⭐⭐⭐⭐
Developer (Platform): CD Projekt Red (PlayStation 5)
Publisher (Release): CD Projekt (2020)
Length: 60-80 hours
Genres: Adult; Sci-Fi; Cyberpunk; RPG; FPS
❗️Disclaimers❗️:
graphic body violence, gore, and scenes of a sexual nature
flashing lights warning
this review contains medium-level spoilers
recommendation: must play
this review has been updated (see the end for my updated thoughts) and I increased my rating from 2.5 to 4
👍 Pros 👍
Night City feels magnificent and soulful
Voice acting is great
Core plot is engaging
👎 Cons 👎
Still buggy
Needs a lesson in less is more
Graphics range from stunning to playdough
👀 Synopsis & Trailer 👀
Welcome to Night City, where dreams and nightmares collide, and, if you’re lucky, legends are born the minute they die.
🛎️ Introduction 🛎️
Cyberpunk 2077’s release is infamous. One of the most anticipated games in, arguably, all of gaming history, players and fans of the developer waited patiently for it to emerge from the oven…only to wish it hadn’t. Plagued by bugs, glitches, missing features, and a whole host of issues depending on the platform you played it on, Cyberpunk is a telling lesson in when to announce a game and when to release one.
While it blipped at the edges of my gaming radar, the contentious buzz convinced me to wait, and when the next-gen version popped up on sale, I couldn’t resist the temptation to visit Night City myself (the contents of this review predate the 2.0 update, see the end for my updated thoughts).
🧩 Plots 🧩
Cyberpunk 2077 exists in what can only be described as a colourful grey. It nails its cyberpunk tone and deftly weaves an attitude into Night City that flips its colourful exterior. It’s this backdrop that a story of identity, morality, and philosophy takes place, all of which with a surprising amount of depth.
Don’t let its bright facade fool you…
Keanu Reeves’s casting as Johnny Silverhand was publicised like hell, so it’s no shock that he’s tied to our protagonist V for the majority of the game. There’s a sense of urgency to the plot that isn’t well reflected by the actual game itself. The story is engaging and thought-provoking, but not well suited for an open-world RPG that simultaneously tells you there isn’t much time but here are a million side quests to complete.
…Night City will chew you up and spit you out
Side content is hit or miss. Some truly interesting supporting missions help build the mystique of Night City, but there are just so. damn. many. It signifies the single, encapsulating problem the game has: not enough time was spent on refinement. Its supplementary content to the side, Cyberpunk 2077’s core plot, depending on some choices throughout, shapes up multiple endings for the player. Over time I’ve come to hate endings based on choice (especially when the game has a pretty decent story that doesn’t need shaping) because they almost always fail to feel right. Cyberpunk handles them shockingly well. There is no right or wrong ending for V, they’re your character and all of the endings come with a bittersweet satisfaction. Do they leave much hope for a future? Spoiler…not for our personally crafted V, but more on that below.
…an open-world RPG that simultaneously tells you there isn’t much time but here are a million side quests to complete.
🎭 Characters 🎭
Keanu Reeves will likely be a lot of people’s drawing point, his talent is undeniable and it’s present within the game. Thankfully, Gavin Drea as male V and Cherami Leigh as female V both hold their own, and V and Reeve’s Johnny Silverhand form the beating heart of this adventure through Night City. Depending on your choices, you’ll also meet an equally colourful array of well-voiced characters with their own decent stories. There is a little disconnect in the way they view us vs our work as a mercenary, but there’s charm in abundance that helps address the balance.
Limited in its overall choices, Cyberpunk nails the fractured life of a gritty mercenary
The real MVP, though, and the true protagonist of Cyberpunk 2077 is Night City itself. V and Johnny might very well be the drivers, but Night City is in control. It looms large, tantalising and terrifying. I give major props to the team for creating something so seductive yet it never utters a single word. It’s this fact that secures the series’ future. V and Johnny might be done (might, I have no idea what the future holds), but Night City remains, ready and still brimming with juice secrets and untapped lore.
Look at what Night City can do
There is one major caveat, however. NPCs, the characters populating such an imposing city tasked with being natural backdrops, are completely and utterly mindless. Worsened by lingering bugs, their lack of soul is conveyed through janky movements, uncharacteristic actions, and unrealistic reactions (that’s if they don’t just up and vanish in front of your eyes).
…you’ll also meet an equally colourful array of well-voiced characters…
👾 Gameplay and Graphics 👾
An open-world, first-person RPG, Cyberpunk’s need for refinement is most obvious in its gameplay. Frenetic action is impacted by awful enemy AI; outfitting and upgrading V allows for far too much unattainable customisation; and text logs, one of my favourite methods of layering subplots without affecting the core story are utterly wasted here with an angering amount of pointless padding.
Uh oh, someone gave me a katana
I took so many photo-mode moments it’s not even funny. Cyberpunk 2077 is an often gorgeous game. The City never fails to wow and certain story moments offer up extreme beauty. It’s not without its caveats, though, with those damned NPCs sometimes looking like melted wax and facial animations not being quite inline with dialogue.
Some jaw-dropping visuals
Then we reach the bugs. Personally, I didn’t experience anything I haven’t in other games like GTA or Elder Scrolls, but when you think of how long ago their latest releases were compared to 2077’s and the state it originally released in, I’m still kind of shocked. Cars flipping, random T-poses, floating after completing a hack, randomly spawning enemies, glitching through the map, and a couple crashes on the way did chip away at my patience.
…Cyberpunk’s need for refinement is most obvious in its gameplay.
🧠 Previous Thoughts 🧠
Cyberpunk 2077 needs less is more. It’s brimming with potential, beauty, and a City of layered moral philosophy and cybernetic deliciousness, but there’s too little control. For a game announced almost a decade ago, it comes fairly close to unforgivable in just how short it comes up in comparison to promises made.
Still, with patience, there’s a thrilling and thoughtful experience that lays a decent foundation for future stories.
🆕 Updated Thoughts 🆕
Cyberpunk 2077’s 2.0 update is a much-appreciated apology from CD Projekt Red and, hopefully, a lesson with real ramifications on future expectations and processes. It doesn’t mean forgiveness given 2077 on release was near unplayable, but it does inspire some goodwill for future entries.
That said, 2.0 is a whopper of an update that streamlines the experience and clears the majority of the buggy detritus so the player can focus on the multitudes of fun Cyberpunk has to offer. Clear upgrade paths allow for insane levels of customisation that can be retooled at will for whatever the player fancies whenever the feeling strikes. Night City is as delicious as it is deadly and, with a smoother adventure in place, allows the game’s fantastic narrative to truly shine.
I ran through the game again before beginning Phantom Liberty and seriously enjoyed myself. There are still bugs and glitches, but the final product now is so polished that the developer deserves props for not taking the easy way out and running with the initial sales money. Red dedicated themselves to bringing Cyberpunk as close to their original vision as possible and, costs aside, did a great justice for their players.
The Phoenix Project 