You know the iconic low-poly pigeon from The Witcher 3? The one that became a running joke in the community, and miraculously made it in the remaster? They’re taking over the whole damn RPG, thanks to some modders who’re dedicated to low-poly supremacy.
Bit of backstory, if you’re not clued in: there’s a bird in The Witcher 3 with distinctly anachronistic textures. Where most everything else in the fantasy world is gorgeous and smooth and well-rendered, this feathered NPC is angular and blocky, as if they just migrated over from Primal on the PS2.
Needless to say, players fell in love, and it’s managed to survive the 11 years since without being changed by CD Projekt Red. It even escaped a do-over when the devs put together the substantial upgrade in the new remaster, because it’s our blocky pigeon now, and we love them.
But it doesn’t have any low-poly friends. Being one of one is a lonely existence, just ask Gonzo in Muppets From Space. Well, a mod fixes this. “He is back. And he is tired of being ridiculed,” starts the description for Low-Poly Pigeon – The Revenge, which transforms every Griffin on Geralt of Rivia’s sprawling adventure into smaller and more rectangular animals.
“Every Griffin encounter, every hunt and every supposedly terrifying aerial attack is now carried out by the same bird you once laughed at,” writes modder grapedia. “Their sounds have also been replaced with pigeon cooing, so they will calmly announce their arrival before trying to kill you.”
Incredible, terrifying, and beautiful, all at once. “He could not fight back on the internet,” grapedia continues. “He could not stop the memes. But here, in the Northern Realms, things are different. The pigeon finally has claws, wings, several thousand hit points and absolutely nothing left to lose.”
This is his game now, we’re just playing through it. And just like that, I’m overcome with an urge to start a new save in the remaster. Never underestimate the power of a cute bird.