The birth of Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales is a bit different from other games. Not only is the title based on a game, but its main gameplay method is based on a game inside of a game. For fans of Gwent and The Witcher 3, Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales is a fun twist and a must-own title.

Back in 2018, PC gamers got Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales. The game is simultaneously an action RPG centered around a card game. Fans of The Witcher 3 know that card game well; Gwent is itself a popular game on consoles. The card game features decks of 25 cards, and three rounds of two-player action. To gain points to win, the cards you play in those three rounds must score you more “power.” Different cards feature power-ups that provide bonuses to power counts, and can help you edge out the competition.

In Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales, Gwent is the way you fight opponents. A few changes, however, make the experience a bit more nuanced. Cards can bond together to form alliances, and you really need more powerful cards than you do any sort of strategy. Because of the way you power-up your cards via camp upgrades, wins come easier the more you play. It’s one of the unfortunate parts of the game. Much like Pokemon, you usually feel unstoppable by the mid-point in the game.

Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales isn’t about Geralt or the adventures we had in The Witcher 3 either. Instead, we follow Meve, a queen looking to reclaim her throne. In between Gwent matches, you travel the lands of Lyria and Rivia, finding forces to join your cause. It’s a lot of fun getting to roam the land, and you can meet a lot of great people along the way. Conversation elements are at the top tier quality we expect from The Witcher series.

Like the game that spawned its creation, Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales has you make tough decisions as you go along your adventure. As Meve, you enter into local disputes and make decisions that, from what I can tell, never end well. Still, there are no major consequences to the decisions you make. You won’t ruin or improve your experience by picking one choice over another.

Overall, Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales is adjacent to the experience of playing Gwent. Now that CD Projekt Red is abandoning support for the card game, Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales is a new way to get fresh content related to the game. Because of the bonding and powerups, Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales is like a somewhat simplified version of the card game. Still, it’s a lot of fun, and is worth playing if you want more adventures in the world of The Witcher.

I don’t know if I’ll ever boot this game up again after finishing it. I enjoyed my time with it, but I don’t see a ton of replayability. Having played the story to completion in around 32 hours, I’m not upset by the fact that there’s not much more to do. All in all, fans of The Witcher and Gwent should pick this game up on the Switch. It’s a great way to get a little more from the ever-expanding world of Rivia.

A Nintendo Switch review copy of Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales was provided by CD Projekt Red for this review. 

Phenixx Gaming is everywhere you are. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales

$19.99 USD

9

Score

9.0/10

Pros

• Great mix of RPG and card-based gameplay
• Amazing expansion of The Witcher world
• Fun take on turn based games
• Plenty to do, with 30+ hours to completion

Cons

• Fairly easy to beat after mid-point