Recently announced at The Game Awards, The Witcher 4 will see Ciri starring as the series’ new protagonist in a story that will kick off a new trilogy. And unlike Geralt, she’s going to be making her own Witcher codex.
Speaking in an interview with IGN, game director Sebastian Kalemba spoke about how Ciri, who is in the beginning of her career as a Witcher, is going to feel different as a protagonist than her mentor and adoptive father, Geralt of Rivia.
“I love this grit in her,” he said. “She’s almost obsessed with the way she lives. There are some moments where you have to go with your heart instead of always going with the calculated calls. And this is what I love in Ciri. She’s less calculating, following her heart, her passion, her gut feel.”
“She’s about to form her own codex on her own terms,” he added. “The way she actually deals with the monsters, the way she deals with quests, the adventures, it’s her own unique way.”
“We want to let players try to define her,” Kalemba went on. “She’s about to form her own codex on her own terms. The way she actually deals with the monsters, the way she deals with quests, the adventures, it’s her own unique way.”
Much like past Witcher titles, however, though The Witcher 4’s protagonist will be a defined personality and her own character, players will obviously be able to shape her and change her story through their actions. Kalemba says The Witcher 4 will afford players greater control than before: “We want to put player agency at the center.”
Player agency won’t be limited to just choice-based storytelling either. According to Kalemba, The Witcher 4 will also for greater flexibility from a gameplay perspective.
“We’re giving] more tools for players’ disposal, to be able to not only play and go with the consequences narratively, but also gameplay-wise,” he said. “We want to give players more opportunities to be able to feel that they define their experience.”
The director went on to draw comparisons with past CDPR titles, stating that The Witcher 4 will feature greater gameplay variety than its predecessor, instead delivering a more expansive experience along the lives of Cyberpunk 2077.
“I believe the gameplay [in Cyberpunk 2077] was more varied [than that in The Witcher 3] and it allowed more freedom when it comes to creating character builds and being able to experience encounters in your own way,” Kalemba said. “This is something we definitely want to bring as a lesson [to The Witcher 4]. We want to improve on [The Witcher 3’s] gameplay but also we want to improve the alignment of the way you will be able to explore the world.”
Kalemba has also confirmed that The Witcher 4 will maintain continuity with all Witcher 3 endings, and that the game will also feature Geralt, even if he isn’t returning as the protagonist.
The Witcher 4 entered full production earlier this year.