The Witcher 3 is one of, if not the best game of this generation. CD Projekt Red’s third game in The Witcher series has won over 250 game of the year awards for good reason. Featuring a deep, complex narrative, hundreds of hours of varied, unique and interesting gameplay and one of the best, most complete open-worlds in gaming.
Since 2015, over 20 million players have taken part in Geralt of Rivia’s quest to find Ciri and defeat the Wild Hunt. Honestly, after four and a half years, there’s really no need to go deeper into the plot. Especially since The Witcher 3 is now available on Switch.
If you’ve not played it before, then you’re best to try and avoid as many spoilers as possible. If you have played before, why not play The Witcher 3 on the go?
The Witcher 3 Switch Review
Obviously, The Witcher 3 on Switch is far less visually impressive than other versions. The Switch is nowhere near as powerful as the PS4, Xbox One or a PC and it shows. To get The Witcher 3 running on Switch, some serious visual downgrades have been implemented.
Textures are far less detailed, the resolution is lower, draw-distance is reduced, pop-in occurs frequently and there’s an overall reduction in quality across the board. However, it does little to diminish how enjoyable The Witcher 3 is.
It really is incredible how well it runs on Switch, how good it looks and how much fun it is. I’ve honestly been blown away the entire time I’ve spent with The Witcher 3 on Switch.
The Switcher
Playing The Witcher 3 on Switch is best played in handheld mode. The lower resolution masks the graphical downgrades somewhat and despite being a little fuzzy, it looks better overall.
It’s not just the graphics that benefit from being played in handheld mode though. The player does too. If you’re playing The Witcher 3 on Switch, then you should be doing so to play it on the go. If not, you’re doing it wrong.
Since the game is available on other consoles and PC (and probably much cheaper) playing The Witcher 3 in TV mode on Switch is kind of a waste. But, being able to play one of the largest and best RPGs of all time on a portable console is simply amazing.
What a time to be alive.
Portable Witching
Absolutely everything has been included in this version of The Witcher 3, including both expansions. There’s so much content in The Witcher 3 that you’ll easily be able to play it for a few hundred hours.
That’s like a hundred or so days worth of commuting. There are worse ways to spend a few months on the train.
Great quests, treasure hunts, combat, Gwent and more. Seriously, there is so much to do and see in this game that it’s crazy. You’ll meet a huge cast of interesting characters and deal with some truly adult situations.
For children, The Witcher 3 is not.
There aren’t any new, useless features in The Witcher 3 on Switch, like motion controls, which is fine because the standard controls work flawlessly. Aside from the visuals, you can’t tell the difference between playing this and other versions.
The framerate is rock solid, bugs are minimal/nonexistent and, honestly, I might even prefer the handheld version. I think every game should be on Switch because playing on the go is the best.
Now that The Witcher 3 is on Switch, there’s no reason that every other game in existence isn’t. I love The Witcher 3 and on Switch, I love it even more.
The Witcher 3 was reviewed on Switch using a digital code provided by the publisher.
PowerUp! Reviews
Game Title: The Witcher 3
-
I Can't Believe I'm Playing The Witcher 3 on Switch - 10/1010/10
-
Looks Great in Handheld, Average in TV Mode - 6.5/106.5/10
-
Plays and Feels Exactly Like Other Versions - 10/1010/10
-
Far Less Visual Detail Without Changing the Look and Feel - 10/1010/10
-
Works So Well in Handheld - 10/1010/10
-
Audio is Still Spectacular - 10/1010/10
