The third installment in the Witcher series is almost certainly among the best examples of what the RPG genre currently has to offer. Hearts of Stone is the first non-free DLC expansion to the main game. Keep reading our review (of the GOG.com version) to find out just how well this new, independent storyline in the Witcher universe lives up to the expectations set by the base game.
Change of Hearts? Hearts of Stone really has nothing to do with the epic storyline of The Witcher 3. Much of the new story takes place in well-known places like Oxenfurt, but it also integrates new locations into the world map, particularly to the north of Novigrad. They recommend you be at level 30 or so, which seems about right to me. Without giving too much away, I can tell you that the Seven Cats Inn, which you already know, is the starting point for this new adventure. There’s an ad on the notice board, but it’s not your typical Monster Hunt contract. Rather, after a bit of confusion, it launches a totally new storyline that, once you’ve figured a few things out, takes you in a whole new direction with lots of interesting twists in store. The first thing you’re supposed to do is kill a giant frog beneath the city who’s often mistaken for a prince under a spell, but who apparently has an appetite for human flesh. The guy who gives you the job, a certain Olgierd von Everec, comes off as pretty shady from the get-go; he surrounds himself with a company of lackeys one could describe as “fantasy punks”, who can be pretty obnoxious. But there’s something more behind the company’s rough and raucous behavior, and it’s up to the Witcher to bring Olgierd’s dark secret to light.
Overall, the expansion is a bit more philosophical than the base game, raising questions about the very nature of humanity, and what makes a person human. It can really get you thinking. The storyline is really well done, and there are even several different endings. There’s also an optional romance, though “one-night stand” might be more accurate. One more “spoiler”: An old acquaintance of Geralt’s from the first Witcher game reappears and can be defeated.
From the Hearts
Hearts of Stone is perfectly integrated into the main game. For anyone who’s played The Witcher 3 all the way through, the expansion offers about ten more hours of additional gameplay. Of course, this can vary quite a bit, depending on how many side quests you decide to complete. You can also “switch” to Hearts of Stone even before completing the main storyline, or you can choose to start right at level 30, without having played the main game at all yet.
The expansion’s primary storyline has a pretty well-defined structure, and won’t lead you into any dead ends. Side jobs and the like are colored differently in the quest menu, so it’s always clear which objective belongs to which quest. There are two new factions that provide typical side quests, most of which aren’t all that different from the ones in the main game, and designed for players above level 30. There are noticeably more minibosses than before, who will have to be defeated one by one in the course of the story. Even at the lowest difficulty setting, this requires a good deal of tactical skill – you’re not going to get anywhere just charging ahead, weapons drawn.
Home is Where the Hearts...is The scope of the new expansion is enough to almost be considered another game in the series. Not much has changed in terms of basic gameplay mechanics, though the Runesmith is a pretty cool new addition.
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