Finished The Wild Hunt.
WOO
Listening to the Soundtrack while writing this, which seems an apt place to start. The Wild Hunt’s musical scores lean towards a folkish sound bordering on tribal, and often with an aggressive tone to each one. Naturally it comes with somber melodies - a world in political turmoil with their personal focus on characters are bound to come with tragedy.
I think that’s why I tend to favor
The Wild Hunt over the previous two - the personal touch feels more prevalent in both side quests and the main, no doubt due to Ciri’s spot in the overarching plot. Damsel in distress she’s not, a spitting image of Geralt…albeit a bit more reckless. Had an Arya vibe in her introduction. The cast reaches over 70, and somehow they manage to keep them written realistically, sincere, and original in their own right. GRRM Much?
As I said way back, environments tend to stick with either the farmland towns I.e. Mount & Blade, and occasionally jump into larger-scale fantasy stuff when it fits. The cities are gorgeous with a down-to-earth design.
Complaints? Mostly combat shtick. ld’ve preferred Bosses with less HP Bloating and more varied abilities. Found out you can still counterattack non-armed enemies like drowners, which helped my run-ins with similar creatures. The Immediate Lock-On can get annoying in situations I'd prefer to just bolt out of combat, and rolling feels very sluggish. Experienced a few Bugs/Glitches, but that’s expected for most Open-World Gaming.
Trying out the game on its hardest mode - meditation no longer heals, and food is the only way to bring it back up. Sounds a bit more like hardcore mode from F:NV with HP Regeneration tacked on.