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During a presentation by Sebastian, Wyatt, and Kajtek representing CD Projekt Red, many insights were gained from the tech demo for The Witcher 4. Honestly, what was shown is nothing short of incredible. Throughout the presentation, as a viewer, you could tell that The Witcher 4 will likely take game development in a completely new direction. What intrigued me most about the demo were the details that you might have overlooked if you weren’t paying close attention. Let’s explore those and analyze each element from The Witcher 4 tech demo.
A New Voice for Ciri
Previously voiced by Jo Wyatt, Ciara Berkeley has officially been cast as protagonist Ciri in this new The Witcher trilogy. This makes sense, considering that the trilogy explores a much older Ciri, as opposed to her age when Geralt was leading the charge. The change in voice actresses has left some fans a bit disappointed, especially considering that this is Berkeley’s first voice acting role, according to Behind the Voice Actors.
However, now that the tech demo is out in the world, I can say that Ciara’s voice acting is a cut above anything I could have expected. Ciri sounds mature, collected, and experienced while also still giving an air of uncertainty. I am incredibly excited to hear how Ciri evolves throughout the remainder of the trilogy.
The Domino Effects from Miles Away
Just as Ciri enters a city within Kovir, the speakers at the demo discuss how the world is very alive and reactive. In one particular example, Ciri bumps into a merchant carrying a crate of apples. As a result, the merchant drops the crate, causing the apples to tumble down the dirt road, catching the eye of a boy who then steals one of the apples. No, I’m not saying that this kind of reaction in gaming is brand new, but it’s the fact that just as Ciri can cause events to happen, so can NPCs.
So, while this might be a bit of a stretch, I’d like to think the game is sort of introducing a domino effect that can potentially be felt from great distances. By this, I mean that players will likely have vastly different experiences from one another that will be defined by the events that happen to NPCs, which then affect other NPCs and so on. Maybe this time, you won’t have to worry about awkward interactions with NPCs who are actively being injured while you ask them to play a round of Gwent.
A Living, Breathing World
During the tech demo, there were various moments when Ciri could ride to a location or talk to an NPC. This allowed them to zoom out and showcase the dynamic landscape and animations. What I found to be incredibly interesting wasn’t the new technology made available so artists could better render things like foliage without compromising gameplay. It was that the game was able to be zoomed out to show that it was very much alive outside of where Ciri was. We didn’t get to see a distant city or conversations that are genuinely far away in-game, but I’d like to believe that the world continues moving, regardless of what Ciri is doing.
Another fascinating point that caught my eye was the emphasis on ensuring that NPCs do not break immersion. What do I mean by this? Have you ever watched an anime and instantly recognized who the main character is because they stand out awkwardly from the other characters? This often happens in video games as well. CD Projekt Red has essentially guaranteed that the interaction between Ciri and her surroundings will feel seamless and natural. Even elements like buildings, food, and weapons appear to have been meticulously crafted so that if Ciri and another NPC decide to juggle an apple in the middle of town, it looks as though the developers designed it that way rather than simply allowing characters to act freely.
Probably Too Much Realism
At the very beginning of the tech demo, we got a look at Ciri’s horse, Kelpy, and how both of them were animated in a way so that they look natural. Typically, there is a strange disconnect between a character and rideable animals in games. However, using Unreal Engine, CD Project Red has basically managed to perfect the muscle structure of the horse alongside the muscle structure of both Ciri and NPCs to flow better alongside each other. Now, you can see individual muscles move under the horse’s skin and then see how those muscle contractions force Ciri to readjust parts of her body.
There is also a cutscene just before the gameplay starts of a few people being attacked by some kind of ravenous creature. There were a few points when I thought that maybe the developers had gone a little too far with muscles and facial animations. However, while it might have been a bit intense at times, I can’t ignore that it’s rather uncommon for me to actually have to look away from a video game because I thought it was a bit too close to real life. I can only imagine how much more of the game will provide me with that same sense of emotion.
The more I watch the tech demo for The Witcher 4, the more I am convinced that we are entering into a new era of gaming, an era that prioritizes realism and seamlessness in a way that helps almost remove the idea of an ‘uncanny valley.’ As more details are revealed about The Witcher 4, I’m excited to learn more about how CD Project Red essentially changes how video games are developed as a whole.
