So I’ve been thinking about this and I’ve really come down to what my true wish for the Witcher 3 is. I want the game to have a compelling story, told through dynamic quest design, with the freedom of an open world environment. I’ve seen the graphics, seen the map, heard the audio, got a general feel for the gameplay mechanics, watched dialogue for options, become convinced that the characters will be done well, and seen that the consequences of our choices will be large and small.
However, the BIG question is about the story, the quest design and the open world. If they can do this alone, the game will likely be considered a masterpiece for me. The story has to be the best part of the experience. This is a game based on one of my favorite fantasy sagas to come out in the last thirty years. I hope it grabs me in a way that few games have (The Last of Us comes to mind as the most recent example of what I am looking for… not in content of course, but in how it makes me feel for the characters and want to continue with the story narrative).
Second I want the quest design to be varied, interesting and consequential. Not only must the overarching story be compelling but the story within each quest should make you care about completing it for something more than experience and loot. Quests should also be unique. Finally they should be consequential. I’m pretty sure this last part will be the case.
Finally, the open world should call out to be explored and the narrative should allow you to explore it at times. I want the game to have different types of moments. Breakneck pacing at times where you feel completely unable to side quest do to the import of the main quest, and times a relative quiet where side questing doesn’t seem contrary to the thrust of the narrative.
This combination is at the heart of whether the game will be a masterpiece or just good. If CDPR can pull this combination off they are going to blow my mind. So that is my wish. If you do this part combination in the world and game we have already seen, it will be the best game I have played in a long time.
