Neither An RPG, Not Quite A Movie

Cyberpunk 2077 is a lot of different things. It’s a culmination of over 8 years of work from developer CD Projekt Red; a single-player game with record-breaking player counts on Steam; back in 2020, it had one of the most disastrous launches in recent memory; it spent three years in ‘early access’ without actually being in early access; it’s probably one of the most extensively covered titles by gaming outlets, and many more.

But does the recent 2.0 update truly make it worth playing in 2023, whether you’re a returning player or a newcomer?

Kicking things off, I don’t consider Cyberpunk 2077 a good RPG, and frankly, not even that good a game. Shocking, I know, especially given the score above. Allow me to explain.

After two full playthroughs, Cyberpunk 2077, to me, feels like a standout interactive experience—a walking simulator set amid breathtaking setting, complete with best-in-class cinematic dialogue featuring captivating characters and superb writing. Let’s delve straight into what sets it apart and what holds it back, starting with a city itself.

Night City steals the show; in the gaming landscape, it’s rare to stumble upon a futuristic cityscape so vastly varied. Despite the usual array of activities found in any open-world game, Night City stands out as a symphony of sights and sounds. From the bustling docks of industrial Watson, the modest single-story apartments and grimy motels of sleepy Santo Domingo, the colossal megabuildings covered in neon signs and the vibrant streets of City Center, oozing with Asian charm; the luxurious residences dotting the lush hills of Westbrook, and the gritty, crime-ridden corners of Pacifica, where abandoned construction sites dominate the landscape—it’s a place worth visiting, no doubt here.

Night City isn’t just a marvel from the outside; its interiors are equally awe-inspiring, often rendering you speechless. Picture neon-lit nightclubs, each with its unique decor and hues, where you might encounter fixers, Night City celebrities, or even influential politicians. These spaces aren’t merely rooms and corridors; they are vibrant, lived-in realms bursting with intricate details. Exploring them often feels like stepping into someone’s life. Within these intricacies, you unearth invaluable insights about the characters—just by examining their surroundings, you learn about their passions and quirks.

Cyberpunk 2077’s world isn’t confined to the bustling megacity; it stretches far into the vast, desert-like Badlands. Here, a separate tale unfolds—the story of the Nomads. These are individuals who cherish their freedom above all, rejecting the corporate shackles that bind the city.

Say goodbye to the mundane and stationary camera angles or the typical ‘theater of two heads’ interactions we’ve grown accustomed to in RPGs before. Each conversation here feels like a cutscene: remarkably vibrant and lifelike, seamlessly utilizing body language and subtle animations like taking a sip from a glass.

Whenever you feel overwhelmed by the City of Dreams and its people, escaping to the serene Badlands is a perfect retreat. A few hours spent by a crackling bonfire, with silence broken only by distant city noises, as you gaze at the far-off lights from the heart of nowhere, the Badlands and its Nomads offer sanctuary—a place to catch your breath, away from the city’s frenzied pulse.

Of course, the heart of this world lies within its people, and Cyberpunk 2077 embraces that. Most of your time is spent engaging in conversations with characters spanning the diverse social layers of Night City. From cyberware-stuffed Maelstrom gang members to sleazy and manipulative white-collar corporates, and even old-school detectives, who seem out of place in this retro-futuristic maze of a city, there’s an admirable breadth of archetypes and themes catering to every taste—if you’re in for some dark twists.

When it comes to first-person dialogue, Cyberpunk 2077 has elevated it, setting a new standard akin to how BioWare revolutionized third-person RPGs with Mass Effect back in 2007. Say goodbye to the mundane and stationary camera angles or the typical ‘theater of two heads’ interactions we’ve grown accustomed to in RPGs before. Each conversation here feels like a cutscene: remarkably vibrant and lifelike, seamlessly utilizing body language and subtle animations like taking a sip from a glass. The facial expressions and eye movements are almost flawlessly executed, enhancing each interaction. Regardless of your opinion on the first-person perspective chosen by the devs, it does an effective job of immersing you in the world of Night City, offering a quasi-virtual reality feel without the uncomfortable headset.

Revisiting Cyberpunk 2077 was genuinely enjoyable. It’s hard to overlook the passion that CD Projekt Red poured into it. The studio dedicated over 8 years of hard work to craft a new universe from scratch, and I truly admire the effort invested in this world. The project stands out as one of the most impressive, thorough, and rich new universes in gaming over the past few years, far more promising and captivating than, say, Starfield. From meticulously detailed car interiors and weapon models to small animations, clothing styles, and music specifically recorded by Refused as Samurai—such a creative process is unparalleled and rare in the industry, deserving of praise. We need more like this, and if we don’t celebrate games crafted with such passion, I question why we play them at all.

However, this amazing experience at times is overshadowed by mechanics that could still use improvement, even after the 2.0 update. The skills and cyberware systems, once underwhelming, were revamped significantly, aiming to shift from bland numbers to dynamic abilities that shape your combat style. The also applies to essential consumables like healing items and grenades; there’s no need to hoard them now since they’re not in limited supply anymore. It’s a welcome step in the right direction, although not everything went smoothly.

The absence of a New Game Plus feature slightly hampered my revisited experience, preventing me from trying out new possibilities right away. Climbing the ranks is a slow process, so it might take a while before you get your hands on the most exciting high-level abilities, like deflecting bullets with your katana, tossing enemies around with Gorilla Arms cyberware, or dashing mid-air. The game deliberately reserves these game-changing skills for later, and as I’ve already had my fair share of playing as low-level V, grappling with underpowered pistols and basic cyberware, there was little appeal in doing so again.

Given that Cyberpunk 2077 isn’t a pureblooded FPS, once you push through its inventory, weapon mods, and cyberware management to find the setup that suits you best, the late-game combat in the 2.0 update can be thrilling. It’s elevated by diverse ways to dispatch foes, whether using ranged weapons, melee attacks, or hacking skills. With Phantom Liberty, players now have access to six distinct skill trees, each tied to specific attributes like Body or Reflexes, offering wide options for creating unique builds. While attributes affect your dialogue and interactions with objects, combat abilities are grouped logically: for example, if you want to master shotgun skills, the updated system makes it easier to understand the perks you need by highlighting relevant links. Clear separation between core and supporting abilities allows you to outline your preferences early on and gradually improve them as you progress.

Sadly, the enemy AI still leaves much to be desired, often reducing combat encounters to creative exercises in clearing rooms of feeble opponents. On the bright side, enemies react realistically to your shots with impressive dismemberment effects. Additionally, your foes also possess unique abilities, such as operating system’s speed boosts, enabling them to deftly evade your bullets, among other things.

If you prefer a more peaceful approach, you can bypass all action during missions—no need to hide and crouch or engage in shootouts. Just sprint past enemies; their AI ensures you’ll likely remain unharmed. This tactic even works on some bosses, like the formidable Sasquatch boss from the brutal Animals faction that I encountered in Pacifica. By utilizing my Sandevistan’s slow time ability, I managed to slip past this mighty brawler, reaching the gate that was meant to close in front of me. As a result, the boss fight was avoided, leaving Sasquatch helplessly running in circles, unable to breach the invisible wall of the arena. If only this would count as a non-linear approach to tasks at hand.

There’s also driving that, unfortunately, still struggles to keep up with the standards set by other games featuring drivable vehicles due to subpar physics and collision issues. This new territory for CDPR proves less enjoyable compared to its robust combat, and yet, the title often nudges you toward covering lengthy distances. Personally, I’m perfectly fine sitting in another character’s car as they drive me to our destination, but perhaps, the game could make better use of the ‘skip trip’ feature, creating a more condensed, cinematic flow with just a bit of a sacrifice.

So, the reason I consider Cybeprunk 2077 more as an experience than a game is because I don’t feel particularly engaged with its ‘gameplay’, per se. The mandatory driving and managing various systems like inventory, trading, cyberware upgrades, hacking cyberdecks, and progressing through multiple skill trees didn’t add much to my enjoyment. Cyberpunk 2077 could benefit from simplifying its complex stat-heavy mechanics. Fortunately, the game rarely forces you to rely on open confrontations, so instead of actively ‘playing’ Cyberpunk 2077, I found myself trying to watch it, listen to it, skip through parts I didn’t enjoy, rush toward the next fast travel point, or abuse the time skip button to get back to what it does best—transforming me into a mostly passive observer. It feels like the game isn’t sure if it’s an overstuffed RPG or an immersive cinematic showcase, leaving it stuck in between, hesitating to take a defining step in either direction.

For quite a long time, Cyberpunk 2077 stood as one of the most polarizing games ever made. Launching it in 2020 was undoubtedly a mistake, one that CDPR paid for with thousands of refunds, roughly $40 million spent on post-launch updates, and countless hours of hard work, sweat, and tears. There’s a prevailing notion today that ‘Cyberpunk 2077 was always good’, but that’s not entirely true. The reality is that it is good now, and it took the studio almost three years to reach this point.

It’s still hard not to imagine how much more Cyberpunk 2077 could have been. If the devs hadn’t pushed it onto outdated hardware, if they hadn’t made false promises and then attempted to fulfill them, catering to the fan demands by adding features like car chases and a police system that ultimately lack significance.

Even now, Cyberpunk 2077 can occasionally be glitchy and sloppy, even though it’s closer than ever to a polished final version. CDPR has invested a lot of effort into refining its technical aspects, and for the most part, it offers a stable experience. Considering the ongoing updates released post-Phantom Liberty, the project’s state is bound to get even better, ironing out the lingering minor issues.

And yet, some of the original’s shortcomings can’t be fixed even by the bulkiest patches, like its illusion of freedom. Cyberpunk 2077 often provides choices that, in reality, mean nothing. While there are a few branching quests with multiple outcomes, more often than not, there’s a single solution, and your choices have no impact on the outcome.

In my last playthrough, I embodied a male corpo V who avoids smoking and drinking (role-playing, eh?), consistently disappointing those who offer a shot or a smoke—much like I would in real life. My V tends to be very direct or silent in conversations, although the latter doesn’t add much to the flow. Unlike games from Telltale or Quantic Dream, where silence can be a valid response, here it merely leads to missed conversations, nothing more. No matter how hard I tried, it felt almost impossible to screw up relationships with key characters like the braindance specialist Judy Alvarez, nomad Panam Palmer, the honorable bodyguard Goro Takemura, or your anarchic headmate, Johnny Silverhand. We all end up as friends, or something very close, with little difference from my first ‘the nicest lady out there’ run. Consequently, my second venture exposed some flaws I’d rather have remained oblivious to.

For an open-world RPG, Cyberpunk 2077 offers a surprisingly linear, narrative-driven journey with limited exploration, so sticking to the main objectives becomes pivotal for a fulfilling experience. Certain dynamic events, like chase sequences within the storyline, are overly scripted to the point where your actions don’t truly matter—whether you shoot at your pursuers or not, they’ll explode eventually. This inconsistency extends to quick actions in dialogues, where pressing a button often happens without your involvement.

In the end, I found Cyberpunk 2077’s formula working best during the first playthrough, captivating players with its compelling narrative and incredibly immersive world, making it nearly impossible to resist its allure. Although refining your combat build and clearing out the expansive map might provide an equally enjoyable experience for some, it didn’t hold the same appeal for me in my second venture.

Should you give Cyberpunk 2077 a shot, considering its ups and downs? Honestly, it boils down to your approach; it’s vital to temper your expectations and recognize its limitations. If you’ve already played it post-February 2022, following its major 1.5 update milestone, there aren’t many reasons to revisit the base game—unless, like me, you adore Night City and its characters. For some, it’s better off to load an old save and dive straight into Phantom Liberty; you’ll find some of CDPR’s finest work there.

However, if you haven’t finished the game before, I recommend doing so now, alongside its brilliant expansion. One thing to remember: despite its open-world nature, Cyberpunk 2077 2.0 shines brightest when treated as a nearly linear, movie-like experience. From that perspective, it’s absolutely worth your time. Just don’t expect it to fulfill your desire for a deep branching RPG set in a living world where your decisions really matter. Instead, sit back, relax, and enjoy the cinematic adventure that’s finally reached the point it was meant to reach years ago.