The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Hearts of Stone
| The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Hearts of Stone | |||
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| Original title | Wiedźmin 3: Dziki Gon - Serca z Kamienia | ||
| Studio |
 CD project RED
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| Publisher |
 Bandai Namco Games Warner Bros. Interactive Spike Chunsoft 
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| Senior Developer | Konrad Tomaszkiewicz (Creative Director) | ||
| composer | Marcin Przybyłowicz | ||
| Erstveröffent- lichung |
October 13, 2015 | ||
| platform |
Windows , Xbox One , PlayStation 4 , Nintendo Switch |
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| Game engine | REDengine 3 with PhysX , HairWorks (on PC), SpeedTree and Umbra 3 | ||
| genre | Action RPG | ||
| Subject | Fantasy | ||
| Game mode | Single player | ||
| control | Mouse and keyboard , gamepad | ||
| system advantages preconditions |
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| medium |
Download , DVD-ROM (GotY version), Blu-ray (GotY version), game module (Complete Edition) |
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| language | Multilingual | ||
| Current version | 1.31 | ||
| copy protection | differently | ||
| Age rating |
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The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Hearts of Stone ( Polish original title: Wiedźmin 3: Dziki Gon - Serca z Kamienia , German: The Witcher 3: Wilde Jagd - Herz aus Stein ) is the first expansion of the Polish development studio CD Projekt RED for action RPG The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt . It was released on October 13, 2015.
Like the main game, Hearts of Stone is based on the Witcher novel series by Polish writer Andrzej Sapkowski . Regardless of the main game, it tells its own story.
action
As a result of a sorcerer's assignment, from a notice board at the tavern "Seven Cats", Geralt of Rivia meets the mysterious gang leader Olgierd von Everec. He instructs Geralt to kill a huge toad monster that is in the sewer system of the city of Oxenfurt. Various rumors come to the ears of this monstrous toad. In Oxenfurt he meets an old friend, the doctor Shani, who is helping him with his company. Geralt finally kills the toad, which then turns into a naked human. It was a cursed Ophiri prince. Ophiric guards capture Geralt after his deed. They put him on a ship near Novigrad, where he is to be taken to Ophir, a far south country, and executed in a few weeks for the prince's death. The seedy Gaunter o'Dimm appears to him in the dungeon of the ship. He obviously has remarkable, supernatural powers, but Geralt cannot judge him very well. Gaunter, also known as the "man of glass" or "mirror master", offers Geralt to rescue him from his predicament. In return, however, he demands a favor. Geralt is supposed to grant three wishes for Olgierd von Everec, who has a pact with Gaunter. Geralt agrees and is then drawn with a magical mark on his left temple so that he does not forget his task. Gaunter conjures up a storm and causes the ship to sink. Geralt is washed up unharmed on a beach.
Geralt seeks out Olgierd and finds that he is apparently immortal. Experimenting with the supernatural, Olgierd made a pact with Gaunter that granted him three wishes. In addition to pacts, Gaunter also has a penchant for puzzles, word games and intellectual duels. One of the characteristics is that he never lies and that he does what you want, not necessarily what you want. Olgierd wanted his great love Iris, who due to his poverty and bad reputation should be married to the Ophiric prince. Gaunter therefore transformed it into this toad. Olgierd also wanted to escape his poverty, which, to Olgierd's chagrin, resulted in his father-in-law taking over his debts. Olgierd's final wish was to "live forever as if there were no tomorrow," including immortality for himself and Iris. The contract with Gaunter also stipulated that he would only have access to his soul if he fulfilled three further wishes and he would then be on the moon.
The pact with Gaunter brought him immortality, but at the cost of his emotions. So Olgierd now has a "heart made of stone". He confesses to Geralt to have been responsible for the curse that lay on the prince. This should be married to Iris, his great love. Even coming from a poor background, Olgierd had to get rid of the competitor in order to be able to convince the wealthy father of the bride. After Olgierd learns of Geralt's connection to Gaunter, he tells him his three wishes. He is supposed to entertain his brother Vlodimir for one night, he is supposed to take revenge on the Borsodi family by stealing Maximilian Borsodi's house and he is supposed to bring him the rose that he once gave to Iris as a present. These three wishes, which according to Gaunter should be impossible, puzzled Geralt. Because Vlodimir and Iris have both been dead for years, the rose long gone. However, Gaunter agrees to help Geralt, with the advice to always keep an eye on Geralt.
Geralt visits the family crypt of the von Everecs. In it he conjures up the spirit of Vlodimir and tells him about Olgierd and his wish. Vlodimir agrees and with Gaunter's help it is possible for him to take over Geralt's body for one night. Geralt retains his consciousness in his body, but now has to share it with Vlodimir. In the Witcher's Body, Vlodimir attends a wedding, following an invitation from Shani. As an extroverted bon vivant, Vlodimir enjoys so many different joys at this celebration. The wish is considered fulfilled and the spirit, reluctantly, leaves Geralt's body again.
The wealthy Borsodi owns a secure auction house in Oxenfurt. The house is located in the treasury. Geralt teams up with a mysterious stranger and plans with him to break into the auction house. Geralt can choose between different approaches and, with the prospect of treasure, recruits other members, such as an elven acrobat and master thief, a dwarf demolition master or a masterful lock cracker. The break-in doesn't go according to plan, but Geralt gets into the treasury and finds the house. It turns out that the stranger is Ewald Borsodi, Horst's brother, who was disinherited by him and from then on led a life of poverty. Max Borsodi's house is a box with his will, which did not want to leave any inheritance to any of his sons. Geralt can decide which side to take, the other brother will then be killed. Depending on whether Ewald or Horst or none survived, Geralt gets the will. The wish is considered fulfilled, since the death of one or both Borsodis or future poverty correspond to this, Olgierd's revenge. The Borsodis once drove the indebted von Everecs out of their home, taking everything that led the family into poverty and death.
To fulfill his last wish, Geralt travels to the once magnificent, but now completely dilapidated property of Olgierd and Iris. In the bedroom, Geralt finds the skeletonized body of Iris in bed after her vengeful ghost attacked him several times in the house. He buries the skeleton in the garden, hoping to give the spirit peace. Through supernatural powers, also under the advice of two ghost animals, a black dog and a black cat, Geralt got through paintings, Iris was a passionate painter, into an image of the past of the property, as well as of Olgierd and Iris. He explores the couple's tragic history. With his heart of stone, Olgierd could no longer love Iris. He couldn't feel anything anymore, neither love nor hate, neither joy nor sadness. Iris therefore sank into despair and loneliness. For Iris' company, Olgierd, who was experimenting with the supernatural, created the spirit animals for her company. In addition, a demonic "gardener", the "pedell", who should protect Iris and keep intruders away. Finally, in grief, Iris died of a broken heart . It was in this past that Geralt got hold of the rose that was still in bloom, which also made this wish come true. However, he can also choose to give Iris the rose, her last memory of Olgierd and the only thing that still keeps her "immortal" in this world.
Through studies in Oxenfurt and with the help of Shani and a professor, Geralt learns that Gaunter is probably an ancient manifestation of evil. This grants wishes for the exchange of the soul. Above all, punishes and curses dishonest and immoral people. Since Olgierd's wishes are now fulfilled, he finds access to his soul. In doing so, Gaunter outwits Olgierd by meeting him in front of an old temple on a moon mosaic that was initially covered by dust and dirt. Geralt can now stay out of this pact, which ends with the robbery of Olgierd's soul and his death. For this he is generously rewarded by Gaunter as requested. For example, Geralt may want a special saddle or a bowl of food that never runs out. He can also ask for a substantial sum of money or advice on finding Ciri (if the main game has not yet ended at this point). But Geralt can also step in and add his own soul to the scales. Gaunter then poses a tricky riddle to Geralt in the mirror world. If Geralt manages this within the given time, both souls are saved, if he fails, both are lost. After the rescue, Olgierd regains his mortality and emotions. He immediately regrets his past actions and mistakes, the death of Iris. As a thank you, he gives Geralt a valuable family sword and wants to start a new life.
synchronization
| Role name | Voice actor |
|---|---|
| Geralt of Rivia | Markus Pfeiffer |
| Shani | Fabienne Hesse |
| Olgierd from Everec | Maximilian Hilbrand |
| Gaunter o'Dimm | Hans Bayer |
| Vlodimir | Sascha from Zambelly |
| iris | Ela Paul |
| Vimme Vivaldi | Karl-Heinz Herber |
| Horst Borsodi | Josef Tratnik |
| Ewald Borsodi | Robert Steudtner |
Development and publication
On April 7th, before the main game was released, the development studio CD Projekt RED announced two extensive expansions. In addition to Hearts of Stone, the even more extensive Blood and Wine , which was released on May 31, 2016. Hearts of Stone was first released on October 13, 2015, as a download. In Germany, exclusively at Media Markt and Saturn , a limited version was sold in a box which, in addition to the download code, contains two decks of cards from the popular “Gwint” card game. The Game of the Year version, released on August 30, 2016, also contains Hearts of Stone , like all other downloads and extensions, on disc.
Hearts of Stone is not embedded in the plot of the main game, but offers an independent plot. It can therefore be tackled during or after the main game at the player's request. However, a minimum level of 30 is recommended. Independently of this, Hearts of Stone can also be started and played alone, whereby the player is then assigned an adapted character. The playing time of the game is estimated to be at least ten hours. Hearts of Stone takes up motifs from the Frog Prince , as well as The Cold Heart and the Polish play Wesele by Stanisław Wyspiański . Above all, it is based on the fist fabric , specifically on Pan Twardowski .
Even before this expansion was released, Gaunter could be found at the beginning of the main game, quite casually as a seemingly unimportant supporting character and tavern guest. In Hearts of Stone , Gaunter mentions Geralt to keep an eye on him. In fact, CD Projekt RED was running a contest whereby players were asked to send in screenshots every time Gaunter is seen. There was a replica of a witcher's sword to be won. In fact, however, no player was able to solve this problem and see Gaunter every time he performed. This often only appeared in the background, as a seemingly uninvolved passer-by, a farmer or a Redanian soldier.
Reviews
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As with the main game, Hearts of Stone 's reviews were consistently very benevolent.
“An exciting story, great characters, crisp bosses, a decent size, sex, violence and a lot of humor. Hearts of Stone is a must-have for anyone who can't get enough of The Witcher 3. CD Projekt knits a coherent and varied story about Geralt's misery, which can score with fresh ideas and locations. Fights against giant frogs, nocturnal raids, full-blown hostage dramas, haunted houses and even a detour to a magical painting are on the program - all staged with the same care as in the main game. The same goes for the multi-layered characters and the clever dialogues, albeit a little sprawling here and there - if you liked The Witcher 3 for your stories, you shouldn't miss Hearts of Stone! "
“Hearts of Stone shows impressively that even a ten euro cheaper DLC can deliver an exciting adventure. (...) Above all, Hearts of Stone lives from its stories, its quests, and the enormous variety with which it fills both. In the course of the ten-hour story, I experience adventures that could hardly be more different, from the roaring weird wedding party to the depressing trip through a haunted house. What they have in common is that they are first class. "
“You can tell at Hearts of Stone that the developers learned a lot and were more relaxed during development. The expansion "only" lasts about ten to twelve hours, but they are so varied and original in the context of the great story that other developers would probably make several games out of them. The characters also seem more sophisticated, the dialogues more polished and the staging more beautiful than in the already grandiose main game. (...) CD Projekt RED provides us with a wonderful, varied story with many facets for less than 10 euros. Dark, atmospheric passages alternate with bizarre humor, rabid action and decisions that go far beyond any black and white thinking. (...). Just crazy."
Web links
- Official website (English, Polish)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Youtube - The Witcher 3 Wild Hunt GDC Snippet
- ↑ http://thewitcher.com/en/news/view/2501
- ^ Daniel Krupa: 2 "Massive" Expansions Announced for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. In: IGN. April 7, 2015. Retrieved February 25, 2017 (American English).
- ↑ The Witcher 3: Hearts of Stone - "Better than the main game in many areas" - Interview . In: Pc Games Hardware . ( pcgameshardware.de [accessed on February 25, 2017]).
- ↑ The Witcher 3: Hearts of Stone - The add-on played in detail . In: PC GAMES . ( pcgames.de [accessed on February 25, 2017]).
- ↑ http://kotaku.com/the-witcher-3-riddle-that-players-couldn-t-quite-solve-1747185043
- ↑ Metacritic (PlayStation 4)
- ↑ Metacritic (Windows)
- ↑ Metacritic (Xbox One)
- ↑ a b c The crowning glory of the witcher saga?
- ↑ http://www.gamestar.de/spiele/the-witcher-3-hearts-of-stone/wertung/52902.html
- ↑ http://www.gamepro.de/playstation/spiele/ps4/the-witcher-3-hearts-of-stone/52903.html
- ↑ http://www.gamepro.de/playstation/spiele/ps4/the-witcher-3-hearts-of-stone/52903.html
- ↑ http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/the-witcher-3-wild-hunt-hearts-of-stone-review/1900-6416268/
- ↑ http://www.gameswelt.de/the-witcher-3-wild-hunt/test/tolles-add-on-fuer-ein-tolles-spiel,246241
- ↑ http://www.ign.com/articles/2015/10/09/the-witcher-3-hearts-of-stone-review
- ↑ http://www.pcgames.de/The-Witcher-3-Hearts-of-Stone-Spiel-56201/Tests/Witcher-3-Hearts-of-Stone-im-Test-10-Gruende-fuer-einen -Hit-1174081 /
- ^ Witcher 3: Wild Hunt review - a rich adventure born in literature
- ↑ http://www.pcgames.de/The-Witcher-3-Hearts-of-Stone-Spiel-56201/Tests/Witcher-3-Hearts-of-Stone-im-Test-10-Gruende-fuer-einen -Hit-1174081 /
- ↑ http://www.gamestar.de/spiele/the-witcher-3-hearts-of-stone/test/the_witcher_3_hearts_of_stone,52902,3237476,fazit.html
- ↑ http://www.gameswelt.de/the-witcher-3-wild-hunt/test/tolles-add-on-fuer-ein-tolles-spiel,246241