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Hubble, bubble, toil and trouble, our Witcher 3 hype has just about doubled. With a prospective appearance at Gamescom 2013 now only a short spell away, albino anti-hero Geralt of Rivia has returned to the web to mete out some swift CGI justice.
Initially hidden behind an inexplicable countdown clock (the timer's 11am [Pacific] finale appears to have been pushed up considerably), the 'Killing Monsters' cinematic trailer for The Witcher 3 displays Geralt at both his most merciful and malicious.
Taking place in the game's war-torn No Man's Land locale, Geralt and partner are quickly ushered into an awkward situation involving an accused woman. With the mob involved led by a local quest-giver, The Witcher must decide between aiding or abandoning the girl in question, punishing evil or his own potential profits. Given the expansive environments being advertised for the game, random instances like these may well end up peppering the landscape, similar to Red Dead Redemption's infuriating roadside robberies.
Developer CD Projekt Red argues that the video's bleak and unsettling tone is designed to convey "the cruel and gritty world of The Witcher, foreshadow[ing its] mature mood." In keeping with the brutality and moral ambiguity of the modern fantasy genre, Geralt's eventual intervention is as bloody as it is difficult to predict.
Project lead Adam Badowski, explains the impetus behind the trailer as an attempt to communicate the relationship between Geralt and the world around him.
"Geralt, despite being seen as a sellsword by many, has his own code of conduct and operates outside of the dirty morality of the world he lives in”
Of course, players will still be able to make some less-than-noble decisions throughout their time with The Witcher 3, which begs the question of why exactly the designers chose to emphasise Geralt's black and white, "Evil is evil" mentality here. Begrudging do-gooder or not, Geralt's final attack does make for an impressive sight however, with character facial animations appearing particularly strong — even If they do veer into the 'uncanny valley' of oddity once too often. To find out what Game Rant thought of the title back in June, check out our E3 preview.
We'll be hearing more from CD Projekt Red at this year's Gamescom expo in Germany. Coverage begins on August 21st, with the Polish studio expected to reveal more information on both The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt & Cyberpunk 2077 projects.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt will punish the wicked when it appears at the tail end of 2014, for Xbox One, PS4 & PC platforms. Developer CD Projekt Red has confirmed that all ongoing DLC packs will be provided free of charge to PC gamers.
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Source: CD Projekt RED