There are several ways to do a Remake as demonstrated in the last few years. There's the carbon copy (Medievil, Shadow of the Colossus) and the reimagining (Resident Evil 2 Remake, etc). Some would say there's also the Requel according to current theories of FF7R.
The first step to imagine what The Witcher Remake could be like is to settle this question. Since W1 is a good game but with huge flaws or let's say design aspect that did not age well, we can almost certainly say it won’t be a 1:1 Remake like Medievil. Since The Witcher has some kind of time travel and a notion of different worlds, it could go down the road of the Requel but that's also unlikely since CDPR is probably aware that most people didn't play OG Witcher and therefore it would kill the very idea of the requel that rely on its viewers/player to know the base game to imagine where it’s going.
So by default it would be a reimagining. To which extent, though? That's what I want to explore in this thread and I hope you will join this fun mental exercise. I will organize my thought as follows: Story, combat, level design, artistic direction but will expand on it in future post and discussions with all of you. I write this in hope CDPR reads it so I kinda speak to them when I write. But this is an open discussion.
Story:
- What should stay the same
I think the global story should stay the same overall. Witcher 1 has a great story and since the plot already exists it should follow the FF7R path and identify the best moments or those dear to fans and turn them to 11. Abigail being threatened, the detective work, Geralt vs the professor, Yaevinn and Siegfried civil war, lady of the lake, Geralt educating Alvin…
- What should change:
Don’t remove content if it’s not fedex quest. Again turn the content to 11. Add to it. Rethink the continuity of the story where it was lacking before. Since we are going back to Witcher 1 Geralt will have amnesia again but play with the fact that now your audience knows Witcher 3 and the books. Geralt should recover his memories sooner so you can recreate parts of the books in cutscenes when characters evoke the past of Geralt as long as it isn’t memories that would alter The Witcher 2 and 3. Although you should definitely set up for a Witcher 2 Remake that would better take into consideration W1 choices. The idea is to retell the story in a way that enriches the canon and make it more cohesive. Even if it does not happen set it up. Geralt story will entirely be remade eventually we all know it lol. Things like the origin of Geralt scars should not be confusing. It's important lore.
Expand, Leo. Make it more important before his death.
Expand Yaevinn and Sigfried
Make Triss copying Yennefer something directly talked about in the game to make her redemption arc in 3 even more satisfying.
Introduce Jacque de Aldersberg sooner and better flesh out his involvement and the theories around its origin.
Flesh out more Eskel, Lambert and Vesemir. They all go somewhere to look for Salamandra. Find a solution to make this relevant somehow to the end game. They should discover something on their own and help resolve the plot. Otherwise those characters just disappear.
In short take inspiration from what FF7 Remake did best. Whether you like the ghost thing or not Square perfectly selected moments that mattered to fans and made them something more.
Combat:
- What should stay the same:
As much as I like the peculiar gameplay of this game, we all know that most of it has to go. But I think that the notion of preparation is important to the series and Witcher 3 did not do it justice. Preparing the potions meditate and preparing oil before fight should come back to the forefront but more fun this time. Meditation should be more than a way to pass the time like in Witcher 3. Maybe add a system to drink potion early but activate the effect later. Preparing for fight is essential to feel like a Witcher.
The combat styles should return. Take inspiration from a game like Nioh that can switch styles on the fly.
- What should change:
Almost everything. As much as I love the original system myself, I am aware of its flaws. Abandon the different camera perspectives. But don’t reuse Witcher 3 system either or greatly expand on it to make it more interesting. Bring the camera closer, make the game feel more personal and violent in close contact. Even W3 is lacking in this department, I think.
Actually expand The Witcher move set and builds. Make the silver chain usable. Why not have a Geralt fighting with it or use it as a new tool in the arsenal? Would make a great new skill tree. From gameplay perspective there’s no real reason for Geralt to use it only on the striga and in a cutscene.
Level design/world building
- What should stay the same
Main areas. But with newer places. Why not add white orchards as well as an Easter egg?
- What should change
You should go to semi-open worlds in order to better preserve the flow of the story. Or open world but with controlled areas that open or close progressively. In that regard it would suffice to follow the original plot and don’t be afraid to make content temporally unavailable to players. Chapter IV is already this in the first game but in the case of an open world structure you could take inspiration of RDR 2 with the island segment. As space is more concentrated than in W3 it should 1:1 scale (so maybe no White Orchard^^).
Artistic direction:
- What should stay the same:
The music. Do not disregard it. It is so good and is part of the atmosphere. It’s as good as W3 and it needs to stay. Rerecord it, but be careful with new arrangements. It must feel new but stay close to the original.
Gritty atmosphere is a must stay
Really Personal thing here but... Please no famous actor in a mo-cap like Keanu Reeves. Video games are art. You can create everything from scratch. Why ruin the fantasy by having the player go “Hey I know that dude”. Charles Dance as Emyhr is awesome in Witcher 3 but it’s also the limit for me. If you need a mo-cap do it like they did with MGSV and Kiefer Sutherland. Record the performance, reinvent the face. Geralt must stay Geralt with his particular side. Find new talents and make them big not the other way around. Famous faces diminish the quality of fantasy as different worlds.
Raven Armor must have theirs W1 design. Not 2.
- What should change:
Clear visual differences between silver sword and steel. More amours, of course, but find a middle ground between the aesthetic of 2 and 3. Common armor should be there but Witcher 2 Armors are unique and help distinguish The Witcher from other franchises visually. In addition, they are super cool. This Remake is most likely a first step with a new trilogy even if a remake of 3 only arrives in 15 years. This is a first step towards a better unified trilogy.
The first step to imagine what The Witcher Remake could be like is to settle this question. Since W1 is a good game but with huge flaws or let's say design aspect that did not age well, we can almost certainly say it won’t be a 1:1 Remake like Medievil. Since The Witcher has some kind of time travel and a notion of different worlds, it could go down the road of the Requel but that's also unlikely since CDPR is probably aware that most people didn't play OG Witcher and therefore it would kill the very idea of the requel that rely on its viewers/player to know the base game to imagine where it’s going.
So by default it would be a reimagining. To which extent, though? That's what I want to explore in this thread and I hope you will join this fun mental exercise. I will organize my thought as follows: Story, combat, level design, artistic direction but will expand on it in future post and discussions with all of you. I write this in hope CDPR reads it so I kinda speak to them when I write. But this is an open discussion.
Story:
- What should stay the same
I think the global story should stay the same overall. Witcher 1 has a great story and since the plot already exists it should follow the FF7R path and identify the best moments or those dear to fans and turn them to 11. Abigail being threatened, the detective work, Geralt vs the professor, Yaevinn and Siegfried civil war, lady of the lake, Geralt educating Alvin…
- What should change:
Don’t remove content if it’s not fedex quest. Again turn the content to 11. Add to it. Rethink the continuity of the story where it was lacking before. Since we are going back to Witcher 1 Geralt will have amnesia again but play with the fact that now your audience knows Witcher 3 and the books. Geralt should recover his memories sooner so you can recreate parts of the books in cutscenes when characters evoke the past of Geralt as long as it isn’t memories that would alter The Witcher 2 and 3. Although you should definitely set up for a Witcher 2 Remake that would better take into consideration W1 choices. The idea is to retell the story in a way that enriches the canon and make it more cohesive. Even if it does not happen set it up. Geralt story will entirely be remade eventually we all know it lol. Things like the origin of Geralt scars should not be confusing. It's important lore.
Expand, Leo. Make it more important before his death.
Expand Yaevinn and Sigfried
Make Triss copying Yennefer something directly talked about in the game to make her redemption arc in 3 even more satisfying.
Introduce Jacque de Aldersberg sooner and better flesh out his involvement and the theories around its origin.
Flesh out more Eskel, Lambert and Vesemir. They all go somewhere to look for Salamandra. Find a solution to make this relevant somehow to the end game. They should discover something on their own and help resolve the plot. Otherwise those characters just disappear.
In short take inspiration from what FF7 Remake did best. Whether you like the ghost thing or not Square perfectly selected moments that mattered to fans and made them something more.
Combat:
- What should stay the same:
As much as I like the peculiar gameplay of this game, we all know that most of it has to go. But I think that the notion of preparation is important to the series and Witcher 3 did not do it justice. Preparing the potions meditate and preparing oil before fight should come back to the forefront but more fun this time. Meditation should be more than a way to pass the time like in Witcher 3. Maybe add a system to drink potion early but activate the effect later. Preparing for fight is essential to feel like a Witcher.
The combat styles should return. Take inspiration from a game like Nioh that can switch styles on the fly.
- What should change:
Almost everything. As much as I love the original system myself, I am aware of its flaws. Abandon the different camera perspectives. But don’t reuse Witcher 3 system either or greatly expand on it to make it more interesting. Bring the camera closer, make the game feel more personal and violent in close contact. Even W3 is lacking in this department, I think.
Actually expand The Witcher move set and builds. Make the silver chain usable. Why not have a Geralt fighting with it or use it as a new tool in the arsenal? Would make a great new skill tree. From gameplay perspective there’s no real reason for Geralt to use it only on the striga and in a cutscene.
Level design/world building
- What should stay the same
Main areas. But with newer places. Why not add white orchards as well as an Easter egg?
- What should change
You should go to semi-open worlds in order to better preserve the flow of the story. Or open world but with controlled areas that open or close progressively. In that regard it would suffice to follow the original plot and don’t be afraid to make content temporally unavailable to players. Chapter IV is already this in the first game but in the case of an open world structure you could take inspiration of RDR 2 with the island segment. As space is more concentrated than in W3 it should 1:1 scale (so maybe no White Orchard^^).
Artistic direction:
- What should stay the same:
The music. Do not disregard it. It is so good and is part of the atmosphere. It’s as good as W3 and it needs to stay. Rerecord it, but be careful with new arrangements. It must feel new but stay close to the original.
Gritty atmosphere is a must stay
Really Personal thing here but... Please no famous actor in a mo-cap like Keanu Reeves. Video games are art. You can create everything from scratch. Why ruin the fantasy by having the player go “Hey I know that dude”. Charles Dance as Emyhr is awesome in Witcher 3 but it’s also the limit for me. If you need a mo-cap do it like they did with MGSV and Kiefer Sutherland. Record the performance, reinvent the face. Geralt must stay Geralt with his particular side. Find new talents and make them big not the other way around. Famous faces diminish the quality of fantasy as different worlds.
Raven Armor must have theirs W1 design. Not 2.
- What should change:
Clear visual differences between silver sword and steel. More amours, of course, but find a middle ground between the aesthetic of 2 and 3. Common armor should be there but Witcher 2 Armors are unique and help distinguish The Witcher from other franchises visually. In addition, they are super cool. This Remake is most likely a first step with a new trilogy even if a remake of 3 only arrives in 15 years. This is a first step towards a better unified trilogy.
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