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amazon The Witcher 3 Wild Hunt – Hearts of Stone reviews
Hearts of Stone – Nowadays, the concept of “expansion” of a game has lost its inherent value, as the game market is rampant with countless products with the content being undercut to sell for a profit.
Weapons, equipment, characters, and missions are typical “victims” of this cheap trick, they are removed from the original game to be sold as downloadable content (Downloadable Content – DLC).
Even when the publisher decides to release an expanded version of the game, they are often “poor” in terms of content, “economical” in terms of time, and simple in gameplay.
These things have made many people confused about the definition of an extended version since it is no different from simple, cheap download packages.
Others are always hesitant and skeptical about the quality when they have to “pay” 20 to 30 USD to have a perfect game experience.
Bearing in mind the negative stereotypes about what to experience, I was surprised when I first enjoyed the expanded version of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, titled: Hearts of Stone).
If The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt has successfully set a new standard for the role-playing game genre, Hearts of Stone has set a new standard for an expansion pack.
In Hearts of Stone, players will be immersed in Geralt’s new adventure, re-experience all the essence of the plot that CD Projekt RED has successfully conveyed in all previous versions: from love, hatred, greed to regret.
The good thing here is that you get to experience them not only under the eyes of the protagonist Geralt – an insider – when he reunites with Shani, the nurse in part one, but also from the perspective of an outsider when Geralt has to fulfill the three wishes of Olgierd von Everec, the main protagonist in Hearts of Stone.
If you’ve never played through The Witcher, you don’t need to worry about the downfall when Geralt meets Shani again.
With his ingenuity in storytelling and dialogue, you can quickly grasp the essential details of this “complicated” relationship.
In the past when Geralt had amnesia, he had a romantic affair with Shani, then ironically when fully recovered, Geralt realized that his fate would never be with Shani forever.
And so, in just a short time that you will be able to experience the hope of a love affair, and then regret it when it is overwhelmed by reality.
To successfully convey these feelings and experiences, the writer must mention CD Projekt RED’s amazing character-building ability in Hearts of Stone: from actions, gestures to eyes, and voice, One can recognize the charming features of Shani.
Intelligent, quick, and determined, Shani can easily make anyone fall in love with her.
In complete contrast, the character Gaunter O’Dimm with an enchanting, convincing voice and a powerful and mysterious gesture, many times the writer had to “trembling” when he opened his mouth.
All of the characters in Hearts of Stone exude very distinctive and very real features that make it easy for any of us to feel and relate.
The above elements are cleverly incorporated into the storyline, through initial quests that seem unrelated to the profession of the monster hunter Geralt. But in the world of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, there is nothing like its appearance. Once you realize that, you are caught up in the adventures of Geralt and three wishes from Olgierd. Each one of Olgierd’s wishes will set you into a whole new experience of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. From skillfully transforming into Olgierd’s brother to flirting with Shani, to stepping into a different dimension with nightmares, last and not least, organizing the robbery of an auction house. Although they all use the gameplay available from the original version but create a completely new approach that makes you feel a very clear difference.
The last point I want to talk about is the artful cutscenes in the game. If the gameplay, characters, and storytelling are the climactic and charismatic agents of Hearts of Stone, the cutscenes are key points emphasizing the experience that the producer wants the player to feel. Pay close attention and you will realize that all the cutscenes in the game are meant to emphasize a certain feature of the game screen, from the romantic scenery of the boat floating in the moonlight, to the base. The mansion is immersed in ghostly smoke. Invisible and intentional, CD Projekt RED has turned the world in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt extremely unique with magical and spooky beauty.
Originally a minus point in the original The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, when the fighting style was “condemned” by longtime fans of The Witcher series as well as the role-playing adventure game genre for being too simple. In the Hearts of Stone expansion, CD Projekt RED has added two new features: New Enemies and the Runewords mechanism.
In addition to facing a new class of monsters – Arachnomorph, players will also have to encounter mini-bosses that are designed with great detail from style, shape to style, and skill. Most impressive and terrifying is Caretaker, a monster of the Relicts race. In addition to the combo attacks and great moves that cause extensive damage, the “most painful” thing when facing Caretaker is that he uses the weapon “sucks” blood. Just overdone in attack and get involved in Caretaker’s attack, you’ll see him “asking” for all “blood” … from you.
Not only are the tools for the producer to create challenges for players in Hearts of Stone, but the sub-bosses also help to portray the scene in the game, making it more attractive than ever. Funny and also the most ironic is the frog prince, promising to bring “true love” to those who solve the curse, but, those who bravely embark on all find their end … as bait for toads.
To help players cope with new challenges, the developer has added the Runewords crafting mechanism. Different from the runes and mutagen in the original, Runewords will completely change your fighting style. Runewords are the ability to add magic support “runes” to Geralt’s weapons and equipment, but they aren’t just about increasing base stats, but adding a skill and creating a path of a new play.
where can you get a The Witcher 3 Wild Hunt – Hearts of Stone online
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Hearts of Stone [PS4 PSN Code – UK account]: Buy it now
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Hearts of Stone – Xbox One Digital Code: Buy it now
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Hearts of Stone [Online Game Code]: Buy it now
Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Complete Edition – PC: Buy it now
NSW THE WITCHER 3: WILD HUNT [COMPLETE EDITION] (US): Buy it now
