Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales Review for Xbox One

Whenever I see an addition to the Witcher series, I get excited. I would give almost anything to learn more about the lore of land. Thronebreaker is a prequel to the series we know and love, taking place before Nilfgard’s initial invasion of the Northern Realms. Unlike the other installments, this is a card game – more specifically it is a series of gwent matches. It’s a different kind of play style than what we’ve been used to with Geralt, but the story is very much worth checking out.

I think the most notable thing that players will notice is the art style and animation. It reminded me of the animations from Geralt’s flashbacks in Witcher 2, but here it is a little livelier, whereas characters in the cutscenes do the Darkest Dungeon breathing and their mouths move as they speak. We also get to move along the roads as we galivant across our kingdom. The aesthetic here is a little more watercolor-ish, and we view our character from overhead. The world map is very cool too! It looks like one of those olden time maps with crude drawings of men and monsters.

We pick up the game mechanics along the way, from collecting resources to upgrading our camp. We also the ability to use our resources to remove obstructions and to make decisions in side quests. One of the major themes of the game is decision-making and dealing with the consequences. A lot of the decisions are nuance, because there are no right decisions and things tend to end poorly for everyone regardless. The resources are: gold, wood, recruits and (to an extent) morale. You can use these resources to create new cards to use and to upgrade the camp.

If you are into GWENT, then this will be a really cool experience for you. Otherwise, there aren’t any sword fights. If you like narrative however, then this might pique your interest because battles can be optional, but you still need to make decisions to push the plot. The card game is not overly complicated. Essentially you need to have the higher amount of points (built up by your unit cards in play) at the end of the round. It’s the best 2 out of 3, and sometimes you just don’t have the luck of the draw. There are also puzzles that are solved in the GWENT battle screen, like smashing falling debris before it hits your forces.

The music is very much Witcher-ish with that intense vocalization and fast-paced music. This is something of a staple for the series, and the consistency is great, making it feel like it belongs in the world. The ambiance is pretty good too, especially in the peaceful scenes when you are simply walking from point A to B. Speaking of which, there is also a fast travel component once you unlock routes via road signs.

I like the characters so far, though I sense that the situation will get more intrigue/cut-throat as I make my way forward across the land. We play as Meve, queen of Lyria and Rivia, as she is marching her forces back from meeting with the other northern monarchs, all of whom are bracing for the Nilfgard invasion. She is very stern, bullish, and authoritative. Even when we choose what we want to say, her voice commands something akin to respect. Suddenly we see things from the strictly human perspective, in which dealing with peasant problems takes on further nuance. Most times you can’t just hire a witcher to make your problems go away.

I am happy with the game so far! I was never truly that much into GWENT before playing this title, but I have to say – it’s really grown on me. The game offers multiplayer options to hone your card playing skills, and just straight up gwent. I personally would love to see a tactics game with a similar overhead design to Thronebreaker! Overall, this continuation/prequel of the Witcher series is a good time, and I believe a fair rating for this game is a 9 out of 10. I look forward to seeing even more miniseries like this one in the future!

John Pruitt

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I like to think of myself as the average Joe who grew up alongside video games. I have fun playing strategy games, RPGs, shooters, sandboxes, the whole shebang! Every game provides an experience whether it strikes you as profound, mundane, or someplace in between. I'd like to weigh in my two cents before you spend a single penny.

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