STACK June 2016 Issue 140

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Do you want more from TheWitcher 3? How about over 20 hours of
additional content? Blood andWine is what you need. By VaatiVidya
F or all the doom and gloom
of the Northern Realms,
you’d be forgiven for
thinking the imagination of Andrzej
Sapkowski is incapable of peace.
But in Blood andWine we learn
there are nations untouched by war
and allowed to prosper. Your latest
adventure takes you toToussaint, a
romantic imagining of medieval
France, both fantastical and
chivalrous, to investigate a series of
murders by a mysterious Beast.
The land, of course, is not
without its supernatural scandals.
While citizens of Toussaint will
mostly contend with boredom,
there does seem to be a healthy
(unhealthy?) number of vampires
around, with a queen desperate
to keep these murders quiet
while the nobles focus on their
entertainment. Blood andWine
continues theWitcher’s formula of
throwing Geralt into the bleakest
of fairy tales, such as the familiar,
Arthur-esque Lady of the Lake.
And while the setting is bright and
flowery, don’t expect the quests
to be.
In my time hunting the Beast,
I was presented with several
opportunities to test Geralt’s
tracking skills. At times, it played
out like a “whodunit” murder
mystery, with the player answering
riddles, detecting lies, and guessing
at motivations right alongside
Geralt. You might even produce the
answer before him – clever you!
For those who prefer the more
direct route, there are more than
30 new monsters plaguing the
extensive countryside of Toussaint
for Geralt to sink his silver sword
into. But witchers who do their
homework before battle will be duly
rewarded – more than ever, these
monsters have a “right” answer.
A particular example only requires
one crossbolt in the right spot.
Writing is undoubtedly the
series’ main strength,
though, and
that’s on
full display
here. You’ll
find yourself
genuinely caring
about characters
because of their words
and actions, whereas most
games simply say “You should
care about this person
now.” Conversation is
nuanced, and developer
CD Projekt Red doesn’t
Expanding
Universe
feel like players are too dumb for
dialogue that says more than one
thing at once.
The consequences of your
words and actions will now be
more visible, adding landmarks
to the horizon and allowing farms
to flourish. These are in-game
changes, rather than just narrated
comic pages. This may be the
WhiteWolf’s last hunt, so it’s fitting
he sees the fruits of his labour. But
while the citizens of Toussaint are
divided between those who drink
blood and wine, how much you spill
of both is ultimately up to you.
visit GAMES FEATURE
54 JUNE 2016
GAMES
the
There are more
than 30 new
monsters plaguing
Toussaint
Four things
you need to
know about
Blood and
Wine...
Study up
You may be an experienced
witcher, but that doesn’t mean
you know everything. Toussaint
has around 30 new monsters
troubling its countryside, and
many of these fights have a
“right” way to approach them.
So listen to what the locals say,
consult the documentation in
your menus, and bring the right
tools to the fight.
Toussaint isn’t a
rehash
Toussaint is roughly Skellige-
sized and even more dense with
activity. It’s bright and prosperous
compared to the grim greys of
the Northern Realms - and its
people are equally alien. Instead
of taking animations from the
main game, thousands of new
ones were recorded so citizens
would have their own walking
and fighting styles.
Your house isn’t just
to look at
You’ll eventually be given an
estate to call your own, which
you can upgrade – and it’s more
than just cosmetics. Upgrading
your bed gives you a stamina
bonus, and building a bigger
stable gives a stamina bonus
to your horse. There are armour
tables, sharpening stones,
alchemy stations, and some
friends might even drop in…
Your Mutations
Have Evolved
Early on in your new adventure,
an old friend will contact you
about a discovery relating to
witcher mutations, and where to
find more information. By the end
of the expansion, you will have
unlocked an arsenal of evolutions
with much bigger benefits than
usual. These include taking up
to 45 per cent less damage, or
being revived after losing all your
health – nothing to sneeze at!