Yesterday, CD Projekt RED announced all of the many, many preorder details and release date for The Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt. Well, here’s the trailer for the 2015 RPG, which the studio’s been billing as the end of Geralt of Rivia’s journey.
There’s a bit to take in here, mostly how time hasn’t been too kind to the White Wolf since we last saw him. The trailer, titled “Sword of Destiny,” offers a quick refresher on Witcher history (they’re essentially mutants bred to hunt monsters). Geralt’s the greatest – one of the last.
But not the last, if the silver-haired woman in the trailer is any indication. According to the King giving Geralt his mission here (hunt her down, bring her back), this unnamed possible-Witcher is being pursued by the Wild Hunt, which has itself been plaguing our hero across the last two games. The Wild Hunt, by the way, is supposed to be a herald of misfortune, so whoever this lady is, she can’t be good news. (I should note here, I really dig the design and audio for the King of the Wild Hunt – good stuff).
These stories are almost maddeningly dense, so it’s likely that Geralt will have to navigate (and murder his way out of) a few palace intrigues before the plot of The Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt is all done. And now that the game has gone open world, I can imagine things getting a bit more packed with incident.
In terms of gameplay – who knows? There’s a bit of it in the trailer: some swimming, some horseback riding, a little time on a boat, but I’m wondering how CD Projekt RED has modified the combat across games. It does look like they’re still locking Geralt in a small “zone” where he can roll in and out of the fight with a bit of dodge-parry-attack-spell. It would be nice if they modified the potion system and allow you to take them during combat.
The Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt will be out on February 24, 2015.
And if that’s too far away, here area few pictures of the physical The Witcher: Adventure board game (a digital version is coming to the PC, Mac, iOS, and Android). The board game, being developed in-house at CDP, will be out sometime later this year as the studio continues to balance and polish it.
Just from her hair color, the fact that she appears to be a Witcher (or at least Witcher trained), and that there is an implied connection to Geralt in the dialogue between him and the man seeking this woman’s capture (enhanced by him playing the pronoun game with Geralt), I’m putting my money on her being Ciri.
Ciri is mentioned very briefly in the previous two Witcher games, but factored heavily into novels, starting with Blood of Elves.
You could be right. I had just assumed they were talking about Yennefer, but when the lady had white hair, I was baffled. I haven’t read the novels far enough to know if Ciri’s hair turns white or not (they’re not all translated to English yet).
She is definitely Ciri! Ther’s a secret message hidden at the end of this trailer, confirming that BOTH Ciri and Yennefer where shown.
The color of her hair was described in the novels as “ashen”, which leaves some field for interpretation. My guess is those are simply “ashen” hair, maybe looking more white due to the lighting.
Nothing happened to her hair color in the books, however several years passed since the end of novels and… SPOLILER! Ther’s no telling how much time passed for her…
Ofc she is Ciri, it is obvious for anybody who read novels, sword of destiny etc, and in trailer Geralt is talking not to king but to… SPOILERS… Emperor of Nilfgaard who wappened to be Ciris biological father (and Geralt with Yennefer) raised her… That is very big news for me because thats connect books with novels, and it is after not so cleary ending of novels. Sry for mine English 😀
*games with novels