Geralt fastidiously circles the Swarmion, his steps slowly overlapping as he sizes up his foe. The creature might be simply mistaken for any generic fantasy undead or humanoid mutant, have been it not for the cloud of hornets that swarm round its torso – a weird type of armour by any stretch of the creativeness. However our Witcher is as resourceful as ever. He switches his silver sword for a series, swinging the hooked finish spherical and spherical as he chooses his goal. The creature’s legs, or its head? The reply is clear. The hook sinks into the fleshy neck and pulls taught, wrenching the creature out of the hornet swarm and pulling it immediately into the trail of Geralt’s blade. Blood plumes from its neck. The top falls with a boring thud.
The silver chain is a vital weapon for Geralt of Rivia. Those that have been there from the start will keep in mind it from The Witcher’s very first cutscene, again in 2007. Those that have been there from the precise starting will understand it from the quick story inside The Final Want assortment, from which that cutscene was tailored. The essential factor is that it’s a part of Geralt’s core Witcher gear – and so it’s solely becoming that we lastly get to make use of it in what may effectively be the final time we get to play as him.
Songs of the Previous is The Witcher 3’s surprising third growth pack, which can launch subsequent 12 months – 12 years after the bottom recreation was initially launched, and a 12 months forward of the collection’ in-development fourth recreation, which passes the protagonist baton to Ciri. And Geralt’s chain-swinging monster battle was only one small part of an hour-long demo I watched at gamescom 2026, throughout which a member of the CD Projekt Pink dev crew performed via the ‘A Mattress of Thorns’ quest, an early chapter that establishes Songs of the Previous’s story.
Geralt awakens in Letten, the homeland of his frequent partner-in-heroics, Dandelion. Whereas a lot of Geralt’s life has been effectively documented throughout each Witcher books and video games, Dandelion’s historical past is a bit more of an enigma – one which Songs of the Previous appears primed to crack. The hunt’s opening sees Geralt trek in direction of a grand hilltop property, the house the place Dandelion grew up not as a bard, however as Julian Alfred Pankratz, Viscount de Lettenhove. It’s not onerous to see why he left this lifetime of the Aristocracy behind; Geralt endures a painfully tense meal with Dandelion’s extremely stern grandmother, a lady who would make even probably the most pampered individual need to run away from dwelling. Additionally current is Lilla, Dandelion’s cousin – a way more agreeable girl and Geralt’s new companion (plus, after all, potential goal of affection – though this playthrough ignored any flirtatious dialogue choices.)
I hesitate to make a judgement name on Songs of the Previous’s writing at this early stage, however I am going to perceive in the event you’ve some reservations – quite than purely CD Projekt Pink behind the wheel, this growth is the work of Idiot’s Principle, a distinct studio (though one that’s made up of many CDPR veterans). Fortunately, what I’ve seen to this point suggests the standard bar has been maintained. Inside only a single scene I had an excellent thought of who these two ladies have been and the way their values complimented or clashed with Geralt’s personal well-established code.
Not on the desk is definitely the explanation Geralt got here right here within the first place; his devoted bard is nowhere to be seen. And so begins Geralt and Lilla’s mission to hunt out Dandelion and convey him dwelling. However the place to start out? Effectively, in goals: throughout the evening Geralt had visions of blood, thorns, violets, and a effectively – a picture Lilla recognises as The Backyard of Thorns. The 2 meet later that day to go out seeking what ought to simply be a nasty story, however could be very rapidly going to turn out to be a horrifying actuality.
Letten is a good looking place, divorced from the woes of The Continent. In that manner it’s just a little like Blood and Wine’s idyllic Toussaint, and the comparisons don’t cease there: CD Projekt Pink says to count on one thing of a comparable dimension, so it might be that Songs of the Previous extends so far as 30 or so hours. Geralt explores the previous and new sides of the city, and we cross by rows of bushes entwined with wild flowers – there’s just a little of Nordic midsummer in its design, blended with English and Polish countryside. All of it seems to be lovely, helped by the newly-announced remaster, which upgrades The Witcher 3’s expertise base with higher-resolution textures and path-tracing lighting. It might be disingenuous to say it makes this decade-old RPG appear like a recreation from the present console era, but it surely’s nonetheless a good looking factor, notably in relation to pure environments caught within the remaining rays of the day’s solar.
However a Witcher’s job not often stays in nice territory. It’s not lengthy earlier than Geralt and Lilla have journeyed past the city’s borders and located themselves in additional cursed lands. Knotted timber with twisted branches kind the sting of an area by which Geralt does battle with a Thornbloom, a big vine-like plant that may trigger fields of enormous bulbs to develop and subsequently explode. Whereas the remaster and, by extension, Songs of the Previous profit from an upgraded fight system, it’s not apparent on this struggle how substantial the change is – this very a lot seems to be like Witcher fight as common. A little bit later, when the Swarmion and its hornet protect flip up, it turns into clear that the chain does add some further aptitude to the proceedings, and I like that in a second of slow-motion you’re in a position to goal what physique half Geralt sinks the hook into earlier than grappling a far-off enemy into melee vary. However till I’m going hands-on with the brand new system I’m going to imagine the adjustments are refined tweaks quite than a revolutionary overhaul.
Equally, CD Projekt Pink didn’t dedicate a lot time to exploring Geralt’s upgraded character development programs, so it’s as but unclear simply how various things are in comparison with the unique model. What I did see, nevertheless, have been new ability pages that re-arrange the layouts of the skills in additional of a definite tree form, so it might be that there’s been a re-thinking of the way you progress Geralt via his RPG upgrades… or not less than a re-thinking of how that development is communicated.
Geralt and Lilla proceed to push via the forest and ultimately make their method to a tightly-woven wall of thorns, its branches laced with violets and human skulls. At its base lies a dying deer, its blood soaked up by the horrifying construction. That is the gate to the Backyard of Thorns. Past lies solutions to the thriller of our lacking Dandelion. In one other playthrough, Geralt might effectively have used his mind to coax these branches open – CD Projekt Pink guarantees that there are a number of methods to navigate this drawback. Within the curiosity of time, although, the developer controlling the demo takes the trail of violence, slicing the gate aside. The strike causes the backyard to develop vines between Geralt and Lilla, separating them. Maybe that is the consequence for not in search of out a extra cautious strategy to the scenario? Both manner, Geralt is pressured to struggle via Big Centipedes and people aforementioned Swarmions to search out his manner again to Lilla… and the effectively.
The Witcher 3: Songs of the Previous screenshots
Sure, the effectively from Geralt’s dream is actual, and defended by the Slumbering Knight, this demo’s boss struggle. A noble corpse that’s turn out to be half tree, it’s in a position to strike and defend itself with an enormous, bark-shrouded arm. However that’s not the fascinating factor: round its neck is a series completed with a horse pendant. The sigil of Lettenhove. This withered warrior is a member of Dandelion’s personal home… or not less than was, as soon as upon a time. Fortunately, regardless of the indicators this man as soon as wore flamboyant costuming, there’s no suggestion that is Dandelion himself. The search goes on, and the following location is clear: down the effectively. Will there be a satan on this one?
Not fairly. However the twisted picket determine inside it, which you noticed throughout the trailer for Songs of the Previous proven at Opening Night time Reside, may effectively be mistaken for one. Fairly what it’s stays to be seen, as that’s the place the gamescom demo abruptly cuts to black. However, contemplating its prominence in stated trailer, this creature possible lies on the coronary heart of this Dandelion-themed thriller.
This primary style of Songs of the Previous doesn’t provide up something radically new or surprising. That is extra of The Witcher 3, even with its remastered tech base and up to date fight and skill programs. But it surely’s clever to not strategy this venture with the expectations of “new” Witcher – that is an growth for a 11 12 months previous recreation, in any case. Save that enthusiasm for The Witcher 4. However nonetheless, that is an 11 12 months previous recreation that has summoned me again quite a few occasions already, and at the same time as its joints get creaky, it’s at all times extremely clear why The Witcher 3 is a generational-defining RPG. To have the ability to revisit it as soon as extra to play via an entire new story, meet model new characters, and discover a wealthy new setting isn’t one thing I assumed I’d ever get to do, and so in some ways in which’s extra fascinating than a model new recreation – maybe with Songs of the Previous, CD Projekt Pink and Idiot’s Principle has discovered a method to make coming again to a well-loved dwelling really feel like the primary time over again.
Matt Purslow is IGN’s Govt Editor of Options.
