It's been a rather hectic week or so for all who follow the games industry - with new consoles, new games and new levels of confusion coming out of the largest trade show of the year, E3, in L.A. But with all the excitement of the new announcements, it's all too easy to forget about the upcoming games we already new existed. The epic fantasy role playing game The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is one such game - revealed several months ago, and previously only announced for the Playstation 4, the game popped up during Microsoft's E3 presentation to the surprise of many - where it was announced the game would be coming to the Playstation 4 and Xbox One at some point in 2014.
Toasty.
As you can probably tell from the name, The Witcher 3 is the third instalment in the medievally-themed role-playing series - but while the game may be the epic conclusion of a trilogy, it doesn't necessarily mean an end to the Witcher games, merely an end to the main character Geralt's saga. Over the years the almost super-human monster hunter Geralt has been killed, revived, overthrown monarchs, slain legendary monsters and saved the lives of many a stranger, but in the Witcher 3, he'll be working to save the lives of those he holds dear. Promising an epic branching story with three separate endings, depending on your actions and choices during the game, it seems there'll be plenty for fans of role playing games to sink their teeth into here.
The world of The Witcher 3 is huge - according to the folks behind it, it's 35 times the size of it's predecessor and will take you a full 45 minutes to go from one end of the map to the other, as you explore a land packed full of distinctly different regions. One of the first regions to have been revealed is that of the rugged Nordic-like Skellige islands, which nestle near the snow-topped mountains to the north. It's a place of cliff-side cities and simple wooden cottages, where villagers wrapped in furs and horned helmets go about their daily lives - lives which go on even when you're not around. They'll travel together, set out on hunts, stay inside on rainy days, each one working to their own individual schedules - and if you're feeling particularly nosey, you could kill time just by following them around. The game will have it's own weather and day and night system, which will in turn influence what you can do in the game - sailing out in a storm is unlikely to end well for you, with your boat likely to capsize and leave you stranded, whilst wolves become more ferocious during the night or when there's a full moon.
Perhaps not the best day for a little jaunt across the sea...
Decisions in The Witcher 3 are never black and white. Throughout your journey you'll find multiple paths you can take, and decisions that can be made, whether you're given the option of killing someone, or simply choosing what to say in a conversation - although things don't always turn out quite as you'd expect. At one point, Geralt happens across a small village where several people have been found dead, entangled in roots - the village elders believe the forest spirit has gone berserk, whilst the younger generations know it's the work of a monster. Heading into the woods, Geralt has to make use of his Witcher senses to track the beast down - his special ability highlights tracks, dead animals and other clues to help you figure out what type of monster you'll be dealing with and how best to fight it. This isn't an optional extra either - often the only way to win is to do your research first. The forest hooligan turns out to be a Leshen, a tall, towering beast made out of bark and bone with a bad attitude to match, drawing it's power from a number of totems scattered around the woods. Burn the totems and his power weakens, making him easier to defeat in the inevitable showdown. But upon returning to the village, beast slayed, you find the youngsters have risen up against the elders and slaughtered them all in your absence - and with no-one left to lead them anarchy ensues eventually leading to the village's demise a mere three months down the line.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is coming to both the Playstation 4 and Xbox One sometime in 2014 and is certainly shaping up to be one of the best fantasy role-playing games in the works right now. Sure to get the "next generation" off with a bang, why not help pass the time by watching the latest trailer below:
