The first trailer for The Witcher 4 has finally been released, generating quite a bit of excitement about all the possibilities its new Witcher could entail. With Ciri finally taking over the franchise after Geralt, The Witcher 4 will likely include several new features to match its new protagonist. While the official trailer has already shown off many new combat mechanics, another exciting change is how Ciri will open the door to even more romance options than ever before.
Taking place years after the original game, the trailer confirming Ciri as the franchise's newest protagonist raised many questions about how this would affect moment-to-moment gameplay. Despite sharing some of the same weapons and abilities as Geralt, it's clear that Ciri will provide players with a completely unique new arsenal of abilities for the fourth installment, benefiting from her greater magical connections. These new mechanics will likely be combined with an equally new direction for the story of The Witcher 4taking different directions when it comes to dating new characters from the world of The wizard.
Romance is an essential part of the Witcher experience
Providing more freedom in roleplaying as Geralt
Even though much of Geralt's personality and history is somewhat set in stone, players have wide freedom when it comes to dialogue and important decisions throughout the franchise. This level of freedom also extends to the romances that players can choose to engage with throughout each game.allowing players to see a softer, more intimate side of the legendary monster hunter. While it's hard to top some of the better-written romance options players have experienced over the years with Geralt, The Witcher 4 has the chance to improve the franchise's successful formula.
Players have broad freedom regarding dialogue and major decisions throughout the franchise.
With Geralt's story continuing in each of the three previous entries in The wizard franchise, some of its romance options have also continued into each game. The two most notable long-term romance options for Geralt are Yennefer of Vengerberg and Triss Merigoldthe former being the closest to a canonical, albeit complicated, love interest in the series and acting as a sort of mother figure to Ciri.
The prospect of watching a romance like Yennefer's unfold and develop over multiple entries in a franchise is certainly engaging, but it limits the player's options when it comes to new and potentially tragic romances that The wizard franchise is doing so well.
Ciri's sexual preference is more open than Geralt's
Offering new possibilities for romantic experiences
Although it is never explicitly shown on screen in The Witcher 3, even during sections where players control her, Ciri has expressed interest in both men and women throughout her books and games.with some Reddit users like Carcanclawgoing into detail about the subject. Even in The Witcher 3 itself, during a section after Ciri's escape from the Wild Hunt, she is given a break in a small village with access to a sauna.
During the mission, in a cutscene, players can choose from several options when Ciri is asked what she thinks of a popular man in the village, one of which is “I prefer women.”
Even though this scene allows players to choose the direction of Ciri's sexuality in the moment, each option can be considered equally canon.especially given the experiences she has had throughout the book series that inspired the games. The books themselves describe her attraction to certain male characters, such as Hotsporn, on several occasions, while also touching on her intimate relationship with a woman named Mistle in the past.
In The Witcher 3In the sauna scene, Ciri even mentions the origin of the rose tattoo on her thigh, which she got as a memory of her ex-partner.
Ciri could offer greater romantic freedom than ever before
Allowing players to experience male romance for the first time in the franchise
With Ciri being confirmed as bisexual throughout the franchise and confirmation from the developers that romance and relationships will be an important part of the new experience, The Witcher 4 It will almost certainly include romance options for both men and women going forward. With options to date both sexes being a new addition to the franchise, it also benefits from having an entirely new cast of dateable NPCs.
While The Witcher 4 will have a hard time surpassing the roster of iconic romance options fans have come to expect from previous entries, This new direction is an exciting way to spice up the experience for veteran fans. Not only would this new direction stay true to Ciri's more fluid sexuality and personality compared to Geralt, but the change would also offer players more freedom than ever before.
It's clear that CD Project Red isn't afraid to take risks when it comes to the future of the beloved Wizard franchise retiring Geralt, but the change of protagonist could be the solution The Witcher 4 needs to offer fans an entirely new experience.
Source: carcanclaw/Reddit
The Witcher IV
- Franchise
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The wizard
- Engine
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Unreal Engine 5