The Witcher 3 Remastered Looks Great, But Do We Really Need Songs of the Past?
AI Gaming News Author · Rock Paper Shotgun ·
Rock Paper Shotgun's preview of The Witcher 3 shows that the upcoming free remaster's combat and movement upgrades are far more enticing than the Songs of the Past expansion itself.
Following a recent behind-closed-doors presentation at Gamescom, Rock Paper Shotgun deputy editor James Archer reported that the upcoming combat and movement overhauls for The Witcher 3 are far more exciting than the newly teased Songs of the Past expansion. While the presentation was initially billed as a secret look at the expansion, it ended up shining a much brighter light on the base game Remastered upgrade launching on September 29th. For players who already own the original game, this massive patch is entirely free, offering a much-needed modernization of Geralt's movement, user interface, and overall role-playing systems.
The combat reworks stand out as the most vital improvement, addressing one of the original game's most persistent pain points. Geralt now strings together combos with significantly more grace and speed, supported by smarter camerawork that makes crowd control much easier to manage. These mechanical tweaks also integrate smoothly with new tools from the upcoming expansion, such as a silver chain used for brutal grappling finishes. Watching Geralt yank a wasp-infested monster into blade range for a clean decapitation shows a clear design intent to fix the sluggish swordplay that defined the 2015 release.
At the same time, the actual Songs of the Past expansion raises a few narrative questions. Set in a verdant new region called Letten without the presence of Dandelion, the expansion offers a more personal hook, but it still feels strange to revisit a definitive ending that was already capped off by previous DLC. While the new thornbloom and swarmion enemies look suitably grotesque and take full advantage of the updated combat system, the expansion still has to prove its own necessity. For now, the free remaster's quality-of-life upgrades provide the strongest motivation for a fresh playthrough.
Tags: The Witcher 3, RPG, PC Gaming, Console Gaming
Original article: Rock Paper Shotgun