In a recent Tweet, CD Projekt Red revealed something which was tested for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, though it never made it into the game. This feature would have been a “Focus Mode”; allowing Geralt to use an x-ray-like vision to target enemy’s insides with precision.
The Cancelled Witcher 3 Focus Mode
“For the Witcher 3: Wild Hunt,” says the recent Tweet; “we were testing a gameplay feature called Focus Mode – Geralt would be able to see insides of any monster, target them and then cut with great precision. Unfortunately, it was the feature itself that did not make the cut.”
Witcher Fact #9
For The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, we were testing a gameplay feature called Focus Mode – Geralt would be able to see insides of any monster, target them and and then cut with great precision. Unfortunately, it was the feature itself that did not make the cut… pic.twitter.com/IvtnGYT2yC
— The Witcher (@witchergame) October 24, 2018
Focus Mode would certainly have made combat in The Witcher 3 a very different experience. However, it’s also easy to see why it might have been cut during development; having to model the insides of every enemy being one obvious reason. It also may not have fit with the way that The Witcher 3’s combat was ultimately designed. With the game’s third-person perspective and Geralt’s acrobatic fighting style, you rarely swing at enemies with pinpoint precision. The game’s combat is more about parrying and dodging between openings to unleash attacks, rather than the fine details of where every attack lands.
It would certainly be interesting to see what The Witcher 3 would have been like with Focus Mode. The recent Tweet from CD Projekt Red doesn’t go into much detail about how Focus Mode works or the implementation of it into the combat mechanics. Interestingly, fans might be more likely to see something like in CD Projekt Red’s next big RPG; Cyberpunk 2077. With the game’s first-person perspective and the wide variety of cybernetics which change the game’s visuals; it’s easy to imagine an implant which could give players an ability like Focus Mode. Fans will have to wait and see whether CD Projekt Red hung on to the idea from The Witcher 3’s development and found a place for it in Cyberpunk.