, the plot is: (we'll say final prep spoilers)
Chasing down a cabal of interdimensional sorceror elves who are harbingers of the end of the universe.
But all of that stuff is arguably tangential to keeping Ciri safe
This is reinforced by:
The books and previous games show that the Big Damn Threat is basically the slow moving mystical heat death of the universe. It's fucking up the world of the Wild Hunt right now, but the actual threat to Geralt's world is sometime in the indefinite, possibly even far indefinite, future. Even in Witcher 3, it seems like the white death represents more of a gradual, historical decline to the Hunt's world than an imminent apocalypse.
The immediate conflict is essentially a long running beef between Geralt/Yennifer and the Hunt over Ciri. It's a family squabble between the girl's adopted parents and her blood relatives on both sides. The Hunt has been chasing Ciri for a shifting body of reasons for years, and even if the White Death is stopped, they'd probably still keep chasing her because she's the best avenue they have to brutally expand their empire to other worlds.
What ties this and the political infighting quests together is that they all represent the final stages of years of fighting and intrigue between the major players. Geralt knows all involved from way back, and his main goal throughout all of it is once again keeping the people he loves alive through the bullshit.
It's a unique and very intimate take on epic fantasy.
Phillishere on
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MaddocI'm Bobbin Threadbare, are you my mother?Registered Userregular
As someone who also played the first game and thought Geralt was a hilarious cardboard cutout of a stereotypical "badass" with poor voice acting.
I don't know how you could play Witcher 3 and think he's an uninteresting character. What game are you even playing, the writing has improved so vastly that he may as well be an entirely different character.
Yeah, a few non gaming coworkers were pooh poohing video games, and I described the one we are playing right now to be 'a father searching after his long lost daughter, and who runs into war and political intrigue along the way'.
There was a sudden and impressive amount of interest!
I'm about an hour outside of the prologue. You guys are using a lot of narrative hooks I haven't even seen yet to explain why my perspective is stupid. So far all i've done is hunt monsters because i'm playing as a monster hunter.
The noonwraith quest in the starting area was pretty great. I'd actually just play a full game of monster detective. That's kind of what this is, but the everpresent war stuff and all the terrible people around I find to be rather unpleasant.
I don't remember enough about 1 and don't really intend to replay it
I played it not too incredibly long ago, and Geralt is more of a blank slate. A lot of the choices rely on a Bioware-style good/evil split more than the shades of grey you see in the sequels.
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MaddocI'm Bobbin Threadbare, are you my mother?Registered Userregular
I almost want to go back and replay the first one with a better understanding of Geralt as a character, but I know I'll probably never bother.
The credits starting to roll was one of those big releases of tension where you start to cry because you feel relief, like you've put down something that's weighed heavily on your heart
I almost want to go back and replay the first one with a better understanding of Geralt as a character, but I know I'll probably never bother.
I'm going to replay the whole series fairly soon just because I like seeing how these things evolve over time. I love comparing Zelda games to each other in terms of mechanics and structure, for instance
This series is a bit more extreme than most in that when Witcher 2 landed it was a seismic shift from the first game, and Witcher 3 is a seismic shift again
But I'll play the first game and like it
But, man, just, I'm still kind of reeling
When I beat Witcher 2 I was like "This is one of the best games I've played" but Witcher 3 kicks the everloving shit out of it
I'm going to go so far as to say I got what might be the best endings in some respects, though I'm going to try to see others, too
Ending spoilers don't click this unless you beat the game DON'T CLICK UNLESS YOU BEAT THE GAME
Ciri as Empress is good. I think she'll be a good ruler. It was hard to let go of her - I wanted her to stay forever. But she's her own woman, and she is meant for greater things than Geralt or Yen could give her.
And Geralt and Yen retiring to a perfectly boring life of conversation and long walks that will stretch on for centuries might be the best thing possible, oh my god
I'm going to try to see Ciri staying with the Witcher's path at least once, because that one also isn't so bad
But I liked this. She made her decision with all the options she had available to her. She's going to change the world, after saving it. That feels right
Empress Cirilla ruling over Niilfgard and the Northern Kingdoms. Geralt living in a cozy cottage with Triss, but still does some Witchering on the side.
And Geralt reassures Ciri that she knows how to find him when she needs him, because he's not a monster.
I'm going to go so far as to say I got what might be the best endings in some respects, though I'm going to try to see others, too
Ending spoilers don't click this unless you beat the game DON'T CLICK UNLESS YOU BEAT THE GAME
Ciri as Empress is good. I think she'll be a good ruler. It was hard to let go of her - I wanted her to stay forever. But she's her own woman, and she is meant for greater things than Geralt or Yen could give her.
And Geralt and Yen retiring to a perfectly boring life of conversation and long walks that will stretch on for centuries might be the best thing possible, oh my god
I'm going to try to see Ciri staying with the Witcher's path at least once, because that one also isn't so bad
But I liked this. She made her decision with all the options she had available to her. She's going to change the world, after saving it. That feels right
That's really cool
I'll probably aim for that in my game
Edit: The first part that is
every interaction with Yennifer makes me more certain I don't want to hang around her at all
Oh no Last Wish
This is too much
Yen just told me why she wants the djinn and I just, no, don't make me do this
It's incredible, isn't it?
Wyborn and I
Were like OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD
Or at least as reluctant/terrified as Geralt can be through the dialogue options
But it also makes complete sense she'd want to know what would happen
I had wanted a way to end things, since I was planning to choose Triss. Even then, her shock and horror when she realized that she still loved Geralt but he didn't love her was heart-breaking.
Grey Ghost I trust you will do the right thing in the end
I don't know what it is though!
she specifically says not that she wants us not to be together, but to see how things could develop without some magic bullshit choosing the direction of things
Which normally I'm all for something like that, as long as the answer is "yes we still actually love each other" and I don't at all know if that's the case here
Posts
This is reinforced by:
The immediate conflict is essentially a long running beef between Geralt/Yennifer and the Hunt over Ciri. It's a family squabble between the girl's adopted parents and her blood relatives on both sides. The Hunt has been chasing Ciri for a shifting body of reasons for years, and even if the White Death is stopped, they'd probably still keep chasing her because she's the best avenue they have to brutally expand their empire to other worlds.
What ties this and the political infighting quests together is that they all represent the final stages of years of fighting and intrigue between the major players. Geralt knows all involved from way back, and his main goal throughout all of it is once again keeping the people he loves alive through the bullshit.
It's a unique and very intimate take on epic fantasy.
I don't know how you could play Witcher 3 and think he's an uninteresting character. What game are you even playing, the writing has improved so vastly that he may as well be an entirely different character.
There was a sudden and impressive amount of interest!
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The noonwraith quest in the starting area was pretty great. I'd actually just play a full game of monster detective. That's kind of what this is, but the everpresent war stuff and all the terrible people around I find to be rather unpleasant.
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I don't remember enough about 1 and don't really intend to replay it
I played it not too incredibly long ago, and Geralt is more of a blank slate. A lot of the choices rely on a Bioware-style good/evil split more than the shades of grey you see in the sequels.
And uh
cough
The credits starting to roll was one of those big releases of tension where you start to cry because you feel relief, like you've put down something that's weighed heavily on your heart
That was a real good game you guys
A real good game and a real good ending
I'm going to replay the whole series fairly soon just because I like seeing how these things evolve over time. I love comparing Zelda games to each other in terms of mechanics and structure, for instance
This series is a bit more extreme than most in that when Witcher 2 landed it was a seismic shift from the first game, and Witcher 3 is a seismic shift again
But I'll play the first game and like it
But, man, just, I'm still kind of reeling
When I beat Witcher 2 I was like "This is one of the best games I've played" but Witcher 3 kicks the everloving shit out of it
Just perfect
We got: All Hail Empress Cirilla
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Ending spoilers don't click this unless you beat the game DON'T CLICK UNLESS YOU BEAT THE GAME
And Geralt and Yen retiring to a perfectly boring life of conversation and long walks that will stretch on for centuries might be the best thing possible, oh my god
I'm going to try to see Ciri staying with the Witcher's path at least once, because that one also isn't so bad
But I liked this. She made her decision with all the options she had available to her. She's going to change the world, after saving it. That feels right
And Geralt reassures Ciri that she knows how to find him when she needs him, because he's not a monster.
Anyone who did that:
You totally deserved that, dog
The dialogue choices here were crushing
This is too much
Yen just told me why she wants the djinn and I just, no, don't make me do this
That's really cool
I'll probably aim for that in my game
Edit: The first part that is
every interaction with Yennifer makes me more certain I don't want to hang around her at all
Geralt's line delivery
So much fear and pain
It's incredible, isn't it?
Wyborn and I
Or at least as reluctant/terrified as Geralt can be through the dialogue options
But it also makes complete sense she'd want to know what would happen
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I don't know what it is though!
Which normally I'm all for something like that, as long as the answer is "yes we still actually love each other" and I don't at all know if that's the case here
Because I'm not going to get to these quests for like a month
Man I've read the books and I still ain't too sure about this
And by more confidence, he means
Confidence that Geralt will want to smooch Yen (and vice versa)
:B
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Just WHIPPIN through this game
I would tell you, but the damage that just saying it causes your mouth means it can only be spoken once