"The Witcher III: Wild Hunt" Review

     The Witcher III: Wild Hunt has tales of horrific monsters, a deep, rich world, wondrous magic, bloody-fun combat; yet a lackluster story. There is plenty here to marvel at, but is there really enough to hold your interest in developer, CD Projekt RED's latest venture in The Witcher series? Players take control of Geralt of Rivia. Ciri, a girl who Geralt holds very close to his heart, has gone missing. Geralt must go on a long quest to find her, all while meeting old acquaintances and dealing with the "Wild Hunt," a menacing force plaguing the game's world. Sounds cool, right? You would expect the story to be very engaging based on the above description, but it unfortunately boils down to a bunch of "fetch quests" for people. "Oh Geralt, could you find this for me?" "Oh Geralt, would you kindly solve this mystery for me?" Frankly, you'll have considerably more fun with the engaging side-quests, rather than the main story. There are tons upon tons of side-quests, ranging from monster contracts to treasure hunts. It'll be quite some time before you've even neared completing all of them.

     First, I must say that Wild Hunt is a GORGEOUS game. From its bright sun and luscious fields of grass at daytime to its alluring moon and the cries of wolves at night time, it's certainly quite the treat to behold. There are many different areas to explore, each just as big and intricately-designed as the last. People just going about their business surround you practically wherever you go. Character models have an astonishing attention to detail. Even watching Geralt's hair flip around as he moves is entertaining. You can tell that there is no way this game would have been playable on last-generation consoles. There is just too much on screen. If you ever decide to play Wild Hunt for yourself, you should do two things. One, turn the game's impressive, but also very annoying at times soundtrack all the way down and two, just go for a stroll or ride your horse through the beautiful world that CD Projekt RED has created. I honestly believe that it would be impossible to grow tired of looking at Wild Hunt's stunning world.

     Secondly, there are a lot of things to be afraid of in Wild Hunt. But don't worry, you have a lot at your disposal to dispatch them. Geralt can use "Signs" to shoot fire from his hands, summon a shield to protect his body from damage and influence opponents' minds so they'll attack each other, as well as other magical abilities. You may also craft potions. Of course, if you're not such a fan of the magic or potions at your disposal, there are always Geralt's two swords. Geralt's steel sword is used to fight humans, while his silver sword is strictly for doing battle with Wild Hunt's large array of monsters. If you are ever having trouble with a particular monster, just consult your handy "Bestiary," where you will find its weaknesses and a short description on it. Geralt also has his "Witcher sense" for discovering things in the environment and examining them. You should always be keeping a close-eye on your weapons' stats whether its their damage that is just too low for certain battles or they are dangerously-close to breaking. New weapons can be crafted by blacksmiths by finding diagrams throughout the world. If you are close to breaking your weapon, head on over to a blacksmith and pay a small fee to have it restored to its former glory.
     However, there is a catch with the blacksmiths. Only those with a certain level can craft particular things for you. For instance, an "Amateur Blacksmith" will be unable to craft a high-level weapon. You would however be able to get your weapon crafted at a "Journeyman Blacksmith." Both blacksmiths and shopkeepers also offer items needed for crafting, but you are better off looking for these items yourself than buying them due to inflated prices. Most items can even be dismantled by a blacksmith in favor of specific materials you might need. The only gripe I have about Wild Hunt's crafting is how unnecessarily complicated it is. There is just way too much on screen in the crafting menu. There had to have been a better way to implement crafting in this game.

     Thirdly, combat, albeit a tad clunky, is extremely satisfying and gory. Finishing moves can be executed, severing limbs or even slicing the head or half of an opponent's body off. Geralt can also parry his opponents' attacks and then proceed to unleash a flurry of light and heavy attacks. Like I said before, you are likely to find combat a little tough at first due to its clunky nature, but you will get the hang of it eventually. Upgrades can be acquired by earning "ability points" through leveling up Geralt. Even more ability points can be acquired by finding "places of power" throughout your environment. These "ability points" can be spent on Geralt's combat skills, magic skills, etc. To get the most out of Wild Hunt's combat, I would advise using an equal combo of both swordplay and magic.

     I found the game's characters to be uninteresting and it was difficult to establish any kind of real bond with them. Geralt might be the only character I was truly intrigued by in even the slightest, but his "gravel voice" didn't exactly help maintain my interest in him. Many of the other characters feel under-developed due to their constant request of you to simply do things for them. Scenes of dialogue are often dragged out for way too long and I found myself skipping them frequently just to reach the end of the conversation. Most of the time, you have the option to gauge for more information by asking other available questions, but it really isn't even necessary to do so. There are loading screens, but they move quickly. Voice-acting is solid throughout the game as well.
     The Witcher III: Wild Hunt is certainly an impressive feat by developer, CD Projekt RED, but does fall short ever so slightly with some of it's problems.
PROS:
- Deep, rich world
- Engaging side-quests
- Absolutely gorgeous everywhere
- Large array of monsters
- Extremely satisfying combat
CONS:
- Lackluster story
- Overly-complicated crafting system
- Uninteresting characters
Final Score: 8.5/10

"Shovel Knight" Review

     

     Shovel Knight, both developed and published by developer Yacht Club Games, is an adorable homage to old school gaming and it shows with every minute of gameplay. You play as the aforementioned Shovel Knight in this 8-bit, side-scrolling platformer. You must work your way through a large array of bosses in order to reach and defeat The Enchantress and save your lost love, Shield Knight, in an inspiring, hilarious and heroic tale. I'm only twenty years old and haven't exactly played a lot of older games, but when I played Shovel Knight, it was like I traveled back in time to the era of old-school gaming. Get your shovels ready knights, because we're going on an adventure!
     Split into four sections with multiple levels, including optional ones, there's quite a bit of stuff for you to do in Shovel Knight. You have a main hub called the "Village" where you can interact with townsfolk and purchase upgrades for your health and magic. Certain upgrades such as additional moves are available, but unfortunately, there aren't enough of them and they feel kind of useless. You can also go to an armor outpost and buy different kinds of armor, offering you different abilities, but in the end, these felt merely cosmetic. Throughout each level, you'll be collecting lots of treasure. Each time you die, you lose a hefty amount of this treasure, but it can be retrieved upon respawning. Relics can also be found, giving you additional abilities at the cost of magic each time you use them. There are also checkpoints in each level that can be destroyed for treasure at the expense of no longer having a checkpoint.

     Shovel Knight's level design is its most brilliant aspect. Cleverly designed with contemplative navigation, multiple secret paths, and ingenious boss fights, you'll be smiling (and crying) the whole way through, but I'll get to that. Navigating the levels here will require quick-thinking as one hit could bounce you back and have you falling to your death. Let me tell you a short story real quick. A specific segment of the game has a blue treasure chest. I'd advise you to not open it, but you kind of have to in order to progress. You knock it open with your shovel and begin to rummage through it, but suddenly, a giant Angler fish with the treasure chest attached to it arises; its a trap! You begin to run for your life, carefully timing your jumps to reach each platform to get the hell out of there. As for the multiple secret paths, there are walls that can be destroyed with your shovel revealing treasure. There are also shortcuts around enemies sometimes.

     Combat in Shovel Knight will appear to be simple, but it's more challenging than you think as there are many different types of enemies, each with their own tactic. You'd think that a shovel wouldn't exactly be a very powerful weapon, but in this universe, you're wrong. Your attack is simply mapped to one button, but a downward stab can be performed by jumping and holding "down" as well. Boss battles are innovative with different phases and designs. You'll have to learn and adapt to these phases in order to win. I remember dying over twenty times during the Propeller Knight boss because of his floating ship blowing the ground out from under me with cannon balls. I was ready to cry. By the end of the game, I looked at my stats and found out that I had died over seventy times during the Propeller Knight level. That damn flying bastard. Oh, and if you're playing on the PlayStation version, keep an eye out for a certain pale-skinned boss. ;)

     The art design here in Shovel Knight is magnificent. Every pixelated environment will catch your eye with its attention to detail. I loved watching Shovel Knight run. Seeing his legs move; it was like I was playing Mario. From the dark, ominous areas to the bright, luscious ones, my eyes always widened with happiness as I continued to play. Even the way the map is designed is straight out of the old-school gaming era. The game's soundtrack will have your ears listening intently as you wait for the infectious music to change with each level. You do have the option to start a new-game plus upon completion, but there just wasn't enough here to warrant me starting the story all over again. Yacht Club games is certainly an ambitious developer and it shows with the amount of love put into Shovel Knight. I can't wait to see what they have planned next!
PROS:
- Inspiring, heroic tale
- Good amount of content
- Cleverly designed levels
- Many different types of enemies
- Creative boss battles
- Magnificent art design
- Infectious soundtrack
CONS:
- Certain upgrades feel useless
- Not enough here to warrant starting a New Game Plus
Final Score: 8.5/10