Okay, so that headline is a bit heavy on hyperbole, but look at that! That lighting! Those environments! That monster design (oh, lord, the monster design)! And it actually has a color scheme other than brown and gray, while still maintaining its grim-dark feel.

I’m not really familiar with the Witcher series, outside of the second game. I know it’s a book series from Poland, and is considered to be something of a cultural benchmark (Prime Minister Donald Trusk gave President Obama a copy of The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings as a gift, and it has been adapted into film and television in Poland). I really enjoyed that second game, however, partly because the story and setting had a density and complexity that is often lacking in other games that share its market.

The game’s developer, CD Projekt Red, is also notable for several reasons, namely their ability to retain independence as a developer in an increasingly publisher driven industry while still making sprawling, graphics intensive games. I’m really looking forward to this one.

The Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt, releases for PC, XBox One, and PS4 in February 2015.

[trailer via ign.com]