Today it was announced that Ciri, the “ashen-haired girl from an ancient prophecy,” will be the second playable character after Geralt in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. As a descendent of the long-lost elves from the game’s universe, she has access to tremendous power that has made her a target for the ghastly Wild Hunt as well as the mighty Empire of Nilfgaard. You can learn more about her from the recently released “Elder Blood” trailer for The Witcher 3:
You will not be able to switch freely between Geralt and Ciri, but rather you’ll take control of her during certain points in the story. We know that she and Geralt share an emotional bond, and that she has access to an as of yet unknown mythical power. CD Projekts Red’s Robert Malinowski had this to say about her inclusion:
“Ciri is playable only during certain moments in the game – we introduce her to give gamers another perspective in the story to make it even more engaging. You won’t play as her for long periods of time, but since she’s crucial to the plot, we thought that additional insight will allow gamers to better bond with this cool character.
“We introduce Ciri as supportive narrative tool and not because of gameplay mechanics. The Witcher was always about Geralt and that has not changed, but that handful of moments when you play as Ciri provide us with glimpses of how the story feels from the other side.
“She’s a living weapon… and everyone wants to control her. This, plus she also has her own will and agenda, so it’s not just finding her that counts. I think that is the most important aspect of this character. Geralt knows Ciri since she was a child. She’s Geralt’s apprentice and they have a close emotional bond – he trained her so she could become a witcheress.”
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt was recently pushed back till May 19th of 2015 in order to further polish the game. However, the game is expected to provide 100+ hours of gameplay, and all of the game’s DLC will be completely free.
What is your take on CD Projekt Red’s decision to include Ciri in the game? Are you excited to explore the universe of The Witcher from a different perspective? Let us know in the comments.
[show_avatar email=2379 align=center show_name=true show_biography=true]