Geralt de Rivia comes to Nintendo Switch with very few sacrifices in favor of excellent performance.
The Witcher 3, from CD Projekt Red, is one of the most outstanding RPG titles of the new generation, in which all its qualities have made it a benchmark: a deep lore, grounded in the literary saga of Geralt de Rivia ( Andrzej Sapkowski); a very versatile progression and combat system, a magnificent setting, composed of hyper-realistic graphics, a complex soundtrack and a narrative that follows one of the grimdark precepts: there are no good or bad decisions, but bittersweet consequences that escape our control.
Last E3 of 2019 we received surprising news: Geralt de Rivia would arrive at Nintendo Switch; a port that woke up many unknowns about its quality. Finally, The Witcher 3, popularly known as The Switcher, arrives on October 15 to the Nintendo hybrid console, version of which we brought you a breakthrough last August.
A port with sacrifices
The third installment of the Geralt de Rivia adventure comes to Nintendo Switch in its entirety. The Witcher 3: Complete Edition includes the main game with its Hearts of Stone and Blood And Wine expansions. It is, in effect, a 1: 1 port to which content has not been added or subtracted. Thus, the duration of the game is more than generous: more than 150 hours of play in total that we can not only enjoy at home through the dock mode, but also in the portable mode.
Such an ambitious port raises two main doubts: if the stability of the game is sustainable and if the audiovisual quality has been lost too much during its adaptation. After playing it, we can confirm that the performance of the game, without being perfect, maintains the type. However, we have to weigh it from a realistic perspective: the graphics have suffered sacrifices to favor fluency.
The resolution has been reduced and the difference with the console and PC version is evident, but not definitive, at least in portable mode. It has lost a bit of sharpness and the detailed level of detail, especially in the textures, which now look flatter. However, significant details such as wrinkles, wet effect or scars continue to stand out. This reduction is more disguised in the portable version, although it is much more evident in the dock mode, where the game pales at the resolution level and the missing details are seen with greater prominence. As for the environments, the elements per screen are not so numerous, with what we will see the less lush forests, but with a remarkable vegetation. Despite this, a certain level of visual richness is maintained: lighting and atmospheric changes continue to fill a game that is still excellent for its well-crafted universe. The urban hustle and bustle remains the personal brand of Novigrado, just as natural wealth is for Skellige, or the opulence inside the Wyzima palace. Although, yes, popping is more present in the account.
The graphic reduction apologizes to his pragmatic intention: a fluid performance, with satisfactory animations, despite the imperfections in some sequences. There are kinematics in whose beginning you can see pulls, and corners of the map that suffer a small slowdown. However, the quality is maintained and we can continue to enjoy a dynamic and well-maintained cinematographic language. As for the combat sequences, we have not appreciated falls of frames that harm the player; at most, during the final executions the slowdown, with its effectiveness, is greater than in the original. It is also possible to continue chaining duels against the members of a group that attacks us, with the same ease as whenever the battle turns into a violent and pleasant choreography.
As for the sound section, it maintains, with few sacrifices, the environmental complexity that sustains the immersion of The Witcher 3, in which the dock version is more benefited. The main surrounding sounds have been enhanced, such as the blowing of the wind, the alien conversations of non-player characters, or the howls of menacing wolves in the distance. On the other hand, the more secondary sounds have been mitigated, such as their own and others' footsteps.
Loading screens, meanwhile, have been considerably optimized compared to previous versions. The extension remains, however, in regions as detailed as Novigrado or Touissant. The wait continues to be enlivened by the advice and the additional lore.
Outstanding sword handling and witchcraft
The gameplay is the most favored aspect of The Witcher 3 for Switch. The controls have been adapted to the Joy-Con in a very organic and intuitive way, in addition to highlighting with a very precise response both in the exploration, combat and navigation through menus and dialogue. Perhaps the use of the touch screen is missing in the parts of Gwynt, where sliding the cards manually would be a more organic mechanic, although the Joy-Con option remains very natural and clean.
And what about readability? The Witcher 3 is a game with a lot of text, both in the subtitles, as in the menus, as in the bestiaries that so many tracks provide us. The font is kept at an affordable size, both in laptop and dock, where we can read comfortably, without leaving our eyes and without the letters invading the screen. This helps an element that persists in the port: an excellent Castilian location.
Thus, the arrival of Geralt de Rivia from Nintendo Switch is an excellent opportunity for players who have not been able to enjoy this game on other platforms and who also wish to benefit from the portable option. The essence of The Witcher 3 remains: an immersive and complete RPG, with all its nuances barely unchanged. However, it must be analyzed from a realistic perspective, being aware of the difference in power between Nintendo Switch with respect to home consoles and the PC. However, the sacrifices have been worthwhile, and in terms of performance and playable accommodation, CD Projekt Red and Saber Interactive have successfully overcome a challenge comparable to the magic of the convulsive universe of Geralt de Rivia.
CONCLUSION
The Witcher 3: Complete Edition comes to Nintendo Switch with the entire content of The Witcher 3 Wild Hunt: the main game plus the Hearts of Stone and Blood And Wine expansions. A port whose adaptation has suffered reductions in resolution and level of detail, in favor of a performance that will make the laptop experience satisfactory, although not so much in the dock. The adaptation of the gameplay is the most favored aspect, which will make the management of Geralt de Rivia a delight for those who did not enjoy it in previous versions and who can now enjoy the whole adventure in full, which is said soon.
THE BEST
- An excellent and organic gameplay
- Fluency in animations and combat
- Legibility of the texts
- All the content of the main game and the two expansions, with no cuts in this regard
WORST
- Slight pulls at the start of the kinematics
- Resolution reduction and other graphic details that move it away from previous versions at a technical level
- If your will is to play it in dock mode, it is not the most recommended version
Very good
Remarkable game that we will enjoy and remember. A good purchase, highly recommended for lovers of the genre. It is well taken care of at all levels.
