At Comic Con Africa 2019, Nintendo brought along a demo for The Witcher 3: Wild Hint. With the game less than a month away from being released, I decided to give the title a go. The demo was only fifteen minutes long and was played on an undocked Switch. Sure, it wasn’t a lot of time but I was able to come away with a few general impressions.
Graphics
If there is one thing that many fans are skeptical about, it is how the game will look on the Switch. Many wondered how The Witcher 3, which is one of the most technically advanced open-world titles in recent years, would make the transition to the vastly less powerful console.
I will admit that upon first viewing, the game does look like a mid-generation PlayStation 3 game. Despite this, however, it still looks incredible with lighting and shading being used in good effect. I also rarely noticed any pops, and the weather effects were a stand out too.
Although there were framerate drops here and there when it came to encounters or a storm, for the most part it was stable. Even though the graphics are impressive, there are some downsides. The game looks very soft, especially with faces and buildings. A lot of detail has also been removed from some visuals, such as buildings, armor, weapons, lighting and NPCs.
Gameplay
There’s not much to be said here but the game has been brilliantly ported to the Switch. The game felt right at home in my hands, with each button mapped to the appropriate key. Although I felt a few dips in frames while in combat, it was barely noticeable as I continued to play the game.
The title does feel somewhat different if you’ve played previous versions as it seems a bit slower but I felt differently about this after I played the demo again. The feeling of slowness could be due to the system not being docked. Overall, it will probably take some time to get used to the gameplay if you’ve played other versions of the game. First time players will hardly notice it though.
Sound & Voice
If there is one thing that hasn’t been skimped on, it’s the sound of the game. The title makes use of Dolby Digital sound. It’s wonderfully immersive as every sound crackles to perfection. The same can said for the voice acting as it is beautifully replicated in the port and is still top quality.
Overall, I was impressed with what Saber Interactive and CD Projekt Red has done with this port. Playing the demo has made me even more hyped for the upcoming title. The Witcher 3 for the Nintendo Switch releases on 25 October.
Will you be picking up The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt for the Switch?
