The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Hearts of Stone

 PlayStation 4
User Score
9.0

Universal acclaim- based on 2040 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,860 out of 2040
  2. Mixed: 48 out of 2040
  3. Negative: 132 out of 2040

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  1. tsakiym
    Jul 27, 2016
    7
    the style, the atmosphere, the quests is just perfect but on the other hand we have the gameplay... for 2015-16 this is a joke. no combat mechanics, a stupid horse that u cant ride, Gerald's walk-swim style was so unstable that u cant loot in front of you,laggy menu (when you have many items), and much more. but the worst of all is the freaking loading's.

    many times wile i played it i    the style, the atmosphere, the quests is just perfect but on the other hand we have the gameplay... for 2015-16 this is a joke. no combat mechanics, a stupid horse that u cant ride, Gerald's walk-swim style was so unstable that u cant loot in front of you,laggy menu (when you have many items), and much more. but the worst of all is the freaking loading's.

    many times wile i played it i sed "f**k it i quit, this is awful".i finished it, i want to play it again (new game +) but i dont want to break my nerves    … Expand
  2. TheOneLeon
    Dec 21, 2015
    7
    Witcher 3 is probably my game of the year for many reasons, but one in particular is what made it so enjoyable: respect. The game respects both your knowledge of the game's mechanics and your skills in combat by offering tough but fair challenges where you will fight enemies on equal ground. In the Witcher 3, if you die, it is the fault of YOU, not the game in any way. Hearts of StoneWitcher 3 is probably my game of the year for many reasons, but one in particular is what made it so enjoyable: respect. The game respects both your knowledge of the game's mechanics and your skills in combat by offering tough but fair challenges where you will fight enemies on equal ground. In the Witcher 3, if you die, it is the fault of YOU, not the game in any way. Hearts of Stone threw this out the window almost immediately. I absolutely love the preface and the story, but the enemies became so unforgiving all of a sudden that it became a rage-inducing slog through what should have been a grand adventure. From high level enemies in every area that are almost always guaranteed to be able to kill you in one to three hits regardless of your level or skills, to bosses with cheap nearly-instant-death tactics (I'm looking squarely at you, Frog Prince and Olfieri Mage.) to some incredibly awkward forced group fights against hordes of enemies in small, tight rooms that guarantee multiple deaths, this at times felt like I was playing Dark Souls in its degree of difficulty. If you're able to grind your way through, you will find a solid expansion. Just be prepared to spike your controller on more than one occasion.… Expand
  3. Bastrix
    Dec 18, 2015
    6
    I must say I'm not a huge fan of these kind of games, I've played very few RPG games of this kind in my life, but my opinion might still be valuable for other similar gamers.

    Anyway since there are so many good reviews for this game I purchased a digital version on PS4 and gave it a go. I'd been playing Dying light and Batman previous to this title (both awesome games), and my first    I must say I'm not a huge fan of these kind of games, I've played very few RPG games of this kind in my life, but my opinion might still be valuable for other similar gamers.

    Anyway since there are so many good reviews for this game I purchased a digital version on PS4 and gave it a go. I'd been playing Dying light and Batman previous to this title (both awesome games), and my first impression when I started up this game was... "eeermmm ok... I thought graphics where suppose to be stunning"... Well maybe they are on PC, I dunno, but to be honest I found them average.

    On the other hand once I got outside into the huge open world, the lightning effects, the sounds, the music are great. The game is huge, the characters voice acting is great and I can see why people love this game. However, I must be picky because I didn't actually read anything that talked about how damn clunky the character handling is, it's just terrible, slow, sluggish, clunky, fustrating.

    I played this game everyday for a week, I wanted to like it, but I just couldn't get around the terrible handling and poor performance at some points (with framerate drops). Trying to explore the interiors of houses with that handling is just fustrating and boring, It ruins the game for me, and the combats just don't feel satisfying either. So I lost interest.

    I like games where the characters animation and movement and realism is polished and realistic. I like stunning graphics and intense action. Didn't find any of that in this game.    … Expand
  4. t0mmyg
    Mar 16, 2017
    6
    More of the same boring, clunky fetch quest filled Witcher. I got the expansion hoping that with improvements to the gameplay and inventory I would come around to see what all the hype was about. Unfortunately if you didn't already love the Witcher this doesn't add anything to change your mind. If you already love it, then I guess more of the same is right up your ally.
  5. HenriqueV
    Oct 18, 2015
    5
    Hearts of Stone DLC highlights the good and bad things about Witcher 3. The characters are really good and unique. Sometimes the storytelling is just superb. The game introduces some interesting Bloodborne/Dark Souls esk boss fights.

    But, there are problems. Don't get me wrong, I loved W3, but 2 problems with the game strikes really hard here. First one is combat system. Combat in    Hearts of Stone DLC highlights the good and bad things about Witcher 3. The characters are really good and unique. Sometimes the storytelling is just superb. The game introduces some interesting Bloodborne/Dark Souls esk boss fights.

    But, there are problems. Don't get me wrong, I loved W3, but 2 problems with the game strikes really hard here. First one is combat system. Combat in Witcher 3 is just not good enough, and thats a problem with those new boss fights, because they require precision and agility, and thats somethig you won't find in W3 combat system.

    Another huge problem is pacing. Lets think about W3. From the beginning the game sets Geralt's goal: he must find Ciri as soon as possible. Thats really odd, because in order for find Ciri and enjoy the best ending, you must do a lot of side quests that takes your time, not to mention you will killing monsters and playing Gwent, so at the end of the day you just ask yourself: "wait, this game is called Wild Hunt, and is about Wild Hunt trying to catch Ciri, but is that really a big deal?".

    The game also have a bad approach in introducing those side/personal quests. Right after you just completed a quest in the main story, some character will ask for some favor, but if you believe you have more important things to do, you won't be able to start them anymore if you a reach a point of the game that is still far from the ending. For example, after I finally found Dandelion he just asked for a help with his cabaret (!!!), but I already had new information on Ciri whereabouts and went looking for her, but I was shocked when the game told me I would lost that Dandelion quest, so I was really supposed to get involved in a cabaret quest before finding Ciri.

    Thats not something that happens will all open world games, as some say. Just think about GTA V. When you start the game you are controlling 3 different criminals in Los Santos and thats it. There is not a goal set from the beginning.

    The same thing happens here in Hearts of Stone. If Geralt is supposed to give a ghost the night of his life, at some point Geralt will be using (again) his witcher's senses to find someone lost in the woods. If Geralt is supposed to steal some kind of secret treasure, at some point the whole thing will become a family issue between two characters that have nothing to do with the DLC main story and one hour ago you dind't even know they existed and you just don't care.

    The game starts with a boss fight, and for the rest of the main quest you will be only talking to people and using you witcher's senses, before getting into 2 boss fights in the space of 10 minutes or so.

    Despite the word "expansion", its not an expasion at all, just a regular DLC. There is just not enough content. Someone might say the 10/12 hours required to complete the main plot is as long as some "full games" around, but gameplay hours doesn't mean that much. I invested around 80 hours in Dragon Age Inquisition, and the same amount of time in Witcher 3, but Geralt adventure is bigger and offer you so musch more in terms of storytelling and content, but in Hearts of Stone I just got the feeling the game was using tricks to get longer than it should have been.

    The ending was also pretty unsatisfying, and I wish the game invested more in developing its main plot, so HoS is a missing opportunity.    … Expand
  6. chillaxer
    Dec 20, 2017
    5
    I found W3: Hearts of Stone incredibly boring. If you can play through the “Scenes From A Marriage” quest without falling asleep then you’re lucky to have such a low threshold for enjoyment of a video game. I personally get all expansions on the concept of having the “whole” game but HoS is a pretty lame expansion.
  7. Zibeks
    Jun 19, 2020
    5
    Каждый хвалит эту игру. Купил полное издание. В итоге поиграл 10 часов и удалил. Не зашла

Awards & Rankings

7
#7 Best PS4 Game of 2015
34
#34 Most Discussed PS4 Game of 2015
53
#53 Most Shared PS4 Game of 2015

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
90

Universal acclaim - based on 25 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 25 out of 25
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 25
  3. Negative: 0 out of 25
  1. GameCritics
    Jan 9, 2016
    90
    It's so good, in fact, that I'm still eager for more. It's a good thing that the next expansion, Blood and Wine, is coming soon...
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  2. PSNStores
    Dec 17, 2015
    90
    From the many new locales and scenarios, to character development and the story’s twists and turns, Hearts of Stone is an experience that is absolutely worth checking out for fans of The Witcher 3.
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  3. PLAY! Zine
    Dec 8, 2015
    90
    Good story, interesting characters, well written dialogue and new gameplay mechanics all make Hearts of Stone a must buy for Witcher 3 fans.
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