CD Projekt Red and CD Projekt after a long and troubled development cycle have released their cyberpunk-themed role-playing game. Cyberpunk 2077 is finally out and is bound to divide public opinion if you care about important issues or bugs.
There have been many games in the cyberpunk genre whether it’s Shadowrun or Deus Ex but this the first based on the source material of the Cyberpunk RPG from the 80s onwards by Mike Pondsmith (except one in 2007). It’s worth mentioning that the Cyberpunk RPG didn’t invent the name or the genre but help popularise it (eventually).
If you know anything about the cyberpunk genre then the game mostly touches on those aspects. All the tropes of the genre from dystopian corporates, sex slavery, to digital worlds are present and it has something for everyone in terms of story and gameplay.
The Jack of all trades, master of none approach to the story and gameplay while providing a lot is the games biggest weakness. As with the lack of overall focus means you feel like you are playing several inferior games instead of one whole finished product.
However, the game does enough overall to be worthy entry in the genre. It is nothing like their previous games like the Witcher franchise which some people may find disappointing or a welcome change.
I like the themes present and the game mostly but I don’t see myself playing it anytime soon. This is because I haven’t finished The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt or The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and I probably never will. It is also quite buggy with some other niggling problems.
It’s worth remembering that debates about the topics in the game isn’t exclusive to this product or new but seems like it is. This is because the industry is still immature compared to others like the film industry. Is gameplay more important? Are themes and story necessary? Should there be limits on what you can do as you are an active participant compared to an outside viewer?
It’s crazy to think that the game sold more in pre-orders than most games do in their lifetime. This isn’t good as CD Project Red could have just modded the Witcher and replaced Geralt of Rivia, with Keanu Reaves and called it a day. The fans would then still pay and defend the game to death.
Like a dystopian nightmare don’t pre-order games, don’t believe in hype, and most importantly don’t make a game or a product your life. It isn’t you and the companies don’t care about you.
Expect there to be DLC added in the future with a multiplayer mode added too.
CD Projekt was lucky this time, in the future, this may not be the case. Remember BioWare?
King Toko 