Gamescom 2014 Witcher Demo - Griffin demo evolved



So, I was at Gamescom, was a really nice day.

I happend to be in the Witcher demo.They showed about the same demo they did at E3, but slightly different, at least that is what my impression was.



In the beginning we saw a lot of "neutral" non-hostile animals, and they made little sound cues while using Witcher Sense. The Griffin made Red sounds, but that is nothing new. I still think the blood stains and tracks you see in Witcher Sense are too big, but anyway.

When shooting the Griffin and following it Geralt jumps down a hill in the demo, but this time I could clearly see a pack of wolves just some hundred meters away heading towards the forest. So wildlife is there and it seems atmospheric.



Also, I was able to see the Griffin fight again and I think they "updated" it. The Griffin seemed significantly harder to kill at first and would the guys playing the demo not have made all the perfect moves I am sure this fight would have been a lot longer. I still think they toned down the Griffins health though.



What also struck me was that the Griffin now had a lot more moves. He jumped on Geralt predator-like and if his attacks didn't work he would fly in the air and come back at him with full speed. Geralt used mutliple signs and the crossbow (and perfect timing) to "break" the flight of the Griffin and bring him down again.



One of the most impressive moments of the demo was the use of what I can only identify as some kind of advanced Quen sign.

It is more like in the Witcher 1 again, in a way that it now builds a sphere around Geralt.

When the Griffin came down on him again Geralt made the typical gesture (putting his left hand on the ground with full force) and the sphere appeared just in the right moment. The griffin crushed onto the sphere as if it was a hard object and crashed on the ground.



To see it on the big screen also let me realize again which attention to detail the whole world has.

They had one moment, where they walked up a (small) mountain (or hill) and one of the devs presenting the demo said that you can see the mere scale of the world very good in that spot. It is really huge. He explained to it how even all the distant forest parts and mountains, basically really and truly all we can see, everything that is within out sight can be explored. And it is damn huge when you see it that way.



Anyway, I had some awesome impressions, was very impressed by the demo, I am pretty sure they slightly altered it, maybe even due to the comments made here on the forums.



I hope I could give you an interesting read and some news that you like to hear.

See you around guys.