The Witcher 4 Should Open a Door Left Cracked by Its…

Even with how little is known about it currently, The Witcher 4 is already primed and ready to transform the series forever, as it has officially replaced Geralt of Rivia with Cirilla Fiona Elen Riannon (better known as Ciri) as its new protagonist. It's not just a new protagonist that The Witcher 4 is introducing either, as CD Projekt Red has confirmed that the next game in the Witcher series will be the beginning of a brand-new saga, meaning even more will follow, with Ciri likely persisting in the lead role. Ultimately, this means The Witcher 4 has some opportunities that its last couple of predecessors didn't, with one such opportunity offering a much larger audience in exchange for a little bit of compromise.

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By Josh Cotts

The Witcher 4 Needs to Go All In on Accessibility

The Witcher 3 Made the Series a Tad More Accessible

Before the release of The Witcher 3, the first two games in the Witcher series were widely considered inaccessible and unapproachable to a broader demographic than its potential called for. The first game in the series, simply titled The Witcher, was possibly a bit too niche and clunky for some tastes, with an unintuitive combat system, unpolished mechanics and UI, and complex lore with very little explanation.

The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings improved things a bit, but it was still hard for many newcomers to get into. The combat was better in some respects but still difficult, the story and choices were confusing, and the controls were optimized for the PC and therefore felt clunky on consoles.

Before the release of The Witcher 3, the first two games in the Witcher series were widely considered inaccessible and unapproachable to a broader demographic than its potential called for.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt then came along with increased accessibility, which ended up being a major contributor to its success and renown. Firstly, The Witcher 3's open world immediately made the game more inviting, especially since it was executed so well. Secondly, combat was refined in The Witcher 3, with dodging, parrying, and magic use all designed to be more fluid and intuitive than previous entries. There were also better tutorials and a more manageable UI, along with more player-friendly difficulty options and a console-friendly design.

The Witcher 4's 'New Saga' Status Gives a Strong Case for Even Further Accessibility

Despite the improvements that The Witcher 3 made to the series' accessibility and approachability, however, it was still considered to be a bit too complex and overwhelming for more casual players. Various aspects of The Witcher 3 — like its inventory management, combat mechanics, story choices, and lore — still proved to be too much in some ways, despite nonetheless being improvements. Now, since The Witcher 4 is essentially starting things over for the series, it could open that door all the way and let even more players in by being more flexible and offering more intuitive systems.

Of course, this will require some compromise from The Witcher 4 — a compromise that could prove to be divisive among longtime fans of the series. At the same time, if CD Projekt Red were to manage to strike the perfect balance between tradition and evolution, perhaps The Witcher 4 would see even more success than its predecessor did. By refining the elements of gameplay that The Witcher 3 still struggled to make more accessible, The Witcher 4 could be a brand-new saga for the series in more than one way.