There’s something to be stated about a franchise that influences other creators that they would hope to take said series into another medium of entertainment. Originally a tabletop game released in 1988, “Cyberpunk” has left a lasting impression on all those who have taken part in its dystopian presentation. Though game creators praised the original version & its expansions from afar, it wasn’t until 2007 that a game developer attempted to bring the action to a digital realm with a side-scrolling platformer. Looking to build upon the standard set by a small developer and the source material, CD Projekt Red has found itself graced with the opportunity to deliver one of the most anticipated games of not only 2020, but of an entire gaming generation. Unfortunately the news spread fast that “Cyberpunk 2077” wasn’t in shape for release and gamers bombarded the software & its developer with hate. I needed to know if “Cyberpunk 2077” was a true dumpster fire or just a product not living up to the hype.
Did I Complete “Cyberpunk 2077”?
Similar to many open-world role-playing games (RPGs) before it, “Cyberpunk 2077” gives one a sense of freedom to explore and dictate what the player wants to accomplish. But the point of every RPG is the story; which in this game’s case kicks off with the player crafting a character with the game’s limited options including a lack of changing one’s height or even giving a male character an Afro; though the player can decide if they want their character to be the equivalent of a Ken doll in regards to their genitalia. After choosing to be one of three classes alongside the character creator – “Street Kid”, “Nomad”, or “Corpo” – the player is given a class-specific introductory mission before the story mostly becomes the same with the protagonist hoping to leave their mark on the world and make a lot of money in the process.
The gameplay is also very similar in presentation; mixing & matching bits from other open-world games like the seventh & eighth generation “Fallout” games, “Watch Dogs”, and the developer’s own “The Witcher 3”. After over 100 saved hours (probably add another five hours of lost progress due to bugs) my version of V – the primary protagonist’s name no matter what – I finished the main story after painstakingly completing hundreds of mundane vigilante missions, some very interesting side quests including taming psychotic murders, seeing all the trophy-related endings including the secret finale, and making a load of backup saves for those attribute & money specific trophies to attain the platinum trophy.
Did “Cyberpunk 2077” Live Up to the Hype?
Instead of being another third-person, action-adventure, open-world experience similar to “The Witcher 3” with RPG elements aplenty, “Cyberpunk 2077” goes the first-person route while still having a plethora of RPG factors in an action-adventure environment with guns, melee weapons & hacking abilities rooted in tech known as a “Cyberdeck” that can be purchased from “Ripperdocs” – surgeons who will put implants (“Cyberware”) in the protagonist including a second heart that revives V after dying once and implanting “Mantis Blades” so V can turn into a cybernetic Baraka from “Mortal Kombat”. Similar to a lot about “Cyberpunk”, the initial presentation of Cyberware is more profound than what it really is as a majority of the implant options are usually based in the same manner with rarity being the determining factor as to how effective it is compared to its counterpart like the aforementioned “Mantis Blades’” “Epic” version featuring more damage output than the “Rare” offering.
This rarity system also ties into weaponry and clothing with the latter being the game’s equivalent of armor that can be swapped out at any time the player sees fit. A majority of V’s weapons will most likely come from fallen enemies; though the “Legendary” items need to be created via the “Crafting” menu that works incredibly fast. Like Cyberware, weapon rarity will differentiate two similar looking pistols from one another as one will be more effective in doing damage than the other. Some weapons have elemental factors like setting enemies on fire or poisoning them, while others are “Smart” and have homing bullets. Shotguns and rifles can be charged for extra damage, but sometimes it will result in missing the target due to enemies constantly moving (until said enemies just go dumb). Some armor, weapons & Cyberware can use mods to increase vitality, critical hits, and how much RAM is restored when hacking respectively. Other weapon additions like adding a scope to a pistol will shockingly lower its base stats.
Another factor in the usage of weapons, armor & Cyberware is the multiple leveling systems. First there’s the character level that helps boost V’s base stats and provide “Attribute” & “Perk” points depending on the level attained. Second there’s “Street Cred” which usually levels up faster than the character’s general level and is responsible for unlocking side missions and certain supportive items. Third is the aforementioned “Attributes” & “Perks”. There are five “Attribute” categories – “Body” (mostly connected to health, stamina & melee), “Intelligence” (responsible for V’s hacking effectiveness), “Cool” (for stealth efficiency), “Technical Ability” (crafting possibilities) & “Reflexes (handling guns) – all of which can be upgraded to level twenty while sporting up to three “Skill” sub-categories.
The sub-categories house the various perks connected to each attribute and its subsequent Skill like being able to take control of enemy turrets via the “Quickhacking” Skill connected to the Intelligence attribute, or the Body attribute allowing V to become more armored when using a human shield courtesy of the “Athletics” sub-category. One very important note is the fact each Skill is capped by the current attribute’s level. So if Technical Ability is at level five, the sub-categories can only reach a max level of five until the player upgrades the attribute. Even though it’s impossible to fill out the skill tree, the feeling that replaying the game to put Perk points in different slots won’t make that much of a difference is very prevalent because of “Cyberpunk’s” core gameplay.
From a gameplay perspective, a majority of “Cyberpunk” is paint-by-the-numbers in regards to the open-world FPS genre. Gunplay is mostly satisfying with the variety providing players multiple styles of play from getting up close & personal with an electrified shotgun, or using a sniper rifle to pick off enemies from a distance. Melee combat, however, is pretty terrible with a lack of lock-on system and a poorly implemented dodge mechanic where the player has to hit the “Crouch” button twice which may have V drop down instead of dodge if the player hits the button too fast or too slow. Blocking melee works too slow and drains stamina & health even if V pulls off a perfect parry (the latter is only alleviated with Perk upgrades). Enemies have an incredible reach distance in melee situations and still land punches & kicks even when V seems to be far enough away to avoid contact.
Hacking proves incredibly fun to pull off when V is able to implant higher grade Cyberdecks; meaning hacking enemies isn’t useful until at least midway through the story. V can stand from a distance, breach a security camera courtesy of the little decoder mini-game, spy on targets, and pick off enemies by overloading an adversary’s synapses or overheating their core. The only issue with hacking is the scanner identification sometimes becoming overwhelmed by enemies and nearby objects like a vending machine that can be use to distract an enemy for a stealth takedown. In regards to stealth – the system is perfectly acceptable with V being able to sneak up behind someone, grab them for either a quick kill or a choking out for non-lethal players. Containers litter various areas; allowing for body disposal to avoid alerting remaining enemies.
Driving is fine, though a little too loose & slippery no matter the environment. The gameplay’s biggest inconsistency is the enemy AI. Very rarely is there any middle ground in regards to the AI’s effectiveness in battle. At times enemies can be rather ferocious & aggressive with ridiculous sight-lines and weapons that can put V down in an instant. At other times including some major story missions they provide no challenge; becoming sitting ducks while hiding behind rusted cars or just forgetting V is even in the vicinity even though their target is right in front of them.
In regards to quests, a majority of the story opportunities both minor & major aren’t much different in regards to the overall gameplay presentation seen in other games in the genre. With each mission & location in Night City comes a difficulty warning to alert the player whether or not their character is ready to take on what’s about to occur. The higher the warning the higher the impossibility of completing said mission. This is definitely more of a problem early in the game as players will have to be very careful in handling firefights or even approaching stealth situations. Fetch quests, assassinations and sneaking around in disguises are all here with some harrowing & lengthy scenarios to mix things up such as chilling with a new friend’s surrogate family after saving his nephew from being harvested. What makes a majority of the quests so compelling are the NPCs.
From love interests like Panam Palmer and Judy Alvarez who are much more than just objects of V’s affection with their own personal problems & conflicts, to convincing a couple they’ve been brainwashed and forced to run for Night City office; the twists, turns & choices available during most of the missions showcase a level of detail & promise that many gamers expected from this experience when it was first announced. Spontaneity is a big plus in regards to pulling the player into a world that is constantly moving including people calling V up when the player is in the middle of a mission to let him know they need to see V right now because of something that happened out of the NPC’s control.
Unfortunately for all the good in regards to mission presentation is the disappointment that after the first thirty minutes or so none of the three character classes have any real narrative difference from one another. Playing as a “Street Kid” or a “Corpo” doesn’t feel unique after the first mission other than some random class-specific dialogue choices that pop up from time to time and a couple of side missions. It’s sad that classes really don’t mean much in the game’s plot when compared to what was initially promised by the developers. This disappointing feeling is topped off by the presentations of both V and the highly-promoted Johnny Silverhand character played by Keanu Reeves.
Beyond some strict & questionable dialogue choice options for V during conversations where he’ll just pose questions or add excess exposition instead of making a meaningful statement is the vocal execution where V rarely sounds like anything but the most stereotypical cool bad boy who doesn’t have a care in the world. It takes some real shaking up of things for V to show any type of true emotion. Keanu feels miscast, as Silverhand is an angst-filled rocker turned anarchist revolutionary with very few redeemable qualities. The nihilistic way Silverhand sees the world makes sense considering his beliefs, but the absurd vitriol he has for almost everyone including V makes it hard to root for the guy even when the player sees something tragic happens to Johnny via flashbacks.
But nothing stands out more than the game’s technical prowess, or lack thereof. Visually and sonically, “Cyberpunk 2077” is pretty impressive with various sounds including a specialized soundtrack and glowing billboards showcasing events to come including those strictly tied to missions. Though it isn’t as populated as one would’ve hoped considering the marketing, Night City is a testament to verticality in world building. Exploring the innards and surrounding areas of Night City will astound most especially when V stumbles upon a robbery gone wrong and everyone’s favorite cybernetic hero has the chance to avenge the fallen. Players will have to do some work in adjusting their visual settings as the game’s default settings are too dark and, depending on one’s TV or monitor, a player will definitely be adjusting to the differing environments to avoid moments like the sun whiting out an entire screen.
On the opposite end of the technical spectrum is the game’s overall stability. “Cyberpunk 2077” will go down as one of the most unpolished eighth generation games of all time. While waiting for the first PS5 patch to download and trying it out on a base PS4 saw a stuttering experience with numerous framerate drops and graphical glitches aplenty including a flashing V during the character creation. Starting a new game on the PS5, the game proved better from a framerate consistency perspective, but general stability plummeted; crashing at least four dozen times during a playthrough including during main missions, simply driving around Night City, and even as the closing credits rolled.
Depending on when someone played the game they may have found broken story quests blocking progress including the first Johnny Silverhand mission featuring invincible turrets – a problem that wasn’t fixed on consoles until nearly three weeks after the game’s launch. Even after being delayed multiple times, “2077” features so many bugs & issues including the game auto-saving when V died during a lengthy mission that didn’t allow for saving mid-mission; forcing a complete quest restart. Taking on police can be crazy with them literally appearing out of thin air en masse and lacking features such as being able to bribe V’s way out of situation as the developers promoted. Simply playing “Cyberpunk 2077” is an exercise in fear & worry with any player looking to not replay mission after mission saving constantly and even avoiding some of the game’s core mechanics like crafting to avoid corrupted save files on PC.
Sadly if “Cyberpunk 2077” came out in pristine condition from a technical aspect it still lacks a lot of what was promised including the unique narrative presentations for each character class. There are underwhelming melee options to compliment the solid gunplay & stealth, while the narrative and its characters both major & minor are memorable for all the right reasons. It’s terrible that “Cyberpunk 2077” is essentially a victim of its own hype & promise.
Should You Play “Cyberpunk 2077”?
Though there are grandiose technical issues hindering everything from progress to simply choosing to sell an unneeded item, a lot of what makes “Cyberpunk 2077” memorable is the set pieces, NPCs & story missions in general. Just wandering around Night City and discovering something that seems completely unique to the player is a feeling one will experience multiple times even if those unique moments involves an enemy continuously morphing. In a lot of ways, “Cyberpunk” is a solid purchase due to its strengths, but it also warrants an “avoid” in its current form from a technical aspect while leaving someone wanting more (that more usually being associated with character class avenues that didn’t come to realization in the final product). CD Projekt Red is promising plentiful patches, free DLC & even a ninth generation upgrade for early adopters. Considering what can and most likely will happen to gamers playing “2077” before the big patches promised for January & February 2021 are released it would be much wiser to wait at least a few more months, if not entirely until the ninth gen versions are available – versions that should benefit from the patches. In a lot of ways, “Cyberpunk 2077” is the video game equivalent of making it to your destination and some overgrown brute is too stupid to move out of your way and you can’t get past him no matter what you do.
