The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Hearts of Stone Reviews
At 10 hours, Hearts of Stone is rather brief given the sprawling scale of Wild Hunt, but with that brevity, it never overstays its welcome. It melds well with the overall themes of the core adventure even if it feels wholly detached from it, but sometimes all you need is more Witcher-based antics.
The Witcher 3: Hearts of Stone may skirt the line between DLC and Expansion Pack by merely adding more of what was already in Wild Hunt, but gets away with it by being sizeable and awesome. The story, quests, characters, choices, twists, gameplay and wild adventures on offer are well worth the extra money, and the return of Shani is a neat bonus for fans who have been with the series since the first game. If you're not completely sick of The Witcher 3 then it's well worth getting Hearts of Stone since the content here is some of the best and most memorable in the entire series.
Hearts of Stone is in all respects a big questline, inserted in the original campaign and set almost entirely on the same map that we have already learned about. Yet Cd Projekt has managed to make it an epic and curated adventure, which largely dampens the main flaws of the basic game and enhances with its compelling narrative.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Hearts of Stone, a content that every The Witcher 3 player should buy and play.
Review in Turkish | Read full review
A satisfying, self-contained adventure that plays to the series' strengths, but doesn't add anything novel outside of its storytelling.
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.
A fascinating new adventure as Geralt, which does not distort the gameplay of the base game.
Review in Italian | Read full review
With new upgrades, new armour, new merchants, pretty much everything has a little bit of something new to it, Hearts of Stone is an add-on that you won't be disappointed with.
In all, this is an expansion for The Witcher 3 fans who like the idea of returning to the world they once visited for one more self-contained meaningful story.The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Hearts of Stonemight not have a new land to explore, but that does not stop this from being a great addition to an already outstanding game.
CD Projekt Red has lived up to its word and, apparently, this is just a taster of what is yet to come. The next DLC, Blood and Wine, will come in at double the cost, but promises double the content and a whole new land to explore. Admittedly, Hearts of Stone's content is very much focused on the story it is telling, resulting in a very narrative-focused final product with lots of dialogue and cut-scenes, but that is not much of a negative considering the quality of the story that is told. It's a truly original and fantastic piece of storytelling, filled with great moments and set pieces that any fan of the series truly needs to experience.
Hearts of Stone provides that excellent experience we're used to from the Witcher series. With a solid amount of quality content that will keep you busy for at least a dozen hours, a $9.99 price tag doesn't seem so bad.
A luxury ancillary mission whose (more intimate) story is simply exciting but which, in terms of gameplay frustrates slightly, as much by contributions that do not change much as an erratic difficulty: this is what Hearts of Stone is .
Review in French | Read full review
Heart of Stone continues the greatness of Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt. Well written dialogues, memorable characters and a much needed return to one of the best role playing games out there.
Review in German | Read full review
Hearts of Stone subverts some tropes while holding onto others. A delightful romp, if you need more Witcher 3 with your Witcher 3.
Witcher 3's first expansion isn't terrible or great, and that's the problem
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.
Hearts of Stone reminded me exactly what I loved about it the first time around, and all I could think when the credits rolled was how much I look forward to firing this game up in a few more months and concluding both Geralt's final adventure, and one of the PC's finest RPGs. Give or take a few giant bloody spiders. Grr.
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.
Witcher 3's first expansion, "Hearts of Stone" definitely packs a punch. Offering players up to 15 hours of story and gameplay. CD Projekt RED nailed their first true expansion for the Witcher 3, and with a price tag of only $10 it makes it awfully hard to pass up.