The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Preview
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The Witcher 3 is the final entry in Geralt's saga. Freed from the political obligations and baffling amnesia that bound him in The Witcher 2, he's searching for lost loved ones in a world on the brink of a calamitous war. But for all his vagrant tendencies, Geralt has a knack for becoming embroiled in the squabbles of the rich and powerful. He's responding to a summons from Jarl Crach, who needs help with a personal matter.
The castle is miles away. The demo's controller, CD Projekt's QA analyst Lukasz Babiel, gives the camera an experimental spin. Behind, the forest gives way to fields where shepherds guard flocks of sheep. In the distance, dull green plains sweep up into crumpled purple mountain ranges. There's no sign of the hub and corridor level structures of previous games. Studio head Adam Badowski is casually dropping fact-bombs in the background. He mentions that this island alone is the size of the whole of The Witcher 2, and I believe him. It feels vast and wild.
There are voices ahead. Geralt dismounts and walks right into a group of bandits noisily celebrating a robbery. They notice the Witcher immediately and start bawling racial slurs in his direction. This is one of many dynamic encounters that can interrupt your exploration. You can choose to engage and chance starting a new quest line or just walk away. Geralt reaches for his sword. Steel for men.
