Thanks are in order that we finally have a reveal trailer for Witcher 4, revealing the new protagonist. But are the changes we can glean from the trailer for the best, or do they create issues for the scope of the game?
Witcher 4 Sense of Familiarity
Witcher 4 has a new cinematic trailer that should reassure fans the new game will refresh the series’ spirit. It’s revealed that our new protagonist, Ciri, is taking on a classic monster contract on behalf of a peasant village. All the usual features of the Witcher setting are present: a rustic hamlet, backward traditions to deal with, prejudice against the main character, and a foreboding swamp that contains a terrible beast. It’s the iconic formula for Witcher’s dramatic, medieval quest design that feels right out of Witcher 3 itself.
Witcher 4 Country Rituals
The trailer starts not with monster-slaying action but with a sequence of ritualistic preparations being made by superstitious villagers on the one hand and a grim monster-slayer on the other. It’s perfect. This setting explores how the supernatural elements of the world lead to tension and division. Witchers are the wall that protects men from beasts, but they are alienated and left to their strange practices.
Bad Men
This village apparently gives up its daughters as ceremonial offerings to spare them from the monster lurking in the woods. Even when Ciri intervenes to kill the monster and save a girl from this barbaric practice, the villagers still kill her. As we’ve come to expect, monsters are far from all the player has to worry about. CD Projekt Red fundamentally understands how legends and superstitions work. Desperate or scared people create them and stubbornly influence their actions and values despite the player’s gestures. Ciri can choose to punish the killers, but either way, the world remains as grim as before.
The familiarity of the trailer’s story is a great sign for the saga’s future. It’s clear the devs will continue using such tragedies and dilemmas to expand on the narrative quality of the Witcher saga going forward.
Witcher 4 Gameplay Promises
Witcher 3 was a masterpiece of narrative storytelling, but many found its gameplay lacking. According to developer commentary, this trailer reveals their aspirations to transform the combat system and introduce new gear and build options.
Witcher Roleplay
Ciri fights like Geralt before her, spinning with her strikes and using concoctions and balms to gain the upper hand. So, we can expect Witcher 4 to expand on these gameplay features in Witcher 3. I’m glad, as decoctions, bombs, and fast swordplay were a unique part of the gameplay that enabled the player to connect with their withering craft. The developers in the commentary have also confirmed that the chain she uses to choke the monster will be a new piece of kit for players to use.
New Magic
Another thing is Ciri’s use of magic. Witcher 3 gave players access to a set of 5 spells or ‘Witcher signs’ to spice up combat. Ciri uses something entirely new, harnessing some water beside her before zapping the monster with lightning. It’s likely that Witcher 4 will revamp the player’s magic tools. It’s possible Ciri will also be able to manipulate her ‘Elder Blood’ to pull off epic magical feats as she does in Witcher 3, although mysteriously, no such thing happens in the trailer. We shall see how the sequel’s narrative explains any changes in her abilities.
This is all great for build diversity. In Witcher 3, Witcher gear, melee combat and signs were each an aspect of combat with their own skill tree. Players were encouraged to focus on gameplay features they preferred to craft insanely powerful styles of play. We can be sure Witcher 4 will include a deep progression system, and every new feature of gameplay expands our build options.
Related: 10 Best Cosmetic Mods for Baldur’s Gate 3 for Console
Ciri: The Good
The reveal that Ciri will star as the protagonist of the new Witcher game is a natural change. Ciri was the adopted child of Geralt, a main character of the books with her own hero’s journey. She harbors supernatural powers related to prophecies that are difficult to control–classic hero stuff. Witcher 3’s story is mostly about what happens to her, witnessed from Geralt’s perspective. The ending, where she follows her heart to become an honorary Witcher, perfectly tees up a sequel.
This is good news for fans of the character and Geralt himself. Of course, this reveal has boosted the possibility that he will still have a role to play as Ciri’s stoic father figure. Either way, his fighting style and code of conduct will live on through Ciri.
Ciri: The Bad
This change is controversial, too. Witcher 4 could have been a clean slate, a story that ignores the sprawling past of previous games, so that the wider world of Witcher could receive new exposure and depth. Ciri’s story already came full circle in Witcher 3. It’s good that Geralt gets to retire from the spotlight, but Ciri is very like him. I fear that Witcher 4 will retread the same themes because of this, the same character traits and world view. And any more talk of Elder Blood prophecy would be tiresome.
The teaser image for Witcher 4 unveiled a new Witcher medallion. It was an intentional suggestion that the new game would star a completely fresh witcher and their school. It would’ve been great for two reasons. To develop a completely unfamiliar side of the Witcher world and to use a character open to interpretation. A new character would be a canvas for players to apply their own opinions and preferences without any conflict. Perhaps CD Projekt Red could have learned more from the success of Cyberpunk 2077 and V’s epic decision-making.
Still, CD Projekt Red does not need a blank canvas to create an awesome new Witcher story, set in unseen locations and involving new characters and decisions. I am hopeful that playing as Ciri will be a refreshing experience that challenges players to think differently about the world.