PaigeFTW: Farewell, Witcher: ‘Blood and Wine’ Review
Oh, it’s been a long time since I picked up my silver and steel swords and went monster hunting, but The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt has finally released its long-awaited final expansion: Blood and Wine.
The premise is simple: Geralt travels to a new region, the French-inspired, high fantasy land of Toussaint, to track down a vicious beast at the behest of its ruler, Duchess Anna Henrietta. Of course, things muddle into their usual gray; the task goes south, sideways and upside down; and Geralt makes some tough choices. All in a day’s work for a witcher, right?
And yet, somehow this DLC feels fresh and fun, a burst of something new and exciting even if it really is, at heart, a solid 20-30 hours more of the same old stuff you’ve already played 200 hours of in the original game.
Much of that is owed to Toussaint itself — a colorful, vivid (and very large) world full of vineyards, fairy-tale castles and knights literally gleaming with gold mail. It feels like a happy place (where everyone speaks with a French accent), even if people are still getting massacred left and right. Even Geralt seems a bit more cheerful than normal. And he has a little vineyard to call his own, too. (You can even decorate it!)
So yes, even if you never took advantage of the season pass, you ought to fork over the $20 for Blood and Wine. Geralt deserves one last adventure with you at his side.
Random tidbits:
– Depending on your choices, you might meet a special guest at your house at the very end.
– Book readers will enjoy the innumerable references to never-before-seen-in-the-games characters and stories.
– Saskia and Iorveth — notably missing since The Witcher 2 — continue to be MIA, sadly.
