The recently announced remake of CD Projekt Red's The Witcher will update monster hunter Geralt of Rivia's very first adventure for modern consoles. Fans are hoping to see a number of additions and quality-of-life changes inspired by the success of the later Witcher games, in particular The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. Smoother battles, more abundant side quests, and a larger world to explore are just a few fan requests made since the remake was announced. In particular, many fans are hoping for the return of Gwent, a collectible card mini-game added in the series' third entry. Gwent's popularity and simple, addictive gameplay would make it a fun addition to The Witcher remake that would likely appeal to both new and returning fans.
The original Witcher game tells the story of Geralt attempting to recover his lost memories while also dealing with political unrest, figures from his past, and, of course, the monster-hunting contracts with which a Witcher earns his keep. The remake, which will be made as a collaboration between developers CD Projekt RED and Fool's Theory, will redo the 2007 game in the modern Unreal Engine 5. Content will likely be added, as later Witcher games became known for the sheer amount of things to do and places to explore, and the first game now feels rather slight in comparison. Gwent, a game featuring cards inspired by Geralt, his allies, and his enemies, would be the perfect addition, creating much more for players to do outside of the remake's main story.
Gwent's Popularity Goes Beyond The Witcher 3
Although Gwent began its life as a simple mini-game in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, the card game's popularity soon went above and beyond the game itself. Many fans reported that they had spent hours playing Gwent, even putting aside the game's main quest in favor of hunting down cards and winning in-game tournaments. CD Projekt RED responded to the game's popularity by releasing tie-in merch such as physical Gwent cards and an Art of Gwent book. Eventually Gwent: The Witcher Card Game was released as a separate title, featuring an expanded roster of cards and updated, more complicated rules. Another spin-off game, Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales, utilizes Gwent mechanics in a single-player campaign. Today, Gwent remains extremely popular, with tournaments being held regularly and new cards sometimes added to the game.
Gwent in The Witcher remake could be a great way for Geralt to recover his memories, as the cards feature important mythological and political figures as well as many of Geralt's friends and associates. It could also add more depth for in-game NPCs such as Dandelion the bard, as Geralt could play Gwent against a number of different characters as a way to have additional conversations with them. Gwent could also replace the poorly aged "sex card" mechanic from the original Witcher, in which the player received picture cards for sleeping with various women. This mechanic was unpopular because it reduced many of the women in the game to simple objects, nothing more than a name and a picture on a card. Gwent is a much more interesting and less problematic way of utilizing cards in Geralt's adventures.
The popular collectible card game is not the only addition from later Witcher games that fans hope to see in the remake of the original title. Fans also hope to see graphical updates, improvements to the combat system, mutagens, ability points, and more depth to characters such as the cursed Princess Adda or Alvin, a magical child who serves as a substitute for Ciri. While it is unlikely that the remake will make major changes to the story, meaning that it will probably not feature fan-favorite characters such as Yennefer or the aforementioned Ciri, it is definitely possible that CD Projekt RED could implement changes to make the Witcher remake a more fun and satisfying experience for all players.
The Witcher remake is currently in development.