CD Projekt Red’s The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt has officially been confirmed and is already slated as a “must see next generation RPG”.
The game is said to cover three different plot levels:
- Lowest Level: Free-form activities such as crafting, monster slaying (which seems to be more extensive in the third iteration), and going on quests. (There are over 100 hours of hand-scripted quests. These include helping villages and engineering the succession of the Skellige kings. Though, I think the latter would apply to the Next Level.)
- Next Level: The political situation of the Nilfgaardian invasion is resolved through a core plot line for each area, including Skellige, Novigrad, and No Man’s Land.
- Final Level: Geralt’s main storyline, his search for his loved ones, and the chase of the Wild Hunt.
Outside of completing missions or mini-games, there will be no chapters or acts to slow you down. It’s set in a world that is said to be a whopping 20% bigger than Skyrim and will take 30-40 minutes to completely cross on horseback without a single loading screen. There are hugely significant weather effects that could influence your travel, too – clouds are fully modded as real and volumetric instead of being paint on a skybox.
On the ground, monsters and bandits alike will savagely attack anyone they deem hostile. If you go to a town and choose not to save them from attacking from bandits, the village might end up abandoned when you next return.
Along with an enormous world that Geralt seems to have significant influence over, crafting, combat and inventory systems have all been completely re-worked. It is set to release in 2014 and will be the conclusion to the trilogy. Pick up this months Game Informer magazine for more information!
