O Nintendo Switch is becoming the console of “impossible ports”. That's because the success of the latest gaming platform from Nintendo have become home to adaptations of more complex titles that a careless gamer would never imagine seeing on a console from Nintendo. The most recent case is with The Witcher 3 – The Wild Hunt, a masterpiece of CD Project Red that marked this generation.
O Techlifers had access to a copy of The Witcher 3 protocols for Nintendo Switch given by CD Project Red and, after a few days of intense gaming, we bring you a complete analysis of how this incredible adventure in a world full of beauties, mysteries and dangers turned out to be on the screen of the small (but powerful) console of Nintendo!
A world full of dangers and beauty
If you haven't had a chance to play The Witcher 3 yet, you probably have no idea what an incredible storytelling you're missing. THE CD Project Red brought the series of novels by Andrzej Sapkowski to life in an almost sublime way. The game begins with the wizard Geralt (a bounty hunter of sorts with magical powers) in search of his long-time lover Yennefer.
What starts out as just another simple quest to locate a person by following trails and clues in no time launches the seasoned wizard into a series of interesting scenarios that throw him into morally troubled territory. Being one of the densest and most complex RPG games ever made, The Witcher 3 will occasionally provide opportunities for the player to make decisions and affect the course of the story.
Along with its talented and varied cast of characters, the game easily has one of the best stories of the decade. Characters like Ciri, Yennefer, Geralt, and Vesemir are incredibly charming and likable, while villains like Gaunter O'Dimm or Velen's Crones are downright compelling and unforgettable. It's a story with multiple endings that will leave your heart and mind scarred long after the credits have finished rolling across the screen.
Many of the secondary characters managed to make a big impression with their nuanced personalities and the dilemmas that surrounded them. Even with an extensive main campaign and tons of side activities to fulfill, The Witcher 3 it still has two more expansions (Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine) that are considered by critics and the player community as the best additional content ever released!
It is true that the pace of the game is sometimes hampered by the gigantic open world with several places to explore. Even so, the excellent quality of the narrative of The Witcher 3 remains intact. Each side story is so dense and deep in its independence that they enhance the player's experience of that world and their immersion in this magical universe.
Helping townspeople by hunting grotesque monsters or investigating mysteries are parts of the game that present the player with engaging plots, thought-provoking scenarios and impressive and terrifying creatures at the same time. But most importantly, you should never underestimate the complexity of a mission or even the power of your opponents. Always be aware of the dangers that can surround you and the mysteries that items and places can hide.
The Witcher 3 no Nintendo Switch
Even with some limitations (which we already knew were inevitable when it came to a console with lower graphics power than its competitors) it is possible to safely say that The Witcher 3 works very well in Nintendo Switch. Although the resolution is 720p, while in docked mode, and only from 540p in handheld mode, the game still retains its beauty. According to Saber Interactive, the company responsible for adapting the game for the Nintendo Switch, these resolution adjustments were necessary for the game to flow properly without stuttering or crashes during the open world segments or with many elements on the screen.
It is evident that most of the textures are of low quality and there may be some drops in frames at certain moments of the adventure, but even so these technical difficulties will not harm the player's journey. In addition, many of the scenery elements that can be seen at longer distances have been reduced in quality to keep the game's performance acceptable. If you don't mind these minor visual downgrades, the full Geralt experience is still there for you to enjoy.
The other versions are obviously better graphically, but the ability to play the game portable is a benefit few titles of this size have. It's amazing how to explore the fantastic world of The Witcher 3 it feels so natural being able to go anywhere using just the Joy-Cons. Playing the game handheld works particularly well as the player explores due to the heavy gameplay nature of the open world.
While many AAA-type Western titles dominate almost every major game world mechanic, The Witcher 3 can manipulate many mechanical systems without coming across as too dilute or superficial. Combat is easy to learn and the various difficulty levels make the game accessible to any type of player. The flow of the action feels seamless as Geralt takes down each enemy smoothly, one by one, while incorporating oils, magic and knowledge from the Bestiary to aid the fight.
Combat generally manages to do an excellent job of providing a true experience as a bounty hunter wizard, but it can sometimes fall short mainly in the response time aspect to commands in the game. Switch. Also, while there's clearly a high degree of polish to the fight, dodging enemies feels pretty easy, as Geralt's evasive move has a quicker response than his standard attacks and spells.
Along with a somewhat uneven difficulty curve, there are some aspects of the gameplay that have room for improvement, but these are minor issues in a game that does so many things right at so many different levels of complexity in an RPG genre. Furthermore, if you are looking for a great challenge, we highly recommend trying it out. The Witcher 3 in the highest difficulty level “March of Death”, in which the player remains on tiptoe at all times as he needs to put his magic and combat skills to the test!
The biggest highlight of the environment created in the game is that exploration in the huge open world creates a satisfying gameplay feedback loop. Traveling across vast monster-infested lands, Geralt and his trusty horse, Roach, have many goals to accomplish, many coins to collect, and many peasants and nobles to help. From eliminating bandit camps and destroying monster nests to searching for hidden items, activities offer an abundance of new armor, weapons, skill points, and experience and cash.
In turn, Geralt gains new skills by leveling up when skill points are applied to a miscellaneous skill tree. All items you collect in the world or for loot can be sold for cash, used to craft new equipment with a blacksmith, or transmuted into tools of magic or mutagens through alchemy. There are many different combinations of skills and equipment that you can create and it is always necessary to consider which attribute of Geralt you want to specialize in: melee combat, ranged weapons combat, or spells.
Building and upgrading Geralt's character with skill points that are gained through experience points provides players with a wide variety of approaches to gameplay. You will definitely want to avoid peaceful alternatives to any confrontation, as these give your character less experience points. As points can be assigned to magic signs, combat skills, alchemy and general skills, it updates the game to keep it fresh for new rounds of gameplay.
A treasure in your hands
As a benchmark title that other games in the same genre struggle to achieve, The Witcher 3 blooms fantastically Nintendo Switch as a pivot of the fantasy RPG genre. With an immense amount of absolutely immersive content, a meaningful narrative and a meticulously designed world to explore, there is no doubt about the quality of the game. Once you step into Geralt's shoes, it's hard to forget his story and leave this fantastical world.
The version for Nintendo Switch manages to retain everything that made the game so amazing and has now turned it into a masterpiece that can be played anywhere. Certainly some technical sacrifices had to be made so that this unique experience was not compromised, but for minds more open to new journeys these limitations should not prove to be a very big obstacle to overcome. It's a true technical marvel that just shows how far handheld gaming has come. When one of the biggest games of the decade is now portable, there are no limits.
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