There are infinite possibilities for what CD Projekt Red’s newWitchersaga will be like. It could stick to what earnedThe Witcher 3: Wild Huntits popularity and not change a thing about gameplay, for example, or it could be an entirely refocused series of games with different gameplay features. Knowing thatThe Witcher 4will be a story-driven, open-world action RPG is enticing enough for many fans as it is, but many remarkable open-world games have been released sinceThe Witcher 3that have rewritten the book on how to design an open world in games.
Elden Ringis easily the most notable example of an emergent open-world experience lately, and many fans would likely be pleasedifThe Witcher 4drew inspiration from FromSoftware. Otherwise, there are characteristics of a lot of action RPGs thatThe Witcher 3did not have and could potentially makeThe Witcher 4a distinct installment. It will not be guaranteed what features or mechanics are added until more about the new saga is shared, and until then there are a few features that would likely make most fans happy to see.
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Character Customization with a New Witcher Protagonist
One of the reigning hopes forThe Witcher 4is that it could potentially allow fans to fully customize their own Witcher protagonist. Character customization has blossomed recently with many more options for inclusivity and representation, and while Geralt of Rivia is obviously an iconic character there are likely fans who would prefer for the nextWitcherstory to be theirs, not Geralt’s.
This would also open upThe Witcher 4’s narrativein a tremendous way, allowing for new characters and new interactions that players would not anticipate. Following the trend of many open-world action RPGs that have character customization, it would be great to see the player’s own avatar represented.
The Return of The Witcher 3’s Gwent
Gwent has become massively popular sinceThe Witcher 3, which resulted in its own spin-off games, and CD Projekt Red would be remiss not to reprise it in its newWitchersaga. Gwent could be brought back in an identical capacity to how it was inThe Witcher 3and that would be all fans need to be satiated, so long as it had new cards to collect throughout the open world.
However, Gwent could also be given a much more substantial role, where puzzle trials could be introduced similarly toThronebreaker: The Witcher Tales’ own Gwent puzzles. This could help break the monotony of traditional Gwent matches and offer unique rewards in the open world if players have been hanging onto any cards they come across. Gwent has since gone on to inspire other open-world games to feature their own collectible mini-games, and it would be a huge letdown if CD Projekt Red abandoned its own in theWitcher’s future.
Soulslike Action RPG Mechanics in The Witcher 4
It is arguable that the Soulslike genre could be experiencing a bit of fatigue with so many games now adopting those mechanics, but it is a popular subgenre for a reason. The excitement surroundingElden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree DLCdemonstrates that many fans are still indulging in Soulslike festivities, and theWitcherfranchise would be smart to strike while the iron is hot and lean into that.
The Witcher 3was not too far off from Soulslike mechanics seen in FromSoftware’s action RPGs anyway, but having that be an unabashed approach to gameplay could help to distinguish its combat further than its basic hack-’n-slash attacks. Combat was not necessarily bad inThe Witcher 3, though that is perhaps where the franchise could improve the most concerning aspects of gameplay.
A newWitchergame is in development.
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