The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is going to be massive. As the final game in The Witcher series, CD Projekt RED boasts that Wild Hunt will be the "perfect RPG." It will offer "an unprecedented combination of story-driven RPG and vast, living, open world." Some of that world was highlighted in a batch of newly released screenshots.
These images are just a brief look at the areas Geralt of Rivia will roam on his adventure which will revolve around the near 50-hour search for his loved ones and his conflict with the Wild Hunt. There's much more for players to do in this open world RPG, though. According to Projekt RED, side stories account for an additional 50 hours, bringing the total gameplay time of The Witcher 3 to nearly 100 hours. Damn.
“The Witcher 3 is full of impactful decisions, and gamers will choose between storylines that exclude one another in a single playthrough, ensuring extensive replay value," said Adam Badowski, head of CD Projekt RED studio. "As players travel through the game, they visit lands with their own unique atmosphere, communities and memorable characters. CD Projekt RED didn’t create an open world with a singular theme, but concentrated on delivering diversified and engaging environments, 30 times larger than those in The Witcher 2."
The setting you'll encounter changes depending on your actions not only during Geralt's personal storyline, but also as a result of your involvement in major local plotlines in each land visited. The screenshots above showcase the chilly islands of Skellige, just one of the numerous lands you'll visit. According to the press release, the images come from an "early version of the game as the team develops a new renderer, which will be used in the final game."
As you can tell, this game was meant for high-end platforms. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is confirmed for 2014 release on PC, as well as "all high-end platforms." Of course, at this time this only means the PlayStation 4 as it has been the only announced next-gen console. We're all still waiting on you, Microsoft.
For now, let's stare in amazement at the next generation of gaming.
