This was a totally different thread. Ignore the deleted replies. Simple question, What makes The Witcher 3 so brilliant in your view?

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Yes. If this is more about what defines an RPG. That topic has been done before and a much deeper discussion would need to go into the history of the genre from DnD Tabletop to the first turn based video game from the west, Ultima on PC then Japan's early RPGs being action-based like Dragon Slayer and onward. Genres in general have become more blurred since the 7th generation. Everything slapped RPG elements or other elements from other genres. Genres in gaming used to have thick lines of what defines them. A lot of it is kinda mushed together now. Is Stellar Blade and Astral Chain RPGs or Action games? That's one for discussion. Witcher 3 fits most criteria to be just an RPG. Is BotW an RPG? That's more of an interesting ask as it can be argued either way.

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Good lord no, BoTW is not an RPG in my book. That's what I'm trying to figure out here, I don't count Horizon as an RPG game yet it does much of what The Witcher does as does the Assassins Creed games that copied The Witcher formula. I'm trying to figure out why I discount games like Horizon yet count The Witcher 3 and why I'm so hesitant to see Assassins creeds newer formula as RPG when it clearly is an imitation of TW3. I wanna find my line in the sand. 

Witcher didn't invent anything btw. A lot of what BoTW does is an expansion on Zelda NES.  BotW is more of an RPG than FF16. It has actual elemental effects. Metal attracts electricity. The heat keeps you warm. You can kill wildlife using elements like shooting electricity in a body of water and killing the fish. FF16. You can kill a fire enemy with fire. That would be like me destroying my bathwater with a cup of water. Where Final Fantasy Origins is an ARPG FF16 may as well just be an action game along the lines of Stellar Blade and Astral Chain. Some light leveling-up mechanics. But it strips most things from the genre. BoTW has far more in common with an RPG than not. I'm not claiming it is one or not. But it does have armor stats. Elemental affects. Survival RPG elements. Witcher can trace a lot of what it does minus turn-baed combat to Ultima in 1981. That series defined open-world western RPGs to this day. Witcher is no different in taking things that already existed and putting them into a game. For all the accusations BoTW gets. Witcher is in the same boat. TW series are RPGs. This question was not worth a topic on just one game with you replying to yourself several times. More if you asked what is the history of RPGs and what defines them now as the genre and games themselves evolved. With that, I'm going to build Bulk Slash from Bulk Slash and White Glint from Armored Core 4A in Gundam Breaker 4 now. Oh yeah GB4 has RPG elements but is seen as an action game. huh. Anyway....

Yeah, agreed. It is silly and ultimately going to lead to the same outcome, confusion over wheter it's an RPG or not. However I can't agree on those terms to BoTW, cause it has more emergent gameplay doesn't make it an RPG. Divinty OS (And BG3) has emergent gameplay and elemental effects but those aren't why it's classified as an CRPG. BoTW is just a more complex open world game. 

I am interested in trying this game. Can anyone describe the combat system to me? Is it sword based? Is the combat like in God of War? Any other weapons used?