A Beautiful but DISAPPOINTING Open World- The Witcher 3 (critique)

[@John-996]

Witcher 3 has some really well Written Quests. However allot them have you just follow red foot prints. There are some stand out ones that are well designed, but over all most have the same type of design. The Biggest issue is the lack of systems in the open world. In Exsample I was chased By a monster, I hid behind an NPC and nothing happend. The NPC did not get attacked. I did something similar in RDR2 Chased a witness Through the woods a bear then came out so I ran and hid behind her and the bear attacked her and killed her getting rid of the witness haha. It things like that which make it hard to call Witcher 3 the king of open worlds when it lacks in these areas.

[@blasphemy47]

Red Dead 2 is miles ahead of many games. Witcher 3's open world is mostly average in comparison to Rockstar or even Bethesda's games.

[@robertrichter7389]

Thanks mate. This is exactly what I was looking for. Everybody praising the game to new heights and me struggeling to keep playing the game. I reached past the Kaer Morhen battle in my second try to play the game and I am constantly scratching my head. It looks and sounds so beautiful at times but its flaws are around every corner. It should have been a different type of game. Thanks again for your work, it helped me a lot.

[@blasphemy47]

Well, considering how popular the open-world genre has become, it was a matter of time for the series to make this switch. Unfortunately, it did not make it very well.

[@robertrichter7389]

@@blasphemy47 From what I heard, Cyberpunk suffers from similar problems. Perhaps a new video of yours?😉

[@blasphemy47]

@@robertrichter7389 I did play Cyberpunk when it came out but it was a complete mess. However i do intend to revisit the game again in the near future and surely i will make a video about it. 😁

[@03blaird]

The irony is so many people ignored the problems Witcher 3 had so cd project red ended up bringing those same problems into cyberpunk. It's like all that excess praise made them blind to the fundamental mistakes they keep making in their design philosophys.

[@blasphemy47]

Yes...looking back at Witcher 3 many issues were present there as well. Cyberpunk 2077 accentuated plenty of those. CdPR got overly confident i guess

[@John-996]

I feel like if these issues had been brought to light They may have taken more time to really make sure Cyberpunk was better.

[@RobertTorch]

While I personally enjoy the gameplay, you are not wrong with your critiques. The story and characters are actually terrible when you break it down though.

[@blasphemy47]

In my video i focused more on the gameplay and open world critique. But you are right. I read the books and my goodness, the story in the game is so messy. The first 2 games did not rely that much on book knowledge, but the last one is all over the place.

[@korina234]

It's incredible how people still think this game is the standard for open world rpgs. Really nice video, dude.

[@barrybender3377]

Although I love the Witcher 3, a lot of the faults in Cyberpunk can be seen in Witcher 3, as an immersive RPG it's just as lacking, Witcher 3 just made up for it in the story and quests helping you feel in the shoes of a Witcher with interesting story choices. But outside of that the gameplay was as restrictive as possible

[@blasphemy47]

@@barrybender3377 That is true. I fell like CDpr should stop making Open world games and focus on semi linear games like Witcher1 and 2. They are definitely good at writing stories and quest, but not so much at open world stuff.

[@CorruptionManX]

At least is way better than skyrim, for me is the best 3D open world rpg.

[@kyleward7417]

Not just a standard for open world RPGs, just games in general. Easily the greatest game ever made.

[@mindeyethemasterscreen2712]

@@CorruptionManX Except it's not even close Skyrim is a way better open world RPG. Skyrim has the better open world and is also the better RPG.

[@John-996]

I like you point on grealt falling damage. My biggest issue is Him having a mind of his own I went to bathroom only to come back and see him heading for a cliff. also his movement and feel stiff at times and also floaty at times. The Horse Riding is some of the worst I have experienced as well. Really feels stiff and all over the place.

[@Tudoran45]

"I understand Geralt will not kill innocent people...but apparently nobody else would." That made me legit laugh out loud xD. Kudos on the edits and game footage, too.

[@blasphemy47]

Well that's kind of how it works. :))

[@Z3t487]

@@blasphemy47 The Wild Hunt kills innocent people.

[@blasphemy47]

@@Z3t487 They do it only in some cutscenes. I wish the game had some Wild hunt random encounters in the open world, interacting with innocent people.

[@paullogan5627]

There was no need for this game to be an open world . Good review

[@blasphemy47]

Thanks. 🙂 I kinda miss honestly semi open, maybe a bit more linear games ( maybe something similar to Gothic 1,2 or the first 2 Witcher games)

[@John-996]

The world events are really lacking in Witcher 3. The things you pointed out were also things i noticed. The more you break the game down the more you see its flaws as an open world.

[@blackhat4206]

I’m curious what build you were using to naked run Death March difficulty 😂 I play with level scaling on, though.

[@blasphemy47]

Actually there was no build at all. I unassigned all abilities skills because I was so over-leveled. 😅

[@blackhat4206]

@@blasphemy47 Ah, I see. That makes sense... I had similar issues the first time I played the game.

[@philip47478]

@@blackhat4206 I used level scaling for a while too, until i realized nothing else scaled with me, like gears, weapons, xp from quests.

[@blackhat4206]

@@philip47478 Yeah it literally just scales enemies to keep combat from getting too easy.

[@lukew6725]

@@philip47478 I used level scaling until I realized that it made rats and wolves the most op enemies in the entire game. 😂

[@John-996]

Funny you talk about the hidden tressure not being hidden. The Skyrim Devs did video on how the game was made and talked about the fact games tell you were everything is. Tressure Hunting in RDR2 was allot better having to actually follow a map and try to figure out were the location is.

[@blasphemy47]

Well Skyrim does very little to show you where treasure/ chests are. There's no text in your face telling you "hidden treasure" nor you can press a button and have highlited the path to that treasure.

[@John-996]

@@blasphemy47 Yeah that is what the devs talked about. Same With secrets how many games tell you there is someting hidden and ruin the surprise. One Thing that is great about Witcher 3 is there are unmarked quests on the map so you do get a sense of discovery.

[@blasphemy47]

@@John-996 Yes there are a few events but mostly you encounter them in the first hours of the game when you're compeld to explore. Too bad there aren't more of them across many hours. Red Dead 2 has over 100 random encounters that keep popping up even after 80-100 hours of gameplay.

[@John-996]

@@blasphemy47 I have found New ones even on My 5th playthrough. Also Just interacting with random NPCs is amazing. Honestly Kingdom Come should get more credit. It has quests like Witcher 3 but they give so many ways to do them. If you can not beat some one in a fair Fight you can follow them home wait for them to go to sleep and kill them in their sleep.

[@Upsedriss]

fun hearing your thoughts, very nice to listen to!

[@blasphemy47]

Glad you enjoyed it :D

[@spyroclone152]

You pretty much hit the nail on the head on all the problems of the Witcher 3 that truly prevented me from trying to get into it. For me this game feels like it's an open world "just because" rather than focusing on the elements that makes an open world great, besides the fact that it looks pretty. The story and writing is genuinely great, but the sheer ratio of mediocre gameplay to uninteresting open world compared to that of the story holds me back from appreciating this game to the fullest. The Witcher 3 is an incredibly pretty world that I can walk through, but not necessarily exist in. In 2015, the open world loaded map concept was more accepted, but I truly hate it in today's execution. I truly feel the open world failed for me because the events that make the world interesting are not organically discovered, but rather scripted. Whenever I see a "?" On the map, it saddens me because I want to be surprised and discover a part I think is interesting based on the world itself, not have the game tell me a place that is interesting so that I can find out why. I also genuinely hate the time-reward ratio that this game gives because of how enemies are balanced and how long quests are in some cases. Side quests are well written, but it loses its luster around 20 hours in because the rewards are trash. Great video man. I am of the opinion that this game is objectively great and skillfully crafted, but it is in no way anything near close to being a game of the decade for me personally because of its mediocre gameplay and open world.

[@blasphemy47]

You pretty much greatly summarized many of the issues Witcher 3 has. Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I feel like the Witcher games were better off if they were not made into big open worlds but rather more linear story-focused experiences. Anyway since I made this video I also read the books and i plan to make a video comparison between books, games, and tv show. There are even more things to dissect there as well.

[@hydrocy.9165]

Yes because everyone just shts his pants and cry himself to wonder everytime an event occurs in a game without quest marker because there's NO WAY you were expecting it, it's not like you were exploring the world to run into to something in the first place, totally unexpected. "Discover a part I think is interesting based on the world" by that this guy means running around randomly on your horse until you get lucky enough to run into something in garbage game like BOTW and ER. I really hate such games with organic discovery because scripted events are way more interesting than random encounters you discover yourself, which is why I hated almost any game with no map markers everywhere on the map.

[@mindeyethemasterscreen2712]

@@hydrocy.9165 You hate exploring open worlds?

[@hydrocy.9165]

@@mindeyethemasterscreen2712 Yes, without map markers.

[@ThePreciseClimber]

Have you ever played Gothic 1&2? Those quite often get praised when it comes to open world design, especially Gothic 2. Gothic 1&2 also have a better levelling system where you start out as a wimp but, by the end of each game, you become a proper, competent warrior. It helps that enemies don't scale. A wolf will always be as strong as a wolf.

[@blasphemy47]

Yes i did. However, i wouldn't consider Gothic 1 and 2 open worlds. They're rather similar to dark souls series where the map layout, enemies placement, and difficulty dictate how you progress.

[@zainroshaan]

I love the witcher 3 tho but man u know u should make content that apeals to a fan base man u know neo knigt got 100k subs in a week just becaue3 he explores differnt consequences of the quests no one thought about just saying make videos about things u love not things u hate

[@blasphemy47]

I wouldn't say necessary i hate the games i criticize, it's just i don't hold them to such high regards as someone else would. Also i did create a video in defence of a game i liked(Valhalla) and not that many people watched it. Yet the Elden Ring critique is the most popular at the moment. I definitely intend to also make videos about games i like and hopefully gain some audience, however making only videos about only one game or subject it's not very appealing to me.

[@zainroshaan]

@@blasphemy47 leme go chect that video out but out of all the things defended "valhalla" bro i ve bee playing Ac games and loving them from 2007 and valhhallh is just literaly bloated mess with borrow mechnics vallah is the worst ac game to date

[@blasphemy47]

@@zainroshaan Well have a look, it might change your mind on a few things 😁

[@christianbell8347]

I love this game but this is an enjoyable video. Well done on making it! I always like hearing alternative points of view.

[@blasphemy47]

Glad you enjoyed it and the fact you are open to different points of view.

[@SayMy_User_Name]

Cyberpunk > Witcher 3

[@blasphemy47]

In many ways, yes. Cyberpunk is a better RPG than Witcher 3.

[@John-996]

Another Thing Witcher 3 has allot of hidden Quests and I do Think Witcher 3 is one of the best open worlds. But the White question marks which have you do the same repetitve tasks is criticized in other games but Witcher 3 gets a pass. I feel Like The Witcher 3 coming out in 2015 when allot of shit open World games like Mad max came out you also had Mafia the year after which also had a shit open world. Fallout 4 was good but not as good as 3 for allot of people. Of course you had great open worlds like Skyrim and GTA5, but as far as Next gen games Non of them were great. Witcher 3 side Quests really put the Ones in AC Orgins to shame. BOTW is really were things changed as it was the first great open world in a long time. I played Witcher 3 for the first time in 2017 and loved it. It actually ruined allot of open Games I was playing such as HZD. It was Not until I played RDR2 that I was actually blown away again by open world games. I played Kingdom Come in 2021 and was amazed by it as well it actually had quests like Witcher 3 but allot more ways to solve them. I then Played Fallout New vegas again which i originally did not like as Well as GTA San Andres and fallout3. I would still say Witcher 3 is one of the best open worlds along With RDR2, Skyrim, GTA San, Fallout New vegas, GTA5, fallout3, Kingdom come and BOTW. it just goes to show there really are not allot well made open worlds.

[@blasphemy47]

There are a few issues with hidden quests or quest you pick more organicly as you explore. That is level requirements. I remember a quest where I did encounter some peasants in a cave, hiding from a monster. I decided to give them a hand and kill the monster. But by the time I got there, i realized that creature was 20 levels ahed of me, impossible to kill. This really ruined that urgency of the moment. If you're going to add unmarked quest that the player could stumble upon, then better be sure they can engage with it in the first place. In regards to Fallout 4, try the Dlc: Far harbor. Imo is the best Fallot game. Great story, better than the original F4 story, the world has vibes of Lovecraft as well.

[@John-996]

@@blasphemy47 Thats why I think Kingdom come is great as you can find ways to beat a quest without always being skilled. Another thing in kingdom come is you could be right next to quest giver but they do not have quest markers on them which makes it really immersive.

[@malikgod]

Fake outrage

[@hydrocy.9165]

I'm just glad this game isn't one of these generic open world titles like Gothic, BOTW, Morrowind and ER with no quest markers and log journals. Upon half way into this video, this video is really just in bad faith, this guy wants the mechanics to approach different enemies of BOTW, an amazing A.I where everyone can interact with everyone, random encounters of RDR2(which were garbage anyway, probably has something to do with how bad of a game RDR2 is, but that game made me realise how bad the concept of random events really is), combat of souls games (where the monsters also completely ignore the NPC's), having 1000's of NPC have their unique dialogue conversation, water/air physics of GTA 5, meanwhile having the writing of Witcher 3. I personally can't enjoy games anymore after finishing TW3, I hated almost every game I played after it like BOTW, KCD, and especially Red dead 2, personally RDR2 is my contender for the most worthless and empty open world to date, filled with nothing encounters, some of the worst story missions to date, terrible combat which drags itself, and the most linear open world I have ever played, it's almost sad because the world looks really appealing to eyes even if it lacks imagination.

[@feelsgoodman420]

Rdr2 is a technical masterpiece. It's not empty. The atmosphere and artificial ecosystem in the game fill up the space.

[@hydrocy.9165]

@@feelsgoodman420 You mean grass fills up the space? Space in the game should be filled with actual content, stories, character interaction, Valentine is one of the most important places in RDR2 but has less amount of side quests than in some of the minor villages of TW3, I can't think of many quests other than homeless veteran, two brothers after one girl and the shopkeeper one

[@feelsgoodman420]

@@hydrocy.9165 witcher 3 has brain dead npcs that barely react to Geralt's actions. It offers little immersion besides banging prostitutes and playing gwent. RDR2 has a living breathing world with npcs that react to what the players doing as well as having their own individual daily routines

[@hydrocy.9165]

@@feelsgoodman420 Which is exactly why that game is garbage, RDR2 focuses on things that do not matter like immersion by making 24/7 NPC routine over actually making the content in the game good

[@feelsgoodman420]

@@hydrocy.9165 i prefer it that way. Most open world games are bloated and shove content down your throat every two seconds which leads to burn out. Immersion and attention to detail is what a lot of people want in their next gen games. I'm not saying every game has to be like this but to say people don't want experinces like RDR2 is completely false.