vs. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
It’s pretty much impossible to discuss open-world, action-RPGs without bringing up CD Projekt Red’s masterpiece, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. There are so many things this game got right that even though it’s a fairly recent release (May 2015), it’s becoming the standard-bearer for what open-world, action-RPGs should have. Beautiful world with varied locales? Check. Great characters? Check. Exceptional enemy design? Check, as long as we don’t have to look at the Ladies of the Wood anymore (they’re terrifying). The list goes on, but you can rest assured that it checks all the appropriate boxes. But the biggest, most praiseworthy check of all is that the world and the people within it mattered.
As you play through The Witcher 3, you come across countless people of all races, many of whom need your help. That naturally leads to side quests, a part of video games many developers are still trying to figure out. What’s usually comprised of fetch quests and pointless errands end up being deep, involving stories that expand the lore of the world while also giving plenty of more ways to care for the people within it. To be honest, if you asked me I’d say this game still hasn’t been topped, and is the pinnacle of what what world building and action-RPG design is.
Horizon Zero Dawn does take some cues from this amazing experience, but it misses the mark with some of its side quests, and the whole affair is on a much smaller scale. The central story (which we have a breakdown for here) is definitely one to experience, but outside of that, things aren’t as refined. Sure you get to dive deeper into some of the NPC stories, but a lot of it will be forgotten in no time. We’re still thinking about Wither 3’s Bloody Baron quest, and that means something.
