Summary
CD Projekt Red has surprised theWitcherfanswith the recent State of Unreal tech demoforThe Witcher 4, unveiling a first look at their new vision for the continuation of theWitchersaga, powered by Unreal Engine 5. In a lengthy showcase, the developers presented an in-engine cinematic cutscene, an updatedappearance of the protagonist Ciri, and an early gameplay prototype forThe Witcher 4, revealing many exciting details about the highly anticipated upcoming project.
While it’s easy to get hyped by the showcase, CDPR specifically confirmed that the demo shown wasn’t exactly raw gameplay fromThe Witcher 4, but rather a tech demo set in the game’s world. The demo is primarily intended to showcase the cutting-edge technology that will help bring the game’s open world to life, while also giving the audience some early expectations ofhowThe Witcher 4might look and feel.
For that reason, we won’t be focusing on any technological aspects of the demo or comparing its tech to older games, as things will most likely differ in the final product. Instead, let’s pay attention to small but meaningful revelationsaboutThe Witcher 4itself, such as characters, monsters, and the setting, including new elements not present in the previousWitchergames.
1New World’s Regions
Ciri Will Visit Kovir and Its Cities, Valdrest and Lan Exeter
While the first twoWitchergames were relatively small RPGs in scope,The Witcher 3: Wild Huntfeatures a multi-region open world with separate, vast maps of Velen and Novigrad, Skellige, Kaer Morhen, Toussaint, and several other smaller locations. It’s safe to assume that inThe Witcher 4, players can also expectseveral explorable regions of the Continent, although at this point, it’s unknown whether the regions will be separate maps or one seamless environment.
However, the developers have already confirmed that players willvisit a new mountainous region of Kovir and Poviss(also known simply as Kovir), including the smaller port town of Valdrest and the major port city of Lan Exeter, which can be seen at the very end of the demo. Kovir is one of the Northern Kingdoms, located on the Gulf of Praxeda, and has always maintained neutrality during the expansions of the Nilfgaardian Empire. Interestingly, the kingdom has two capitals, with Lan Exeter serving as the capital in winter, and Pont Vanis in summer.
Kovir is known as a safe place for mages, and inThe Witcher 3,Triss Merigold mentionedthat she has a house there, granted to her by King Tankred Thyssen. Some fans are already speculating that this detail means Ciri will definitely meet Triss there, but this has not been confirmed yet.
2New Monsters
Ciri Tracks Imperial Manticore in the Demo
TheWitchergames have always featured an expansive bestiary from Sapkowski’s books, withThe Witcher 3boasting dozens of unique monster and creature types for Geralt to hunt in the open world.The Witcher 4is shaping up to be no different, so players can likely expect substantialadditions to the monster roster in the upcoming game, as well as updated versions of returning beasts. One such addition players can expect is the Imperial Manticore, which Ciri tracks in the demo.
The Imperial Manticore made a brief appearance inThe Witcher 2’s animated flashback sequence, described as one of the world’s oldest and deadliest monsters. This beast is a strange, flying creature, blending together parts of a lion, a bat, and a scorpion.
In the demo, it was shown that a Manticore is capable of lifting a full wagon into the air and could likely eat an entire horse in a single meal. Players can think of it as a more terrifying and dangerous version of the Griffin, so the battle may prove a real challenge for Ciri. Interestingly, players haven’t seen her wielding a crossbow, so it remains unknown how Ciri will hunt flying beasts in the game.
3New Horse
The Witcher 3was the first game to introduce horses to the series, allowing players to travel the Continent on the back of atrusty horse called Roach. In the books, Roach wasn’t a single reliable horse that always accompanied Geralt of Rivia during his travels, but rather a name Geralt gave to all of his horses. With Ciri replacing Geralt as the protagonist inThe Witcher 4, sheneeds her own special mount.
Fans of the universe might know that in the books, Ciri rode her own black steed named Kelpie. At this point, it’s unknown whether the Kelpie shown in the demo is the exact same Kelpie from the books, given that the horse never appeared in theWitchergames before, and even the exact time gap between the third and fourth games is unclear. Chances are that, just like Geralt with Roach, Ciri has adopted the habit of naming all her horses by this special name.
Judging from the demo, players will be able to summon Kelpie at any moment during their travels, just like inThe Witcher 3. However, the visuals, animations, and likely the controls will be much more advanced and impressive, and hopefully, Kelpie will be less buggy than Roach.
4More Reactive World
The New Promising Feature Can Make the World Feel Much More Believable
One of the most interesting gameplay aspects shown duringThe Witcher 4tech demo isa reactive world around the players. In one particular example, Ciri rams her shoulder into a merchant carrying a crate of apples, causing the fruits to roll across the ground. This leads to children running over to gather them, while a couple of nearby pigs also show interest in grabbing some free treats.
According to the developers, the world ofThe Witcher 4will be filled with small interactions like this and chain reactions triggered even by the smallest player actions involving NPCs and objects. While it may be too early to jump to conclusions, hopefully this feature will be present in the final game — either withmany random encounters happeningaround players like inRed Dead Redemption 2, or with fully dynamic interactions powered by physics and crowd behavior, creating a sense of a living, breathing world.
5Wearable Cloaks and Hoods
Ciri Can Be Seen Wearing and Taking Off a Hood
From theWitcheruniverse standpoint, it’s only natural for wandering witchers to wear cloaks and hoods to avoid unwanted attention, given how people typically treat them with fear and suspicion. Yet, the games have been fairly inconsistent in this area. InThe Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings, when equipping certain armors, Geralt always wears a hood that players can’t remove. InThe Witcher 3’s cinematics, Geralt is often portrayed wearing a hooded cloak, but unlike in manyAssassin’s Creedgames, none of the in-game armor offers this option.
Finally,The Witcher 4seems to make a much-welcomed step in the right direction, as in the demo, Ciri can be seen wearing and taking off a hood at will. Even considering that the demo isn’t actual gameplay, it’s likely safe to assume this feature will be included in the game, especially given how many fans have wanted it for years.
