It doesn’t hurt that the world is beautiful to boot. Staring out into the wide open expanse of White Orchard, or navigating the alleyways of Novigrad provide a sense of realism amidst all of the fantasy. Everything you face may be magical or demented, but the grounded nature makes the entire affair more immersive leaving it difficult to pull yourself away. The faces of townspeople, the disdain of guards, the aloof nature of royalty, it all melds to create something worth caring about.
Then there are the characters. Individuals with whom you struggle for love, power, and respect. What may seem like a brutish jerk at one moment is actually a man who has been broken by a string of choices in his life. A mischievous child is instead a powerful being there to protect all in its realm, and that tree you found beneath the ground? It may be the salvation of one group while it completely damns all other parties. The depth brought forth in The Witcher 3 is nothing to scoff at and this was made even clearer in the game’s first expansion, Hearts of Stone.
How do you expand on a GOTY contender? Easy, you make its DLC feel like yet another GOTY. Hearts of Stone gave more of what the base game did so well and that further reminded fans of just how rare of an occurrence the game is. Challenging battles, deep stories, mesmerizing characters, and you, the player, at the center of it all guiding it along and choosing the fate of all you come across.
A game that does its damnedest to make the player a part of it in a way that is both meaningful and fun is definitely one that deserves praise. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt all on its own was a unique offering this year that chose many different avenues to connect to the player and nailed every single one. The fact that they piled on an extra few dozen hours of goodies in the form of what is definitely one of the best expansions of the year only sweetens the deal. It’s a game that speaks for itself with every passing fictional minute in its gorgeous world and look, I didn’t even have to mention Yennefer or Roach to make a case. Now if that doesn’t prove this game deserves the top spot, I don’t know what will.
There are many worthy games vying for that highly coveted spot on top this year, and while all make a grand effort, it’s hard to find one that comes close to the sheer scope The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt has to offer. But I’m just one person, what do you, the reader, think? Did The Witcher 3 hit all the right notes in order to blur out anything else this year? Was it’s romance, intrigue, death, and choices enough to make you a believer? Feel free to let us know in the comments.
Keep checking back all this week for more opinions from Twinfinite on which game should be Game of the Year! And finally, next week, we’ll announce our Game of the Year!
