The Witcher 3 is nearly here! What better way to celebrate than by feasting your eyes on this gorgeous cinematic launch trailer?

It starts innocently enough, with a young woman singing by the shore of a lake. But – as professional monster hunter Geralt knows all too well – all is not what it seems.

The two quickly become locked in a fierce battle to the death. You'll just have to watch the outcome of the fight for yourself, but be warned: the trailer isn't exactly safe for work.

What's cool about this cinematic is how it incorporates all of Geralt's various skills and abilities into the trailer. In the game, players can use items like potions and bombs to augment Geralt's abilities, which we see our hero use to deadly effect in the video. We also get to see some of Geralt's magical abilities, as he makes a flaming barrier to shield himself and shoves the ghoul with a powerful concussive blast of air.

A witcher is nothing without his silver sword, however. That, too, makes an appearance, with Geralt hacking and slashing at the woman-turned-monster.

Usually a cinematic trailer is all looks and no substance, so it's nice to see this trailer at least gives players an idea of what it means to be a witcher, and how those various skills will come into play when battling creatures within the game. The Witcher 3 will definitely be easy on the eyes, even if it won't look exactly like this cinematic (or even early gameplay videos.)

For more on Witcher 3, check out how the game's massive world compares to other open world titles, and don't forget to read up on the game's setting and characters in our introductory guide.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt releases on Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC May 19.

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