on me next oneGeneration update to The Witcher 3 CD Projekt RED studio Made us wait a very long time. In addition, the release date of the add-on has been pushed back several times. Apparently, the “Redzi” took the problems with Cyberpunk 2077 seriously, and in the case of their popular RPG, they preferred to play it safe. Fans of the “broken” Geralt of Rivia from the series could not forgive them.
However, the waiting time is over. December 14th Update for the next generation You will finally get to the players. Both PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X / S owners as well as PC owners will be able to install it. CD Projekt RED confirms this The update will also appear on older consoles. But in this case, the list of new products will be very limited.
Last week I had the opportunity to test The next generation of The Witcher 3 on PS5. I came to Vilin and Novigrad again. I sailed to the Skelligs and visited my brothers at Caer Morhen Castle. I spent almost dozens of hours on the continent. And I still want more.
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Geralt’s new clothes
The Witcher 3 on PlayStation 5 looks great – and so does it performance modewhere it works “strictly” 60 frames In the second (I’ve had liquidity drops a few times, but those were just accidents).
It’s a little worse with fluidity Performance mode with ray tracing. The game aims for 30fps here, but with more demanding scenes Control unit She was beginning to choke. Anyway, it’s worth trying The Witcher 3 in this mode too, if only to see how realistic it is – thanks worldwide light And the Clogging environment – Lighting is displayed.
The first scene already in the game, when Geralt goes to the balcony of Kaer Morhen Castle to look at the mountainous landscape stretching to the horizon, is breathtaking.
The improved Witcher 3 also includes new textures. Here the developers have implemented it number Modify, well known to those who played Geralt’s adventures on PC. It is about, among other things about the Ministry of Defense The remastered Witcher 3 HD project And the HD Monsters Remastered Mod.
In fact, almost all textures look better or much better – from the rich flora, through the buildings in Novigrad, to the palace interiors in Vizima or Kaer Morhen.
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However, to say The Witcher 3 can visually compete with the best games from the last 2-3 years would be an abuse. In many respects, you can still see that we are dealing with a game that was first introduced 7 years ago. This is primarily about NPC character models (they are quite generic), as well as and cartoon face character – here the “age of time” is more noticeable.
If you played The Witcher 3 in Playstation 4 Or Xbox One, you’ll definitely notice it Big difference in graphicsj. However, if you run the PC version (and with modifications that improve graphics), this difference will be small.
It is worth noting that the next-gen version of The Witcher 3 for PC will introduce many improvements that you will not find on PS5 and Xbox Series X / S. It is about, among others, about DLSS 2, Realistic Reflections And the Realistic shadow lighting.
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What’s new in this game?
CD Projekt has also added a number of gameplay improvements for the next generation update. These are mainly cosmetic changes, which does not mean that they do not affect the gameplay. Some of them you will notice right away, others after a few hours of playing, and others you will probably only notice after you go back to the old version of the game.
It can be included in the first category Rapid character casting (without having to open the selection wheel), New camera settings (Can now be placed near the character) clearer map (something for people who freaked out at the thought of hundreds of question marks about the Skellig Islands) OR Dynamic interface (Some UI elements only appear during combat.)
Changes that are less obvious at first glance are environmental improvements (dense vegetation, new weather phenomena), less fall damage, faster weed harvesting, slower gait (there are three character movement modes), or an alternate run mode.
In the course of the game, we will encounter dozens of other small amenities. Example? Surely you know the famous side quest about the Bloody Baron. Many players were annoyed by the fact that there is no fast travel sign in Crow’s Perch, the location for this mission. Now this sign has finally appeared. Small thing, but it makes me happy.
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Via preservation and support for DualSense
Another useful novelty that is definitely worth mentioning via the save function. allows you to use cross platform records in the cloud using your GOG.com account. So, if you started your adventure on PC and want to continue it on PS5 – you have such an opportunity.
And speaking of PlayStation 5 owners, that’s it I hasten to report that the improved Witcher 3 introduces support for the DualSense controller. While riding Płotka – depending on the terrain we are moving on – we feel different tactile vibrations. In contrast, during combat, the game uses adaptive triggers, which at certain moments put up more or less resistance.
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Dziki Gon x Netflix, or Welcome to the Devil’s Hole
There has also been a lot of talk ahead of the release of the next generation update for The Witcher 3 About DLC based on the Netflix series. The content related to this production is not only new items (two swords and a shield for White wolfa new outfit for Nilfgaardian soldiers, or a replacement outfit for Jaskier), but also a new mission – “For the glory of eternal fire” Which will allow us to obtain this equipment.
This mission takes place in a notorious area among the gaming community Satan falls – The previously cut location from The Witcher 3. Without going into spoilers, I’ll just write that the quest is really worthwhile, and at the same time quite extensive. Interestingly, for the purposes of its implementation, Jacek Rozenek returned to the role of Geralt, who recorded new lines of dialogue.
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Geralt for our time
Was it worth waiting so long for Wild Hunt’s next-gen update? In my opinion, yes. Although The Witcher 3 remains almost the same game that stole gamers’ hearts seven years ago, with improved graphics, improved gameplay, and additional content, CD Projekt has a chance to win our favor again.
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You have already entered into mine. Although initially – for the purposes of this review – I planned to spend only a dozen or so hours with the game, then put it on my virtual shelf, Wild Hunt spell worked for me and I intend to continue playing. So Geralt will take 80-90 hours out of my resume again.
It’s also possible that the “new” The Witcher 3 will interest people who were too young to play an “adult” RPG in 2015, and only heard of Geralt of Rivia for the first time thanks to the success of the Netflix series.
Rating: 8/10
A review copy of the game was made available by CD Projekt.