It is no longer to be demonstrated, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is one of the greatest RPGs of the last decade, holding off big Japanese releases such as Final Fantasy XV and personas 5. It is one of the most popular games of the previous generation of consoles, and it had a second wind, in terms of sales, with the broadcast of a series dedicated to the witcher on Netflix. So obviously, after working for a long time on Cyberpunk 2077and aware of the unconditional love that many fans around the world had for it, the CD Projekt Red studio has started an update intended to open the doors to the new generation.
A rich idea, which has, since its announcement, unleashed passions. Those who missed out on the previous generation of machines have no excuse, since the title is regularly offered at unbeatable prices on the Microsoft and PlayStation stores, in its full version (with DLC). And with this promising update, any handling issues or the slightly aged visual may no longer be a problem. It is in any case what we were promised, and it must be said that, controller in hand, the result is quite satisfactory. But let’s not put the cart before Roach, and let’s go back together on our past experience on the game in recent days.
Test conditions: We launched a new game on The Witcher 3 about a week before the update, just to get back in the bath, and to be able to carry out a comparison in full knowledge of the facts. At the time of this writing, we have spent nearly eight hours on version 4.0, and our game has already taken us more than fifteen hours in all. We split our playtime on Xbox One S to start, then on Xbox Series X starting December 14. This article is guaranteed spoiler-free.
Promising return
For many players, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt crystallizes a video game fantasy. That of an open world with dense vegetation, both realistic and bathed in a corrosive dark fantasy, all set in motion around an effective narration, and high-flying writing. A kind of Skyrim-killer, which would have aged much better than this one, and would offer an experience certainly less extensive in terms of quests and possibilities, but just as dense despite everything. Bathing, on top of that, in a perfectly well-designed, often beautiful, and always immersive world.
So, what struck us when we relaunched our game, before the big update, was first of all the fact that The Witcher 3 has aged well. Certainly, visually its old gen version suffers from some recurring problems, unsightly bugs, aliasing and clipping. And of course, it does not escape some signs of old age, such as its 3D models of reused NPCs, some slightly runny textures, or even interiors lacking in detail. We could also talk about the fluidity of the game, not always looking good when many characters (humans or monsters) are on screen.
But, that being so, difficult not to enter fully into this adventure, even today, so much his narration and his writing work well. We haven’t really seen better since its release in 2015, except perhaps on the side of Rockstar with the exceptional Red Dead Redemption 2. However, there is no longer any need to prove that CD Projekt’s game has been emulated, especially at Ubisoft with Assassin’s Creed Origins and its sequels. But nothing as immersive as The Witcher 3: Wild Huntand above all, nothing that fails to unite so many players around the world.
Remains a handling a little perfectible, it is true, in particular with regard to the combats, which took a little old blow. The game is not lacking in challenge, but it is a shame to see that it sometimes comes from game design problems, or from an AI that is not always very well calibrated. Nothing catastrophic, fortunately. Despite the small problems encountered at the start of the game, in the end we didn’t see anything really prohibitive. Just a few details, inherent in building an open world, that just made us even more excited for the update to roll out.
A revolutionary update?
No. No need to let the suspense settle, we are not facing a revolution, the experience does not change in depth, and those who have already completed the adventures of Geralt de Riv will not be really out of place. However, it goes without saying that this was not the objective. We are not in front of a new game, a remastering, but an update allowing it to dust off some of its aspects. And the first, you guessed it, is the visual. This version 4.0 indeed offers two distinct modes, respectively named “Performance” and “Ray Tracing”.
As with all other games offering these options, or almost, we first have the possibility of running The Witcher 3 in 60 frames per second, all with a rendering that adapts to the situations. The result is quite convincing, and it is true that it offers greater fluidity to the fights. In general, this option is perfectly comfortable, in all circumstances.
The second, as its name suggests, focuses more on rendering. And it must be admitted that with its dynamic lights and its management of shadows, the title throws all the more. 4K is comfortable, and perfectly showcases the finer textures of this next-gen version, and the slightly reworked 3D models. But then, you will have to settle for 30fps… which do the job perfectly. So it’s a matter of preference.
What is striking when you launch this version 4.0 on a new generation (remember that the old gen were also entitled to an update, bringing the same fixes, but no visual update), is the vegetation. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt was already known for its dense country environments, its many varieties of plants and trees highlighted as much by their worked appearance as by their number, or the catch of the wind in their leaves. And with this big update, it is now necessary to count on a much more palpable profusion, slightly more contrasting colors, and in general a more realistic and successful rendering of the vegetation.
Besides that, you will quickly notice that many small things have been improved. Textures and 3D models, as we said above, but not only. The legion of huts present on the map is entitled to more furniture, everyday objects, and enjoys much more convincing lighting. Nothing that distorts the experience, the result finally allowing to offer more body to the whole. However, if you’re a history buff like I am, then maybe you’ll quibble over a few details. Like a well-stocked library in the house of a peasant who has surely never had the opportunity to learn to read… nothing prohibitive, of course.
Note that this update is also an opportunity to introduce a new quest to change the appearance of the protagonists to match the actors of the series The Witcher on Netflix. This is the only novelty in terms of content, and it will, of course, speak exclusively to fans of the said series. A program that will change Geralt for its next season, no offense to lovers of Henry Cavill…
Improved ergonomics?
Of course, this version 4.0 is not without fixes and additions in the heart of the game. the camera, which can now be configured in the options, to bring it closer to the witcher. What is applicable in combat, and / or during the exploration phases. Both entitled to their separate option. A rich idea, which still changes the feeling of the experience a lot, especially when you beat the countryside to tell the truth, but which did not fully convince us controller in hand. Finally, it must be recognized, it is a very personal appreciation.
In general, the options have become heavier, offering more nuances for finicky players, in particular the possibility of disable the mini-map during the exploration phases, or to no longer display the points of interest there. Here again, the idea is good, and allows a reinforced immersion. But it’s perhaps more for connoisseurs, those who have already ransacked the world of The Witcher 3 and know him well. It’s a good way to rediscover places and test your knowledge, or simply to get lost in this charming open-world.
A few small additions also make the experience more fluid, such as the appearance of a quick spell casting. Now, by activating this option, you will be able to use the sign of your choice by pressing the lower right trigger, then pressing one of the buttons displayed on the right of the screen. This avoids spending time in the menu originally intended for this purpose, breaking the rhythm of the fights, while further reinforcing the immersion. At last, running is now done, by default, by pressing the left stick, rather than the A button as in the original version. Which didn’t seem more obvious to us, especially in combat, where it leads to some inaccuracies. Fortunately, it is configurable.
For those who have two consoles of the same range at home, we are thinking of a Series X | S and a One, know that it is always possible to quickly transfer your save from one to the other. This is what we were able to experience at home. The latest being connected to a 60-inch, 4K, OLED TV and everything that goes with it, and the oldest connecting to a smaller and much less recent model. We grant you, it ultimately affects few players, but perhaps the information will interest some.
Finally, how can we not talk about loading times? Because these have practically disappeared from this new gen version, although they were painful in the past. The title nevertheless chooses to keep the small cutscenes reminding the player of the story, which is not silly, but we would have liked to be able to skip them with a simple press of a button. More gaming comfort, of course, but note that despite everything, we faced some big bugs using fast travel. Twice our game simply crashed before our eyes, remaining stuck on a black screen. A third, this black screen persisted for about thirty seconds before going on an adventure. We hope this will be corrected soon.
In conclusion
This big update is full of good ideas, adding comfort to an experience that needed it, both visually and in terms of handling. And of course, the SSD of the new generation machines does an appreciable job in terms of loading times. It has never been so enjoyable to play The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt on consoles, and it’s nice to see that the developer has opened up its game to more options, to allow all types of players to find their way around. Even those who know the experience at their fingertips, finally. Do we recommend that you get the Polish RPG on new generation consoles? Certainly !