I’m still not convinced The Witcher 3 Songs of the Past is worth pasting over the perfect ending that was Blood and Wine
Letten my doubts be heard Image credit: CD Projekt Red ...
Letten my doubts be heard
Since the persistent rumours of a cheeky extra DLC for The Witcher 3 turned into confirmation from CD Projekt Red that such a thing is on the way prior to The Witcher 4, there's been a nagging voice in the back of my mind. On one hand, Songs of the Past is more of an RPG I love, the kind of unexpected gift it seems foolish to have reservations about getting a decade and change on from release. On the other, The Witcher 3 in its current form has long felt like as close to the ideal complete package as you can get.
Going into last night's opening salvo of Gamescom, I was expecting that the DLC's full reveal might dispel my concerns, getting me fully on board with the idea that, yes, Geralt does need one last ride before Ciri takes over going forwards. Instead, I'm still in two minds.
The trailer for Songs of the Past that the studio showed off, which you can watch above, is perfectly fine. Here's Gerry, armed with a chain like the one he wielded all the way back in the first Witcher game's opening cinematic, heading off to the brand new region of Letten to battle tree-shaped monsters amid rural celebrations and get to the bottom of a cursed garden's dark secret. As intriguing a setup for a Witcher adventure as ever there's been, though not one which necessarily screams grand finale for a beloved character at the top of its lungs.
Of the details released about the expansion thus far, the aspect that gesticulates most convincingly in that direction is the fact CD Projekt have revealed that Letten is the homeland of Dandelion, bouncy bard and Geralt’s long-established best mate. The Witcher series' classic odd couple going off on one final jaunt that fills in more backstory for one of them, possibly while leading Geralt to properly contemplate what he'd be giving up by retiring, would fit the mold of one last hurrah, and a reason to return to a story which already had a fitting conclusion. Given that, it's surprising that Dandelion didn't feature in this Songs of the Past reveal trailer, unless the frilly sleeves on the monster Gerry fights around the halfway point are his, with the witcher instead looking like he's flying solo. The DLC's Steam description does at least stress that "the fate of the entire land, and even Geralt’s closest friendship" are at risk, hinting that Dandelion will indeed have a key role to play.
"We had this idea for one more story with Geralt for a while, but we couldn't quite figure out how to fit it into our busy schedules," CD Projekt Red level design lead Miles Tost said on stage following the trailer. "Luckily, our friends from Fool's Theory came around and they hired a bunch of old veteran Witcher 3 developers, including my mentor Péter Gelencsér, and here we are today." He didn't have much more meat to put on the bone of what was being revealed, though he did note that Letten is "an almost uncannily idyllic place" despite the whole dark secret thing and that the studio are seeking to "go out with a bang" in what they're openly billing as "Geralt's last adventure" before Ciri steps into his boots.
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While the idea for Songs of the Past might have been floating around since around the time The Witcher 3 first came out - the DLC's website notes it was "first envisioned almost 10 years ago" - I'm left wondering what it can offer that the Blood and Wine DLC hasn't as The Witcher 3's swansong expansion for the past decade. I'm not alone in thinking Gerry's trip to Toussaint and acquisition of a vineyard to serve as his retirement digs is an ideal way to sign off his long monster hunting and magical daughter raising journey. "It's a story about a man who has already had his last big adventure, and is more interested in giving him something hitherto impossible - a place to happily retire, if he chooses," Richard Cobbett put it in our Blood and Wine review. "Brick for brick, Toussaint is Geralt's perfect resting place - wine, women, respect, beasts for if he gets bored, and the political stability to be able to just sit back and let the world worry about itself for a while."
Finding a neat and satisfying stopping point in a beloved multi-part series is far from easy, just ask the writers of Game Of Thrones or quiz Sopranos creator David Chase about how much he loves constantly having to justify how he wrapped up his tale of wiseguys and whackings. If you've already got one the masses enjoyed and which doesn't seem to leave much creative potential on the table in order to garner that positive reception, it's a risk to re-open Pandora's box. Taking risks in game development is commendable, especially in today's age of investors and publishers being desperate for safe and familar bets whenever possible. CD Projekt Red are well-positioned to take a risk too, with Cyberpunk 2077 serving as proof that they've got the financial runway to set things right even when they make missteps. Perhaps my apprehension's entirely misplaced and despite the last hurrah billing, Songs of Past will slot in as the expansion folks play either before Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine or between the two, leaving the latter as the one which wraps the game's tale up.
Meanwhile, the studio revealed last night that they're releasing an update which remasters The Witcher 3 next month - a slightly bizarre choice in my view, given the not too old RPG got a next-gen update as recently as December 2022. That raises the question, albeit a potentially unfair one, is Songs of the Past just cynical new content to follow on from that and try to shift a bunch of Witcher 3 copies on Battle.net? If so, that's the sort of behavior Bethesda have understandably been bagged on for years with Skyrim. There's no shame on paper in getting one last big payday from The Witcher 3 before The Witcher 4 comes out in 2028, but it will be a shame if that results in Geralt ending up with a finale that doesn't hit the spot quite to the degree the one he's had for years did.
Knowing when to say goodbye is never easy, especially when holding on means more time to spend with a character who's long been a series' be all and end all. Just ask Like A Dragon devs RGG about their endless flirtations with letting Kazuma Kiryu ride off into the sunset. I certainly don't envy CD Projekt Red as they navigate crossing the bridge from Geralt to Ciri and I hope that, despite my nagging doubts, Songs of the Past does prove to be the ideal plank to cling to as they shimmy across the great gorge between trilogies.