Not only that but the White Wolf no longer panders to factions - he’s his own Witcher once again, having regained his memories and hunger for fighting monsters. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is out in 2014.
It’ll release on PC and on ”all high-end platforms available”, teases Game Informer. This exciting news comes after CD Projekt announced their new in-house game engine.
The clues should have been in the teasing press release for the new RedEngine 3, as they talked up ‘streaming’ that eliminates the need for loading screens etc. Well, you’ve guessed it; The Witcher 3 is devoid of loading screens throughout its huge open world. According to Game Informer’s article, it takes 30-40 minutes to traverse the game world.
It’s unknown if interior areas are also ‘streamed’. The other huge change for The Witcher is the dumping of chapters and acts, as Geralt is essentially free to do what he pleases and when. However CD Projekt RED is including plenty of non-linear stories to follow, of which undertaking some lock out others.
The new Monster Hunt feature has us on the trail of big beasties causing trouble in the world, but Geralt will need to thoroughly investigate matters if he’s to figure out what he’s actually after. Books and the locals will help him build up knowledge, like what potions would be best to take, when and where to fight and how best to tackle it.
These monster slayings also reward Geralt with the more rare alchemical ingredients, which include mutagens. The skill tree has been further developed with secondary attributes letting you customise abilities such as adding a 360-degree arc to an attack. Sword fighting has been significantly upgraded to be ‘more graceful’.
Inventory management is changing with monster scales apparently know weldable to our armour, helping us become more powerful. Weapons and other gear will be in lucrative supply out in the world. The Wild Hunt is the primary enemy in The Witcher 3, hence its subtitle, and Geralt will be far more concerned dealing with it than factions.
The narrative seems to occur on three distinct levels with the lowest being freeform activities like monster hunting, crafting etc. Next are the faction-based dustups going on as Nilfgaardian invades. Finally there is the primary plot of Geralt searching for his loved ones and friends, and taking on the Wild Hunt.
The Game Informer piece has been thoroughly dissected over at NeoGAF.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt releases on PC in 2014.
