Why ‘The Witcher 3’ remains the gold standard for RPGs
A decade after its release, The Witcher 3 remains an unparalleled RPG, setting a benchmark in storytelling, exploration, and player choice, captivating fans and the industry alike.
Balancing narratives with player choice, and combat with exploration and achievement – elements that modern RPGs still struggle to implement.
This one is going to be slightly heavier on the emotional side. Of the several wonderful games I have had the pleasure of playing in my lifetime, few have left as lasting an impression on me as The Witcher 3. From Geralt and Yennefer to Ciri and Triss, with sprinkles of the delightful Gwent, it is nearly perfect – offering enough purpose and just the right amount of distraction as I crafted the various stages of the Cat armor set and mastered Igni and Yrden.
Most of you must have similar stories of your own as you made your way through White Orchard to Velen, Novigrad, and Skellige in search of Ciri, or even visited Toussaint if you chose to buy the DLCs. I have completed The Witcher 3 twice in my lifetime, and each time I was left feeling overwhelmed by the size of the continent (the game’s world) and the many, many paths that players can choose to explore.
The curious balance of this contradiction (vast possibilities vs. player choice) is where the magic of the game lies. It is perfect for marathon play sessions – something I realized in my first playthrough in May 2015, when I finished the main game in a fortnight and played for nearly 12 hours straight on a weekday from 6 AM to 5:30 PM, marveling at the incredible detail of Novigrad.
The Witcher 3 allows players to progress slowly while also offering marathon players nearly infinite “replayability.” Therefore, it’s no surprise that nearly a decade on, most of you, like me, are looking for a game that can offer something similar.
The effect of The Witcher 3 is not just limited to players and their choices but also to the overall genre and the industry itself. In the last decade, we’ve seen most game genres experiment with key RPG elements like decision and skill trees, and in the process, many have embraced core principles that CD Projekt Red has perfected. Games like Horizon: Forbidden West and Assassin’s Creed Valhalla have developed their own mini-games similar to Gwent, and the open, explorable world has now even made its way into iconic FPS titles, like this month’s Doom. These are just the most obvious observations, but if you choose to look through a finer lens, you will see mechanics and philosophies from The Witcher 3 in even a game like Genshin Impact.
A decade on, The Witcher 3 remains the benchmark for single-player open-world games. Such is the passion among its players that it has one of the most vibrant fan and creator communities, who are constantly finding new things in-game while improving the visuals and aesthetics of the base game. And while the debate over the best possible ending in the game is unending, I swear by ending up with Yennefer and Ciri as a fellow Witcher.
If you haven’t played The Witcher 3 yet, please do. You are truly missing out on a masterpiece.
