The quality of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt continues to stand up as the game rapidly approaches being a decade old. Soon enough, fans will be treated to tenth-anniversary talks that reminisce about the incredible world and storytelling that gamers got to experience in The Witcher 3. The fondness that many players have for The Witcher 3 is also supported by its critical success. In 2015, it won Game of the Year awards at almost every major awards showcase. The Witcher 3 pulled a lot of people in with its hype, but most stayed because it also delivered on many of its promises.
Doing so left veteran and new players alike yearning for a follow-up to The Witcher series. The franchise itself started in books before being adapted across other media, like video games, and now has a successful streaming series on Netflix. While each of these entries interprets The Witcher stories differently, they all share major beats. The world, monsters, characters, and relationships that are portrayed help to build the story of The Witcher up and make Geralt an even more engaging character. There are a lot of implications in a new saga for The Witcher games, but one thing it will need to do is incorporate the strongest aspects of The Witcher 3.
Character Relationships in The Witcher
Incorporating successful elements from The Witcher 3 doesn’t have to mean copying every aspect of the game. The next installment in The Witcher series of games would probably do well to make some significant changes. Moving away from Geralt of Rivia in the next chapter of the Witcher saga could help the new game stand out. As loved as his character is, and as important as his relationship with Ciri becomes across The Witcher franchise, Geralt’s time as the playable character should come to an end. His ability to build relationships with others shouldn’t be left behind, though.
A major part of the best open-world games like The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is how interactive the world itself feels. The world in The Witcher 3 feels alive not just because of the hidden secrets and unique encounters that players have, but also because of how Geralt relates to other characters. Despite the idea of Witchers being rather emotionless, and Geralt remaining neutral, it’s clear that he has a sense of right and wrong. This is amplified by the player’s decisions during a run-through and helps bring The Witcher 3 to life.
Everything from quests to major romance options, like Geralt and Triss’s relationship, can have consequences down the line. Some of these may feel benign or go unnoticed, but other ones can have major ramifications that aren’t felt until much later in the game. Each of them, however, is part of what made The Witcher 3 such a great experience. Learning from these relationships to incorporate captivating and relevant storylines between characters in the next Witcher should be a primary goal. How the player’s character interacts with the world around them shouldn’t exist in a stagnant state, and actions early on should be allowed to snowball into a major interpersonal decision later in the game.
Side Quests in the next Witcher
The same can be said for side quests in the next Witcher game. Much like romance and character relationships, there were several side quests in The Witcher 3 that could affect the world players engaged in. A Witcher 3 side-quest from the Blood and Wine expansion involving Vivienne has even taken seven in-game years to unfold, with players just having discovered its outcome. Details like this that play into the fates of the different characters gamers can meet throughout the world are as important as the lively relationships that Geralt develops in The Witcher 3.
They inform the world and add an extra layer of depth to the game. They might not all be story-altering quests that have profound effects on the late game, but they do add details that help to bring the story to life. How a character is used can speak to more than just the individuals within a narrative, and the whole world of The Witcher 3 is filled with it, as the side quests of the game act as an important mortar. This is part of what’s made The Witcher 3 one of the best action RPGs, and it should serve as a foundational blueprint for the next Witcher game.
The consequence that’s present in this side quest as well as many portions of the main quest line in The Witcher 3 should also be tapped into. Feeling the effects of different actions taken during the narrative makes each player’s choice feel all the more important. While the different branching choices in The Witcher 3 largely revolved around Geralt’s relationship with Ciri, as well as his romances with Yen and Triss, in the next Witcher, this concept should be given even more depth. The newest Witcher saga should take what was learned from these mechanics in The Witcher 3 and allow for more consequence and flexibility throughout the player’s chosen path on a playthrough.
Gwent
Despite everything big that The Witcher 3 does, the next Witcher should also work to keep all of its charm intact. Gwent was a great way to explore the world and interact with characters that otherwise might not have a role. It added to Geralt’s character, and while a throwaway to some, Gwent as a whole became an incredibly important part of The Witcher 3 to many. News that the Gwent director will lead development on the new Witcher makes the game’s return probable.
New cards are a must, but the mini-game should also be allowed to flourish under the conditions it was already provided. The new Witcher game could benefit by increasing the number of players, and even Gwent tournaments that can be encountered, but using it as a way to encourage fans to search out the little details in a town or location should continue to be its driving mechanic. In all, there’s a lot that The Witcher 3 did well that the next Witcher title should pay attention to, but it should also strive to be its own game that builds on the best aspects in meaningful ways.
A new The Witcher game is in development.