The Witcher 3: Hearts of Stone (PS4)

When it comes to the base game of Witcher 3, I feel Dan did a great job reviewing it and I don’t want to repeat anything. I suggest going and checking his review of the base game out here.(Highly Recommended, as many things that I will not touch on, are covered in great detail.) However, for the expansion? Let us count the ways I love this game, and the developers. While I would love to say its me being a fanboy, I truly do not think that is the case. The base game itself is that good. On top of it, developer CD Projekt RED has done probably the best job in keeping interest in the game after it’s release by releasing free DLC, and unlike most titles, it’s free DLC you actually will want. New Game+, new clothes for main characters, and new quests and gear sets. All of this was for free, adding even more content to a game that already had a staggering amount. Now for a simple 10 dollar bill, you are getting another 10+ hours of content. That’s a dollar an hour. 

I try to avoid spoiling games as best as I can in my reviews, so if you find my explanation of the story a little lacking, understand it’s so the review remains spoiler free. That being said, Hearts of Stone is an expansion for the Witcher 3. The events of Hearts of Stone do not effect the story of the base game. It is it’s own adventure. You have multiple ways to start the expansion: Start a game with a level 30 character and gear, and dive straight into just the DLC, you can load up your own file and a text box will show up as soon as you load in telling you where to go, or you can start a brand new file base game and all, and work to the point to start doing the DLC content. I do like the choices they give you for starting Hearts of Stone, and feel many other games with stand alone story DLC should look at this as an example of how to implement it.

To avoid spoilers I am just going to paste in the description that is given for the expansion. That way, no spoilers, and explains just enough for people to understand. “Hearts of Stone will take Geralt on an all-new 10-hour adventure into the wilds of No Man’s Land and the nooks and alleys of Oxenfurt, where he’ll try to complete a contract from the mysterious Man of Glass. Caught in a thick tangle of deceit, Geralt will need all his cunning and strength to solve the mystery and emerge unscathed.”

My take on the story is that it’s well done, and does show a more relaxed and personal side of Geralt, much like how Wild Hunt softened him up as well. It is quite safe to say if you enjoyed the full release, you will enjoy Hearts of Stone just as much. If you have played the first game in the series, all I can say is you have your second favorite red head back. Only reason I spoil this is because it’s all over the place by now.

Also let’s get the simple answers out of the way. The game still looks the same as the base game, with some new monsters and variations of existing monsters with some new moves. The zones are as colorful as ever, and as expansive as ever.If you want more info on the visuals and the world you explore, go ahead and check out our review on the base game.

The soundtrack is still as amazing as ever, and with the new tracks that are added, none feel that they don’t belong. They all fit in with the setting, and will make you actually listen to in game music, and not just your spotify. Come on let’s face it, many games soundtracks are terrible these days. (I’m looking at you Fallout 4, minus one or two of the songs.) Witcher 3 however, has easily the best soundtrack of 2015 in my opinion. Each song is atmospheric and gives you that feeling of exploration, dread, or excitement depending on the situation.

Many of the new “boss” fights have some improved AI. For example one of my favorite strategies was trying to stay behind the enemy. In Hearts of Stone, there are certain fights where if you try to employ that tactic you will get killed very easily. I found this a welcome change however, as it made you think outside the box, and try strategies that you otherwise would of never thought of. Kudos for that. I do like games that make me think.

The cons I still have from the base game still exist in the expansion, but they are in no ways deal breakers. I just feel the combat can feel a little clunky and slow. While there are many different ways to play your character to combat this, my play style has always been hack and slash. I feel the game punishes you for going straight up melee in some aspects, however it doesn’t make it impossible to beat that way. It just adds more challenge. Sure you could turn the difficulty down to combat it also, but at that point I feel you shouldn’t have to do that. I feel this is a personal preference however, so your experience may vary.

The hard part about doing a review for this expansion is that the game is so story heavy, and therefore makes it real hard not to give any spoilers. What I can say though is that the story keeps you gripped from start to finish, and it does have a few crazy points that make you go “wait what?”. Also, 10 dollars for 10+ hours of content is an incredible deal. I really do like the way CD Projekt Red treats their fanbase. They don’t insult the gamer. It shows they truly care about the product they have released and that they care about the people who bought their game. Big kudos for that.

There’s no doubt this is a total buy for fans of the series, but I would even venture to say that it’s a must buy for anyone who owns the base game as well, as it adds so much for such a little price tag. I actually questioned Dan when he gave it game of the year so early this year, but looking back on it he hit the nail right on the head. This is THE game to buy this year. There’s not many 200+ hour games that exist, let alone are gripping for the entire 200 hours. Add on the expansion, which is on average 10 hours long as well, with multiple choices which leads to multiple playthroughs? I cannot recommend this game strongly enough. It is one of my favorite games of all time, joining the ranks of titles such as Dark Souls, Elder Scrolls, Mass Effect, and Fallout.

Now, can we get more Triss please?

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