As South Africa enters its 21-day lockdown (UPDATE: Now extended by two weeks) in order to combat the spread of the coronavirus, it has left many civilians in the isolation of their homes. Many see this as a great opportunity to spend quality time with some family and loved ones, while others cherish diving into forms of entertainment to occupy their time and pass the weeks (when not working remotely, in that case). To cushion some of the tedium, Nexus has decided to create a daily feature in which we recommend games of varying lengths and content that could pass the time. Our fourteenth (and by extension, fifteenth) recommendation in Lockdown Gaming tosses a coin to a certain witcher with The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, along with its expansions in the Game of the Year Edition.

The reason why The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Game of the Year Edition occupies two days in this extensive lockdown period (minus the obvious fact that I may have missed a day) is down to the sheer size of the game and its expansions. Out of all the games I've covered on this list so far, this one is perhaps the longest - and on a list with Skyrim and Persona 5, that's no easy feat. However, to keep it fairly straight-forward and simple, I'll be breaking the sections down into the base game, Hearts of Stone, and Blood & Wine so that you get a more comprehensive understanding of just how gargantuan The Witcher 3 truly is. Best of all, it's quality content too.

The Wild Hunt


Gaming in 2015 was arguably one of the best of the last decade. With hits like Bloodborne, Fallout 4, and Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain dominating awards season and critical acclaim, CD Projekt Red arrived on this crowded scene with a juggernaut of their own. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, an RPG and continuation of The Witcher series (which had only earnestly been recognized up until then), took the gaming world by storm. What was the formula for success, though? Ask any fan, and you'll come to at least a dozen different responses. It could've been the irresistible charm of protagonist Geralt of Rivia, the staggering size of the open world, the in-depth and intuitive RPG mechanics, the unparalleled lore and world-building, or the intricate and emotionally investing story that has since come to set a new standard for narratives in RPGs.

From my perspective, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is not without its few problems (combat feels clunky and even after numerous patches, you'll still run into some hefty bugs and glitches), but for what it was able to accomplish in terms of lore, I was absolutely blown away. At the heart of The Witcher series is a strong sense of culture, in the sense that it draws from Poland's wealth of brilliant Slavic mythology and understanding of just how vital these elements are in crafting a believable and wonderfully complex world. Whether it was playing Gwent in White Orchid, riding around Velen, getting whipped up in the politics of Novigrad, or sailing the beautiful isles of Skellige, The Witcher 3's world was outstanding to simply just exist in.



The Wild Hunt's appeal not only came from its extraordinary world-building, but great writing and characters too. As far as RPGs go (and to the noticeable dismay of BioWare's often shoddy dialogue, look no further than Mass Effect Andromeda and Anthem), The Witcher 3 boasts some of the most impressive writing I've experienced in a video game to date. The dialogue embodies very authentic and well-written characters who all feel phenomenally fleshed out and layered. You'll come across an assortment of captivating stories with tragic characters at the center - and I'm not even talking about the main quest, but the side quests! These are among the best in gaming, and I can't tell you how many times I was swept up by a side quest to the point where I completely neglected doing main story quests for hours on end.

The way I see it, though, even when you shift your attention back to the main story, you're met with a rather touching tale of a hardened outcast, shunned by society yet nonetheless essential to its survival, coming to terms with being the step-in father of a missing, spirited girl. It's a narrative that's simple, yet profound for its two central characters, Geralt and Ciri, who share a bond that forms the beating heart of The Witcher 3's emotional core. Depending on which ending you end up with, the story always leaves on a bittersweet note for greater - or more accurately, more dangerous - to come. (Also The Wild Hunt are so damn cool!).

Hearts of Stone


The Witcher 3's first expansion, Hearts of Stone, arrived a few months after the base game, and follows Geralt in what starts off as another beast-slaying quest that quickly turns into conspiracy, political intrigue, and deception. As far as story lines go in The Witcher universe, this is certainly one of the most politically charged and peels back the layers of how far people will go to obtain power. Center of it all is Von Everec, a nobleman who initially gives Geralt orders to kill a giant toad monster, only to find out that it was a cursed prince (how very fairy tale-esque).

The only problem is, there's only a sliver of truth to what Von Everec had order Geralt to do, and Geralt being the rather inquisitive witcher, tries to understand the full story (which I won't spoil). I'll be the first to say that Hearts of Stone, while not nearly as strong as the next expansion, is still better than a handful of RPGs today (all aboard the "WTF are doing, BioWare?!" train again, whoop!). It succeeds because of CD Projekt Red's terrific storytelling and dialogue - there's a lot of dialogue here - to circumvent before you can even get to the big action story beats, which are sadly few and far between. In some cases, it feels like Hearts of Stone waddles around the purpose of its story, but for the most part, feels less cluttered than even the main quest.

Blood & Wine


Finally we get to the expansion that made me a firm believer in CD Projekt Red. Blood & Wine once again sees Geralt hunting another terrifying beast, but this time, travels to the new region of Toussaint, another part of The Witcher 3's map that's about equal in scale to Skellige (which is pretty big in and of itself). Here, Geralt gets wrapped up in a vampire conspiracy. If you're familiar with Skyrim's Dawnguard expansion, you know what you're in for - and vampire expansions seem to be the in-thing, but also make for the best RPG expansions, for some reason.

Where to start with Blood & Wine... It's a masterful expansion that I personally felt rivaled the main game's story in a lot of ways. The character writing is once again exceptional, especially when it dives into the mythos surrounding vampires and the various rules they must abide by. For most of the story, Geralt is simply an onlooker to a greater threat unraveling at the heart of the region, which humanizes him and makes him feel a little less powerful than we've ever seen him before. It's a long and intricate plot with plenty of brilliant twists and turns that always kept me on edge. By the time the story wrapped up (no thanks to an entertaining but equally frustrating final boss), I was blown away by the journey I had just taken - and this was an expansion! Bravo, CD Projekt Red.

Verdict


So why should you play The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt plus its expansions during this (now extended) lockdown? Well, I really wasn't joking when I said the amount of content in this game dwarfed even that of Skyrim and Persona 5. If you're a completionist who must do every single side quest on top of the main story (which I highly recommend you do anyway), the base game will easily gift you over 200 hours of quality content. But wait, there's more! Add the two massive expansions on top of the experience, and altogether there's an experience that will stretch well beyond 300 hours here. Of course, there's just so much to do and see that repeated playthroughs - especially thanks to its choice/consequence dialogue - leads you on new paths, giving the game tons of replay value. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt may not have been the best RPG of 2015 (From Software sends their regards), but it still is one of the best RPGs of all time.

Other Lockdown Gaming Features:

Lockdown Gaming Day 1: Skyrim Special Edition
Lockdown Gaming Day 2: Persona 5
Lockdown Gaming Day 3: Fallout 4
Lockdown Gaming Day 4: NieR: Automata
Lockdown Gaming Day 5: Bloodborne
Lockdown Gaming Day 6: Anthem & Fallout 76
Lockdown Gaming Day 7: Alien: Isolation
Lockdown Gaming Day 8: Final Fantasy VII
Lockdown Gaming Day 9: Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
Lockdown Gaming Day 10: Portal
Lockdown Gaming Day 11: Resident Evil 2 Remake
Lockdown Gaming Day 12: Limbo
Lockdown Gaming Day 13: Uncharted 4: A Thief's End

Remember to visit the South African Coronavirus Website for more information on safety and prevention tips. Stay safe!

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