CD Projekt Red finally offers the update of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt bound for PS5, Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S. For an upgrade freethe novelties are sensational.
Released in 2015, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is becoming a work that defies time. Like GTA V or even of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, the cult RPG from CD Projekt Red survives through multiple ports – PS4, Xbox One and PC, then Nintendo Switch. And, since December 14, the Polish studio has been offering PS5, Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S versions of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. A way to make the game ever more eternal.
Especially since CD Projekt Red has promised mountains and wonders with what is presented as an update – free – of the initial game. A clarification that is not insignificant: if you are the owner of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt on PS4 or Xbox One, then you are also on PS5 or Xbox Series – under the guise of staying in the same ecosystem. Those who play on PC also benefit, with new graphics settings on the menu.
CD Projekt Red didn’t lie. On PS5 and Xbox Series X, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is getting a hell of a makeover. The evolution is not only graphic, since it is accompanied by other additions related to the gameplay allowing the RPG to do – a little – less its age.
I would have liked to find out The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt in 2022
Fluidity or ray tracing?
The visual assets of the new version of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt owe as much to the community (some fan-made mods are used) as to CD Projekt Red itself. The idea was not only to increase the definition and apply a veil of sharpness, but also to give a little pep to a necessarily old-fashioned rendering using modern technologies (example: ray tracing). On PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, the RPG still imposes a choice: either you favor performance (frame rate at 60 fps), or you bet on fidelity (30 fps). After trying both and comparing in different situations, our choice is quickly made.
As in 90 or even 95% of cases, the performance-based display mode offers the best gaming conditions. While ray tracing adds a few additional nuances in certain sequences, they remain negligible compared to the possibility of playing The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt with impeccable fluidity on console (which PC players have enjoyed since the beginning). We let you judge with our few comparisons made from captures taken on PlayStation 5.
- On this comparison, we notice that the ray tracing mode is much brighter, which greatly improves detail on the balcony and around (watch for the texture of the stone at the bottom right), in conditions where the lighting is complex. Here, ray tracing is the big winner.
- Indoors, when it’s dark, the differences are much less striking, and you have to take out the magnifying glass. With ray tracing, the chandelier gains a shadow, while the outside light is better diffused from the door.
- With this sunrise, the rendering appears more washed out when ray tracing is disabled. On the other hand, the vegetation remains dense…
- On the shadows cast on the surface of the water, the ray tracing mode does much better. But, again, this is not an element that we necessarily realize when we play.
- Below is the visual atmosphere that benefits from the contributions of ray tracing.
What to remember? That we would so love to be able to play with ray tracing at a framerate of 60 fps, but that the fluidity brings a comfort that we can hardly do without after having tasted it. Note that, by default, the game is set to… performance.
Otherwise, in general, the graphical gain is quite dizzying (the incredible rendering of the skies!). The display finesse is difficult to fault, and some 3D models are much more detailed than we remember (the enemies, in particular). Only certain elements are noticeable, such as facial expressions or hair. CD Projekt Red also took the opportunity to clean up some bugs, like those related to the horse (there are still some hazardous collisions). One thing remains certain: we would have liked so much to play The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt under these conditions in 2015, which further supports the incredible work done to deliver this exciting update.
Gameplay (a little) dusted
Will play The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt in 2022 is equivalent to going back seven years. If we praised the undeniable qualities of the RPG in terms of narration in a huge open world and the construction of a grandiose adventure, we must remember that the gameplay was far from flawless. The fights, in particular, were not the strong point of the game due to a lack of flexibility and some painful mechanics (the wheel of powers…). In 2022, this observation has not changed and, worse, the default has increased over time. Don’t expect a revolution from this version considered definitive, even though CD Projet Red offers some interesting new features.
We would have liked to play The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt under these conditions in 2015
For example, we love the possibility of opting for a closer camera, knowing that we can configure it differently according to the game sequences (exploration, combat, etc.). This increased proximity to Geralt – or rather his shoulder – is inspired by the latest God of War, which breathes a hint of modernity into the experience. It’s interesting.
On the other hand, we are more mixed on the advisability of casting spells more quickly, thanks to an option articulated around shortcuts. Concretely, rather than having to manually select a power before launching it, you can hold down the right trigger (with a small resistance effect on the DualSense controller) and press the corresponding button to save time. It’s a real blow to take, but it requires learning the attributions by heart so as not to have to ask the question in the heat of the moment. Once again, leaving the option to the players remains excellent news.
Finally, this new version of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt relies on a more customizable interface, on the side of the elements displayed on the screen – among other indicators on the adventure (for, for example, that the map is more practical and less messy). We will end with the series of objects bearing the image of the series broadcast on Netflix, which will allow fans of actor Henry Cavill to mourn the departure of the actor after the third season. The wink deserves to be underlined.
