The hits just keep coming for the highly anticipated video game sequel, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. Last week, CD Projekt Red confirmed that there will be a second playable character for the game–a first for the franchise. Ciri will be a playable character in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, in addition to Geralt of Rivia. CD Projekt Red recently announced an extended delay of another three months for the game’s release. The news about Ciri as a playable character definitely takes some of the sting out of the three-month delay. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt already looked like a massive, immersive game. The inclusion of Ciri as a second playable character, just adds another exciting wrinkle and layer of depth to what already looks to be an amazing video gaming experience.
In The Witcher literature written by Andrzej Sapowski, Ciri is actually the adopted daughter of Geralt of Rivia. In the footage that has been released so far for the game, Geralt appears to be tracking Ciri. Nilgaard Emperor Emhyr var Emreis has tasked Geralt with finding Ciri in order to bring her to justice. Geralt’s true intentions with Ciri remain to be seen. However, the outcome with Ciri could ultimately constitute the results of players’ choices through the course of the game. Ciri is a descendant of a long-lost Elven-blood lineage. My understanding is that she comes from a noble bloodline. I imagine her bloodline could be a threat to a royal dictator such as Emperor Emreis. Therefore, it makes sense that dictators would want to find and kill Ciri. In addition to the Nilgaardian Emperor, the evil riders called the Wild Hunt are also pursuing Ciri. The question is, who will get to Ciri first?
CD Projekt Red’s statement emphasized that The Witcher 3 is still mainly Geralt’s game, and Ciri is not a playable character in the same way. I assume that means that Ciri’s playable segments in the game will be minor. Perhaps the controls and options for Ciri will be minor and stripped down. I would venture to guess that Ciri will not have comparable abilities, weapons and attacks to those of Geralt in the actual game. Perhaps Ciri’s segments could merely be more similar to playable cinematic segments. For example, the segment in Alien: Isolation when the players get to explore the derelict spacecraft. However, that is pure speculation on my part. Either way, I am excited that the game is going in this direction. The chance for players to step into the role of a major female character of The Witcher lore, such as Ciri, is a great added bonus.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is due out May 19, 2015. The game is due out for the Playstation 4, Xbox One and Xbox 360.
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