The vinyl record boom has resulted in an increase in videogame soundtracks being pressed. I recently reviewed the Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time vinyl pressing Hero of Time 2xLP and was blown away not only by the music but the artwork for the album. It should only be appropriate that I pick up the soundtrack to another one of my favorite games of all-time, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.
Now, I made a jest during my relatively recent review of Hero of Time that I was disappointed in the fact that the original pressing of The Witcher 3 was extremely limited and I wasn’t able to pick it up before it sold out online. Spacelab9 must have heard the commotion on social media because not only did they repress the soundtrack, but they also added pressings for the Hearts of Stone and Blood Wine DLCs.
The Witcher 3 4xLP, released towards the end of 2017 via ThinkGeek byway Spacelab9, comes in a tri-fold cover that features some sinister artwork that reminds me a bit of The Witcher 2 art direction. The records are colored white (2xLP for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt), blue (1xLP for the Hearts of Stone DLC), and red (1xLP for the Blood and Wine DLC). The colors here are solid, albeit pretty standard. Personally, I enjoy colored vinyl as it shows less of the wear and tear of playing than on the solid black, so I have quite a few albums to compare. A quick look on Discogs says that there is another variant with red and black vinyl for those of you outside the U.S.
The gatefold features a Leshen amid an ominous red-tinged background. Geralt’s outline can also be spotted among the trees. The inner part of the tri-fold lists out all the tracks and credits. Again, solid cover… but nothing fancy.
The award-winning soundtrack is legendary. If you’ve played The Witcher 3, you already know this. I don’t need to go on about it here, as this is more of a breakdown of the physical album, but Mikolai Stroinski, Marcin Przybylowicz, and Percival Schuttenbach have put together a collection of epic songs. Przybylowicz’s music for the Blood and Wine album is especially captivating, capturing the Mediterranean feel of Toussaint. Listening to the album will evoke memories of hunting down some harrowing beasts and wandering around the Northern Kingdoms looking for contracts.
Currently, it looks to be sold out, so you may have to put your name/email on the waiting list. However, if you are fan of vinyl and the music of The Witcher 3, then I highly recommend picking this up.
Summary
An incredible soundtrack and pressing. If only we could have had a little more thoughtful packaging.
