Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales

Though tainted by a broken difficulty mode, Thronebreaker stands on the shoulders of The Witcher as a morally complex and often harrowing Macbethian tale of royal revenge and revolt.

Gwent became a means to an end by the finale, a necessary thing to do to unlock the next story segment, and something I would avoid when possible. Its a shame because Thronebreaker does some good work modifying the familiar Gwent rules, they just get easily overshadowed by the main storyline and the various decisions you can find along the way.

Right now, I have a deck that’s a bit cheesy, full of traps and firebombs that slowly bleed any enemy to death as they fight. But part of me is hoping for another twist that’ll throw even more cards into my hands, snatch my beloved deck away from me, and force me to experiment a little. At the risk of opening a vein I should have closed, I’m waiting for the mine cart to get de-railed and send me over the next gorgeous cliff.

It’s much quicker to list the few things Thronebreaker gets wrong than the many, many things it does delightfully well. Aside from being one of the best-written RPGs I’ve played in years, the varied ways it keeps its card-based combat from stagnating across a 40ish-hour campaign are admirably clever and well thought-out. Deck building and some light RPG elements that allow upgrading specific cards give a feeling of progression to your two-dimensional army, and expertly crafted companions that aren’t shy about leaving you out in the cold create a satisfying, meaningful feedback system for your ...

The digital card game genre has been steadily growing for years following Blizzard’s hugely popular title Hearthstone. With big names like Magic the Gathering and Valve’s Artifact soon to join the fray, it’s becoming a hugely competitive space.

Rivia card.

Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales is a gorgeously crafted game and has something for different types of gamers. The game has three difficulties, perfect for those who want to play normally, want a brutal challenge, or just simply explore and enjoy the story.

Reclaim your kingdom. With cards!

CD Projekt Red knows how to write a character-based story. For what is essentially a visual novel broken up by relatively brief card game battles, Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales spins a seriously impressive yarn, and it's this gripping narrative that keeps you glued to your controller.

Thronebreaker is a great way to learn how to play Gwent for beginners, but it will leave veteran Gwent players completely unchallenged even on the hardest difficulty.

With Gwent having fully released in October, Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tale’s launch is a timely extension of that experience. The development team isn’t shy about how the two are related, either. For instance, Thronebreaker has a “Multiplayer” option in the main menu that opens up the Gwent client if you have it installed. There are also cards strictly for Gwent unlocked throughout your Thronebreaker adventure.

Thronebreaker struggles as a card game but excels as a Witcher game due to its rich narrative and excellent, if simple, worldbuilding.