The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt originally was released in 2015 to universal acclaim from critics and consumers alike. It was one of those rare gems that delivered a nearly-perfect gaming experience, raising the bar for RPGs everywhere. From the well-crafted dialogue to breathtaking visuals surrounding an enthralling story in a vast world to explore, it was easy to sink well over 100 hours into The Witcher 3 and never find a dull moment. It was one of the best games of its generation and many would go as far to say one of the greatest of all time. But seven years is a long time in gaming, and what was once groundbreaking can become the norm in a much shorter window of time. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Complete Edition is an upgraded version for modern platforms, but are Geralt of Rivia's adventures still as enticing as they were almost a decade ago?

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Complete Edition is an upgraded version of the previous generation title by the same name. It includes The Witcher 3 base game and the two expansions Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine. People who own the The Complete Edition on PlayStation 4 can upgrade to the PlayStation 5 version for free. This new version is a remaster that adds a few additional bonuses beyond just making the graphics prettier and loading times shorter.

Getting into some of these changes there are two different graphics settings that can be chosen in the PlayStation 5 version: Quality and Performance. Both of these settings support 4K resolution but excel in different areas. Performance can handle 60 FPS which gives more fluidity and lifelike qualities to animation, especially in combat. Quality mode is capped at 30 FPS, but thanks to ray tracing adds a new dimension to already-gorgeous visuals. Compared to earlier versions, both settings have improved textures, draw distance and lighting effects. Having taken a break from the The Witcher 3 for a couple years didn't make these differences apparent at first, but after comparing it to the PlayStation 4 and especially the Switch version, this upgrade doesn't screw around when it comes to improving the visual quality. Additionally, a photo mode has been added for players who want to preserve moments in The Witcher 3 at the highest quality.

Some quality-of-life improvements have been added to the gameplay. Herbs and plants are now automatically harvested and stored without having to use a separate menu. Other menu improvements include being able to quickly use items from a radial menu without having to go into the inventory screen. There's now a quick casting option where Witcher signs can be switched and cast in real time without having to bother with the radial menu. The minimap has been cleaned up and the visible objectives on the UI can be toggled. Geralt can now move at three different speeds depending on how much pressure is applied to the left thumbstick and he can sprint by tapping L3. These changes help streamline the gameplay and make it feel more contemporary. All of these are minor improvements, but overall they contribute to this being an improvement over the original release.

The last batch of additions are new content based on the Netflix series. Adding this content to a game that predates the series feels strange, but its presence doesn't hurt anything. There are new costumes, armor sets and weapons modeled after the show which can be a nice addition to fans of the series. The biggest increase is a new quest, which for those wanting to avoid knowing anything about it, skip to the next paragraph. The new quest is located at The Devil's Pit in Velen called In The Eternal Fire's Shadow. This new quest is well constructed as CD Projekt Red put the effort into making something on par with the rest of the game. Some people were introduced to The Witcher through the games, some through the original books and now some have discovered it through Netflix and this quest helps all the different Witcher media feel more connected.

There isn't much to be said about The Witcher 3 that hasn't already been said. The tale begins with Geralt and his mentor Vesemir traveling to White Orchard. Geralt has received a letter from his long lost lover Yennefer, which finding her seems to motivate him just as much if not more than collecting coin from killing monsters. His travels lead him to an audience with Emperor Emhyr who tasks Geralt to finding Ciri who has familial ties to both of them. What transpires from here is an epic adventure that can have several different outcomes based on Geralt's choices as he travels through numerous locations such as the city-state of Novigrad, the swamplands of Velen and the Skellige Isles.

The Witcher 3 is a third-person action RPG where the player primarily controls Geralt of Rivia, the titular Witcher. Geralt's primarily weapons are his two swords: a steel sword that's generally used against human enemies and his silver sword that's better suited for monsters. In addition to his swords, he has other weapons such as a crossbow, bombs and five different magic signs at his disposal. Outside of battle the world is driven by various quests and jobs. In addition to the main story quests, there's no shortage of odd jobs that the random people Geralt encounters offers. Some of these side quests can get involved and it's easy to lose sight of the main objections by getting caught up in all the side activities or a game of Gwent.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is just enjoyable today as it was in 2015. It doesn't hurt that the original release did an exemplary job of what a great medium for storytelling video games can be. The dialogue tress are some of the best crafted in gaming history, balancing the bleak nature of the world at hand with just enough gallows humor for player to crack a smile. But grimness of the world aside, it's hard not to smile while playing The Witcher 3. The world is huge, but unlike some other games that simply believe bigger is better, the progression isn't bogged down with bloated filler content and boring side quests. The masterful writing makes all parts of Geralt's journey compelling, regardless of which manner of quest he's completing or NPC he's dealing with. Whether interacting with people or going out into the wilds to fight wraiths and griffins, the world of The Witcher 3 is an immersive one that can easily swallow hours of the player's life without them noticing. From storytelling to exploration to combat, this is one game where every element is at the top of its game.

On a technical level the only real criticism with the graphics is even with the improvements the characters models are starting to show their age. To be fair this was originally released in 2015 and character models have improved since then. but that's the main aspect that reminds the player that this is a remaster and not a brand new game. In the original release Geralt did feel clunky in combat, and while things like quick casting and the option for a higher framerate help with that, there aren't any significant improvements made to battle mechanics. Aside from that everything else is an improvement, between quicker loading times, better visuals and the general quality-of-life improvements mentioned earlier.

Closing Comments:

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Complete Edition takes a nearly-perfect game and makes it better. Nothing about this title really needed to be changed, which makes it even nicer that the developers took the extra effort to implement various quality-of-life improvements in addition to giving it a graphical facelift for the current console generation. Given its compelling story, fantastic dialogue writing and incredibly fun gameplay, it was arguably the best game released in 2015. This new update does nothing but improve upon a masterpiece. The improvements to graphics and gameplay are enough solidify Complete Edition as the definitive version of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.