The Witcher 4: Dark Aura is an action role-playing game set in an open world environment, developed by Polish video game developer CD Projekt RED. It is the fourth installment in the series, after The Witcher, The Witcher 2: Assassination of Kings, and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, which are based on the series of fantasy novels of the same title by the Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski, but all take place after them.
Played in a third-person viewpoint, the player controls Cirilla, the new protagonist replacing Geralt, whose story ended in the third game as she explores a new land. Players do battle against the world's many dangers using swords and magic, while interacting with non-player characters and completing side quests and main missions all to progress through the story. Players mostly travel by foot, and also on horseback with a purchasable horse.
Gameplay[]
The Witcher 4's overworld has been expanded to be 10% larger than The Witcher 3, making it the biggest overworld in the entire series. The choices Ciri make are entirely up to the player and have a future effect as the game's story goes on. RED staff claimed that The Witcher 4 was "too big to clear".
As far as combat goes, Ciri has retained abilities she had in The Witcher 3, such as teleport dodge. Ciri can also use magic, spears, axes, hatchets, maces, spears, flails, and whips. A buddy system has been implemented, and Ciri can call upon Triss and Yennefer, as well as other NPCs, to assist her in combat.
The player can also decide what attire Ciri wears throughout the game.
Synopsis[]
The year is 1277, 6 years after the events of The Witcher 3 . Geralt has named Ciri, now 27, his successor and has been training her to be the next witcheress. However, during an expedition, an unknown creature shoots a poison barb at them. Geralt sees this coming, and shoves Ciri out of the way, saving her life. The barb instead pierces Geralt in the chest, killing him in an instant. Ciri sees what happened and cries over his body, mourning this loss.
Geralt's body is burned on a funeral pyre the following day. After the service, a town courier hands Ciri a letter, saying she's been sworn in as the witcheress. Ciri then ventures out to finish her training and avenge Geralt's death, using whatever knowledge he gave her as an example to guide her way. As Ciri's expedition progresses, she discovers an evil breed has risen, one that doesn't only threaten her own people, but the entire fate of the world as well.