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Romantic Dilemmas - How Witcher 3 Builds Character through Choice (2015x35)

: 16, 2015

Geralt in The Witcher III: Wild Hunt finds himself torn between two women he loves. His relationship with Yennefer is passionate but tumultuous, while his relationship with Triss is more tender and caring. Choosing between these two women doesn't feel like picking your favorite option at a buffet, a fault that Bioware romance options often fall into - it feels like defining Geralt as a person through the choice he makes. Geralt's relationship with these women reflects an inner conflict about who he already is (Yennefer) and who he wants to be (Triss). It also showcases a weakness in the "blank slate" character model so common in Western RPGs: by giving the player full control over who the character is, we actually limit ourselves since we can only define the character in broad, easy to design strokes such as "good" or "evil." The defined character and existing backstory of Geralt allowed the Witcher 3 developers to create nuanced choices that help the player think about who he is and what his choices mean.