The Witcher 3 is out in late February, 2015, but its opening cinematic is viewable right now thanks to its unveiling at the Golden Joysticks on the weekend and the magic of YouTube.
If you love horses, however, you might not want to watch, as developer CD Projekt Red doesn’t shy away from the brutality of medieval fantasy war, specifically the targeting of charging horses rather than the men who ride them. Fortunately it’s all computer-generated imagery and no actual horses were harmed, but still, let’s just say that 18 rating is there for a reason.
Brutality aside, the cinematic sets the scene for the game’s opening: Witcher Geralt is tracking down Yennefer, a powerful sorcerer (sorceress?) with whom he was once in love. The trailer transitions seamlessly between the battlefield through which she made her escape from an unknown pursuer, and the quiet aftermath in which Geralt uses evidence of her passing to track her for an unnamed third party. It’s all very mysterious, but also pretty damn cool, capturing perfectly the series’ serious yet mysterious atmosphere.
As with every other Witcher game, CD Projeckt Red has done a sterling job on the visuals here. While this particular cinematic is not quite Blizzard-esque (the standard by which all game cinematics are judged), there’s enough eye-candy to draw gamers in and plenty of mystery to get curious minds a-racing. Here it is so you can judge for yourself:
Unfortunately, if you like what you see there are still four months to wait (give or take a few days) before The Witcher 3 is out on the 24th of February, 2015.
