These are the two open world fantasy game behemoths of our era. Both of these titles received rave acclaim, went on to influence subsequent open world games, have a legion of fans, and are generally considered as pinnacles of the open world 'genre'. Both games widely top the 'best of the generation' lists worldwide. Both games have 'Wild' in their title.
Okay, that last one was a joke.
What I am getting at here is, even though The Witcher 3 and Breath of the Wild are both superlative games, and both set out to do very different things (and do them exceptionally well), comparing them isn't exactly out of the question. So I figured that what I'll do. ResetEra- which of the two do you like more, and why? Please make sure to specify why you like the one you do like more.
I'll start off with my pick- it's Breath of the Wild. There are multiple reasons as to why I prefer Breath of the Wild:
But I am eager to see which one you like more, and why. :)
Okay, that last one was a joke.
What I am getting at here is, even though The Witcher 3 and Breath of the Wild are both superlative games, and both set out to do very different things (and do them exceptionally well), comparing them isn't exactly out of the question. So I figured that what I'll do. ResetEra- which of the two do you like more, and why? Please make sure to specify why you like the one you do like more.
I'll start off with my pick- it's Breath of the Wild. There are multiple reasons as to why I prefer Breath of the Wild:
- The level of interactivity is far beyond that in The Witcher 3
- The scope for emergent gameplay situations is fantastic and far beyond The Witcher 3
- The open world is an integral component of the game's actual core design; contrasted with The Witcher 3, where the world exists as the backdrop for the story, but rarely features into the actual gameplay
- Breath of the Wild encourages and rewards exploration far more. You're left to your own devices to follow what you think is interesting, as opposed to being given breadcrumb trails and map markers
- Combat in Breath of the Wild is far better and more interesting
- Movement, agility, game feel, and controls are all far better in Breath of the Wild
- Breath of the Wild's various gameplay systems and mechanics actually come together with purpose- take weapon durability. In BotW, it is central to game progression and balance, and the game as it is simply cannot exist without it. In the Witcher 3, the durability is there for... what reason? It doesn't actually do anything. Your weapons can and do break in combat (though not as easily as in BotW), but there's no mechanical purpose for that happening, especially since fixing them requires you to just have a repair kit on hand. It's needless busywork. Similarly, inventory constraints (encumbrance in TW3, slots in BotW) are far more meaningful and better integrated into the larger gameplay and systems in BotW (where they tie into the survival and scavenging systems) than in The Witcher 3, where they are just... there?
- Controversial, but the actual gameplay design of The Witcher 3's quests is banal and too often can be reduced to 'Follow breadcrumb/use Witcher sense/Follow Witcher sense trail/trigger cutscene/repeat. It is important to note that I am not talking about the quality of the writing and the contextualization for these quests (which is second to none and goes a long way in making these quests seem varied in spite of a repetitive gameplay loop)- I am talking about the actual gameplay and structure itself, which is really rather simplistic and repetitive.
But I am eager to see which one you like more, and why. :)
