"The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt" is among the contenders for this year's best game. "Hearts of Stone," the first of its two DLCs, is scheduled to be released a few weeks from today, and many are asking: Will the expansion live up to the high expectations?
The few who were chosen to play the demo believe so.
CD Projekt Red, the makers of the game, gives this official synopsis, as reported by Techno Buffalo:
"Step again into the shoes of Geralt of Rivia, a professional monster slayer, this time hired to defeat a ruthless bandit captain, Olgierd von Everec, a man who possesses the power of immortality. The expansion lets you choose your own path through an experience that includes recruiting a crew of break-in artists, spending a night partying with a ghost, and outsmarting the most bizarre creatures Geralt has ever faced."
Techno Buffalo adds that there will be new monsters and characters, as well as a romantic angle for Geralt.
Gamerant details that this expansion will introduce Runewords, which is made with three runes and then burned into a sword or an armor. These Runewords give special effects, which will make the gameplay definitely more exciting.
"Hearts of Stone" will not be adding a new region, only expanding the existing one. IGN's review calls this a pro rather than a con, as the game can focus on its brilliant story-telling.
"The 'Hearts of Stone' expansion isn't changing the game in a major way - and that's not a bad thing. It ultimately looks like this expansion focuses on delivering more of the excellent nonlinear storytelling that made Wild Hunt so good. Exploring the grey area between right and wrong and the motivations behind each character is something I've always felt The Witcher series did especially well, and I'm excited to see where Hearts of Stone takes players during its new campaign - especially if it takes me another twenty hours of my life to get there," Jon Ryan of IGN stated.
This new content will also be accessible to the open world. The game makers suggest that your character be around level 30 to maximize the experience. But even if you haven't completed the main game, you can explore the expansion.
Gamespot praises the game for being "well-paced." "'The Witcher 3: Hearts of Stone' is full of varied quests to follow, and striking characters to meet. There's so much I can't share, but only because the expansion is so story driven, and laced with powerful moments throughout my two hours," the reviewer stated.
"The Witcher 3: Hearts of Stone" is set to release on October 13, 2015 for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC for $9.99.
