IGN recently visited CD Projekt Red in Warsaw, Poland, and during our time there we got to play 6 hours of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.

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We'll have much more in-depth pieces on the combat, magic, and monsters in the game throughout April. Below are two different takes on those opening sections: one by an editor who is well-versed in all things Witcher, one by an editor who barely knows the difference between his Igni and his Axii.

Day One: The impressions of a very inexperienced Witcher

I’m relatively new to the business of being a Witcher.

I never played the original when it came out on PC, and only became familiar with the world of Geralt of Rivia when the sequel eventually made its way to Xbox 360. I played for a while but quickly retreated, overwhelmed by its dense lore and the gnawing feeling I wouldn't ever get up to speed. But with Wild Hunt on the horizon, I'm intrigued once again, and I'm probably not alone in that; it's going to reach a much wider audience than ever before, but what's it like if you've never played a Witcher game before?

It's an important question, and one that I kept in mind during those crucial, opening hours.

The first thing I did was something I expect a lot of people will do: I opened up the map, panned in every direction until I reached the edge of the map. Farmland, forests, castles, towns, tributaries and mountains make up the diverse terrain of the Northern Kingdoms. It’s huge, not only in terms of sheer landmass but also the ambition behind it all. I then realised you could zoom out, and this in fact just one of several similarly-sized areas. Ridiculous.

But large open worlds mean little if they’re empty or dull to explore. One of the reasons the Northern Kingdoms feels so different, so enveloping, is it’s been constructed with an intelligence but also an understanding as to how worlds are built by history and shaped by the people who live in them. As I explored each village, township, and stronghold, I began to notice this world felt lived in, like it hadn’t just been built; these are places that have stood for centuries.

If you spend time in its towns, you’ll find social segregation, slums and grotty streets set apart from wealthy districts with opulent bath houses. Step outside the town, and you’ll find the people who keep the town alive – merchants, labourers busily baking bricks or dying fabrics for export. It’s pretty easy to give yourself over to The Witcher 3’s convincing fantasy.

It’s also easy to see how the beauty and breadth of this world will beguile novice and seasoned Witchers alike, but the problem of story and character and the accumulated lore of two lengthy games – not to mention the series of novels on which this is all based – poses a more significant obstacle. A lot of it can seem impenetrable, especially since the game assumes a degree of familiarity with its world and its central characters, but through a mixture of spectacular, pre-rendered cut scenes and stylish animatics, Wild Hunt relays some of the key plot points you have missed and highlights the things you really need to know. So if you’re a Witcher babe, it’s easy enough to take the story at face value and become invested: Geralt is looking for a woman he loves. That’s it. What more motivation do you need? But if you’re au fait with the series, and Geralt’s past, that woman being Yennefer acquires much more resonance.

Since then, I’ve spent some time doing the things Witchers do, studying the land, interceding in feudal politics, and of course, slaying troublesome creatures. But after spending six or so hours with Wild Hunt, it’s clear that while it may be underpinned by similar ideas, it’s operating on an entirely new level.

Day 2: The adventures of an experienced Witcher

For three games, I’ve wondered about the quest for Yennefer, Geralt’s lost love -- and that arc is fascinating, believable, and poignant in the early hours of Wild Hunt. It’s a strong, clear emotional anchor. All this in mind, it surprised me to see how invested I became in smaller side-stories within the Witcher world. Mysteries and quarrels with no relation to the main story, the story I’ve wanted for years, hooked me just as well. In The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, side-quests have a heavy weight, and a significance that often feels as meaningful as the main story.

This speaks to the strengths of The Witcher 3’s storytelling. I wanted to engage with dilemmas I didn’t have anything to do with, whether because it proved to be profitable, or because I bought into the people in this bustling, believable place. The way these stories weave together is incredible, too. One side-quest ends, and the consequence of your actions often segues into another. It rarely feels like you’re part of some trivial distraction – Geralt’s oddjob assignments end up building up, piece by piece, to create dramatic tales about a city, a leader, a family, or a coward. A simple job meant to earn you a quick coin could lead to bleak places depending on how it’s handled and who gets involved after you’ve made your choices. The Witcher 3 always has the element of surprise tucked up its sleeve, ready to pop out just when you think you’ve earned the upper hand in a world where you don’t ever truly get to win.

Geralt operates in a morally grey world with a morally grey stance, and it’s what makes him such an interesting, different kind of protagonist. Your approach to a certain situation may differ from mine based on the sort of man you want to play. Dialogue rarely sounds like the words of an altruistic hero, or a heartless villain. Every choice lives somewhere in the middle. The grander stories you experience throughout Wild Hunt are a result of smaller scenes, typically tense and memorable, crafted by Geralt’s words. Stern words, whether threatening or calm, could coerce drunk bar patrons to stand down from a fight they’d surely lose. If you’d rather spill blood, that’s your call too. But people in The Witcher, as veterans are well familiar with, remember those actions, and they can come back to haunt or screw you when you least expect it.

Geralt operates in a morally grey world with a morally grey stance."]

Density and variety are The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt’s greatest assets. Whether you’re coming in completely fresh, or with an encyclopaedic knowledge of Nilfgaard’s imperial power, there’s so much to absorb from Wild Hunt that it becomes anybody’s game. Despite its overwhelming amount of information, it is, strangely, the best place to start. Where The Witcher 2 moved forward with ruthless, unforgiving concern for anyone who couldn’t keep up, Wild Hunt moves slow enough, and gives players the room to focus, that everyone can consume its gorgeous, convincing world at their own pace.