The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Hearts of Stone Reviews
An utterly engrossing slice of content, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Hearts of Stone is a superb addition to an already incredible RPG, and is further proof that developer CD Projekt Red is at the absolute top of its game.
Hearts of Stone is everything great about The Witcher 3, delivered in a neat little package.
"The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is at its best when focusing on individual characters and the stories that they have to tell, and that's exactly what Hearts of Stone provides."
Hearts of Stone is the perfect example of DLC done right. There's not a better reason to get back into The Witcher 3 again.
Hearts of Stone, a content that every The Witcher 3 player should buy and play.
Review in Turkish | Read full review
Hearts of Stone is a piece of DLC that has been done right, genuinely adding to an already great game. The antagonist in this content is for me a better and more interesting character than the members of the actual Wild Hunt from the main plot, and you also learn more about Geralt's past too. If you own and enjoy The Witcher 3 then Hearts of Stone is easily recommended, but go in knowing as little as possible because there are some truly spectacular moments to be had.
By taking Geralt out of his element and changing the course of what we'd expect from a stoic witcher, Hearts of Stone is a must own for anyone that's been hanging on to The Witcher 3. The story alone is enough to warrant jumping back in, but the way it integrates into the existing game just expands the already massive scope of the world. It's not perfect, and there are a few missteps in execution — most notably in the lackluster addition of runewords — but it more than makes up for its faults in the things that it does well. It leaves me feeling very excited for the next expansion, Blood and Wine, which is reportedly double in size.
It's more of the same, then – but when you're getting more of one of the year's best games, that's not something to complain about.
All in all, Hearts of Stone is a breathtaking experience that builds on the excellence of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. If the well crafted story doesn't reel you in, the gameplay and new monsters and bosses likely will. If you loved Wild Hunt, you'll definitely want to give Hearts of Stone a shot.
Sure, if you still have a ton of things to do in Wild Hunt (and frankly, why wouldn't you?) then you can certainly justify passing on paying for more content, but if you're someone who wants another robust storyline to dive into and some intriguing new mechanics, then Hearts of Stone is for you. Yes, this is more Wild Hunt, but seeing as how masterful it is, how could that be anything but a fantastic thing?
In the end, The Witcher 3 Wild Hunt Hearts of Stone is a fun DLC for this series that gives the player a much more grounded approach to our hero Geralt but with all the great elements of the main game that we all love and at times hate. Yes, the graphics do glitch here and there but the story, characterisation and combat is what makes Witcher so entertaining and Hearts of Stone is no exception to that rule.
An impressive expansion that takes the best bits of Wild Hunt and adds great new ideas.
Hearts of Stone never feels tacked on at any point, and although the side activities are a bit lackluster there are more than enough highs to make the singular low seem insubstantial. This is a true expansion, one that builds excellently on the already amazing base game. CD Projekt Red did an amazing job with this one and kept true to their word that they would only charge if worth it. The Witcher 3: Hearts of Stone is most definitely worth it and a testament to how an expansion should be done.
There's no doubt that the guys at CD Projekt Red know how to do their job well, at least as far as design issues (both artistic and mission) and script are concerned. We are facing an expansion with an impeccable content and that surpasses in quality the main content of many games. A heady plot and subp plot, an admirable variety of situations, memorable "secondary" characters and a Geralt of Rivia capable of performing the impossible make up this wonderful expansion,totally recommended.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Some of the best storytelling so far in the series, and some inspired set pieces, but the chance to refine the gameplay has been sadly missed.
Overall, Hearts of Stone is a great addition to The Witcher 3 if all you're looking for is more of the same. If you're expecting something game changing or different, then this isn't a DLC worth your time. I enjoyed my time back in the Northernlands, roaming the wild and decapitating monsters, but when you get down to it, Hearts of Stone feels like it could easily have been included in the base game, although that isn't necessarily a bad thing.
Hearts of Stone subverts some tropes while holding onto others. A delightful romp, if you need more Witcher 3 with your Witcher 3.
While it stumbles in some places, Hearts of Stone is better than the vast majority of "additional content" that most modern games offer.
The "Heart of stone" expansion pack is like Kamasutra for other game developers, showing you step by step how to make valuable DLC!
Review in Polish | Read full review
A stunning expansion to a fantastic game, Hearts of Stone builds expertly on the Witcher universe by introducing a compelling story and memorable battles.