This game.
I finished up Blood and Wine last weekend, and I’m struck by how much this gaming experience has affected me. I find myself missing the people and longing to go back into the world. I know that everyone talks about the story, but to me it’s beyond just story telling or narrative. It’s the way the world feels full and alive, through the depths of the characters and the lay of the land. And it’s not a land I could describe as ‘somewhere I want to live’, but it’s absolutely somewhere I want to go back to.
I have so much to say about the game, but three years on I know it’s mainly been said, so I won’t drone on about it here. I do feel obligated to mention that this game has pushed me to start reading the books. I’m in the middle of the Last Wish (at the edge of the world, specifically) and I expect to continue through all the short stories, at minimum. As books are so often the catalyst to pursue supporting material, I can’t think of a better compliment than to point out the reverse is happening here.
Okay, one thing on the game itself: Hearts of Stone. As much as I enjoyed Blood and Wine, it is HoS that remains top of mind. At worst I found it on par with the Bloody Baron story, if not the best side story in the game. I wonder if there’s a place inside the main plot where it makes sense to stop for HoS, or if it really only fits after the end. Maybe during Brothers in Arms or after the big fight at Kaer Morhen? I guess I’ll try that on my replay.
Speaking of which, I never do replays. But I’m going to do one with Witcher 3. I have to get back there. I promised myself to give it a bit of time and wait until I had a better tv (my current one is a 8+ year old plasma). Next year sometime is what I told myself.
Then I ordered a tv last night. It gets here Wednesday. This game!