Last week I told myself I’d knuckle down and finish The Witcher 3. Right after I wrapped up Blood & Wine, that is. Once that whole werewolf-in-Toussaint affair was dealt with, I followed Avallac’h through his portal. I battled giant Starship Troopers-esque crabs and died to the freezing cold of a snowy apocalypse more times than I’d care to admit, then I realised that Dijkstra had asked me a favour. Well, he is an old friend and all…
The Witcher 3 is a game I’ve bounced off countless times, like so many others have before me, but the current-gen version sank its claws deep like a Griffin and refused to let go even after I’d beheaded a hundred monsters and helped a hundred concerned citizens. I’ve loved my time exploring Novigrad and locating lost statue balls, and The Witcher 3 is a game that will percolate around my mind for a long time, not least because it taught me so much about intentional game design and helped me to better understand how open worlds work, and why.
Anyway, back to Dijkstra. He wanted my help to assassinate the king, topple the current regime, and restore Temeria’s independence or something. I hadn’t taken too much of an interest in The Continent’s politics until this point, but I’d noticed Radovid was constantly trying to kill my friends because they’re magic, so I was in. Besides, it meant I didn’t have to face off with the Wild Hunt just yet.
It’s not that The Witcher 3’s main story is bad, in fact I’m really enjoying it. I especially love Ciri, and sincerely hope she comes out of all this okay (and I get to play as her some more). It’s far better than the story in fellow fantasy RPG Skyrim, but it suffers from the same problem: the side quests, the additional discoveries, and the adventures I can forge without Ciri by my side are endless, and I can’t stop doing them. Put simply, I never want The Witcher 3 to end.
I know I could come back to the game once I’ve beaten up Eredin, but it wouldn’t feel right. After saving the world and my surrogate daughter (please say she doesn’t die), I’d definitely want to relax for a while, hopefully enjoy her company (please, please say she doesn’t die), and I’d give Geralt the same peace. Besides, I’ve got like a hundred other games that are demanding my attention. There are great new indies on my radar, I’m shitting myself through Dead Space, and I never finished Dragon Age: Inquisition which I started last year. Remember when I was blogging my way through those games? I need to get back to that, as Dreadwolf creeps ever closer.
To get to all those, though, I need to finish The Witcher 3. I’ve been telling myself to mainline the ending for nigh on a month now, and yet here I am. I’m slowly crawling towards the ending among the side quests – I’ve finally reached Skellige in search of Fringilla and the Sunstone – but I’m certain I’ll find something to distract me before too long. At least my armour’s fully upgraded, so I don’t have to worry about that any more.
As it stands now, I don’t understand how I bounced off The Witcher 3 so many times. Sure, the tutorial is long and abstruse, but this is a game that practically feels made for me. What’s more, it’s a brilliant game that practically feels made for me. Now that I’ve been suckered in, I’ve encountered a massive problem. I don’t want it to ever end.