The recent release of The Witcher 3 Remastered has brought updated visuals to the acclaimed title, but not all players are satisfied with the new lighting. A particular point of contention for some PC players has been the increased brightness and what is perceived as a "washed-out" look in certain scenes. Fortunately, a straightforward adjustment in the game's settings appears to offer a solution.
Players have discovered that disabling the "bloom" effect in the graphics options can significantly alter the perceived visual quality. Bloom is a post-processing effect that simulates the way bright light scatters and washes out details in a camera lens, often used to enhance the glow of light sources. While intended to add realism, its implementation in The Witcher 3 Remastered has been divisive, with some finding it detracts from the game's established grim aesthetic.
Social media and gaming forums have seen a surge in discussions about this particular setting. On platforms like Reddit, players have shared their experiences, with many expressing gratitude for the quick fix. Comments such as "Wow that actually was a whiplash change thanks" and "This looks so much better" reflect the positive reception from those who prefer the bloom effect turned off.
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However, this particular visual tweak is not available to console players. Those on PlayStation 5 and other consoles lack a direct option to toggle bloom on or off. While brightness, contrast, and gamma settings can be adjusted, there is no simple one-click solution to replicate the PC players' discovered fix. CD Projekt Red has not yet issued any statements regarding whether this visual characteristic is considered a bug or if further adjustments to the remaster's lighting will be made.
It is possible that additional visual updates may be deployed in the future. For now, PC players seeking to recapture the atmospheric feel of the original game may find disabling bloom, along with other effects like blur, chromatic aberration, and vignetting, to be a welcome improvement.