izigame.me

To say Cyberpunk 2077 had a rough launch is like saying the Titanic's maiden trip encountered a minor hiccup. Yes, it was that bad. A colossal failure that shook the very foundation of CDPR. Once, more than a crowd favourite, an exemplar video game company that could do no wrong. Now, deeply tarnished and with much to prove. I was not as burnt as others, as I had not pre-purchased the game. Remember kids, never pre-purchase. I did follow the news of the game though and I was very interested in its premise. Now, a few years later, the game is apparently in a better state and seems to have gotten a second lease on life. I felt this was the right time to give one of the most famous, or rather infamous, games of this generation a chance.
Let's begin by saying the game is incredibly ambitious. An attempt to transfer the famed Cyberpunk 2020 tabletop RPG to a video game. In the form of a sequel no less. That game's deep and captivating lore, world-building and great legacy characters are here to provide a solid foundation. Unfortunately the execution is not smooth. Much has been made about the game's plethora of bugs. Indeed, to this day it is a complete glitchfest, a janky mess. Characters walking around holding invisible weapons, falling into walls, cars flying up or moving in impossible ways and many more. Every few moments there is a glitch. Luckily I did not encounter any actual game-breaking bugs, but I shudder at the thought of how bad the game must have been when it released. Still, the bugs and glitches obscure the fact the game has more serious design problems, that it is, in fact, a rather uneven game at its core.
Take Night City for example. At first, it lures you in with its ocean of icons and distractions. But it soon starts to ring hollow. Once you scratch under the glossy, neon surface it becomes apparent that Night City doesn't really have all that much of substance going for it. All the people around, the buildings, the impressive vistas, they are just props with limited interaction. The main plot is another example. It begins quite well and sets the stage for a truly epic tale, but it runs out of steam half-way through. In the end it just concludes. It rather feels like the creators intended for a longer experience that was haphazardly trimmed down. Indeed the main story's surprisingly quick conclusion unbalances the experience. The many simple sidequests were good when there was some main story to break them up with, but once you are out of main story, they grow stale. It doesn't help that much of the side-content is repetitive gigs and police raids.
I did mention the legacy characters earlier and I can confidently say, Johnny Silverhand is simply awesome. Perhaps a bit too awesome. His presence is so conspicuous I just can't believe he is not the protagonist. He has it all. Charisma, badass attitude, a mission, as well as tragic flaws. The segments you play as him are some of the most fun and empowering, as well as depressing moments in the game. V, the actual protagonist, just doesn't add up. I understand that V is meant to be more of a shell for the player to insert their personality and although there is the ability to pick a background or three, V is still quite thin as far as character substance goes. At first I thought it's because Johnny was played by Keanu Reeves, but I quickly realized that the other legacy characters were also a step up from their game-only cohorts. So while the "Keanu factor" helps, I think there is also a gap in writing talent involved here. This contrast was a mild disappointment.
Moving to the gameplay itself, I have to say I did enjoy it. Yes the design problems continue and touch gameplay considerations as well, for example the absurd weapon upgrade system, but the game generally plays well enough. It offers enough variety to keep things fresh. Different types of weapons, ranged and melee. Quickhacking and a hacking mini-game. Stealth segments. Cyberware that can slow down time, turn you invisible or provide other advantages. Even a fairly enjoyable driving around experience. There is certainly a lack of polish and the game doesn't really excel in any of those aspects. It's hardly a top-notch shooter or an A-class driving game. But that it tries to do all of these things together and pulls it off reasonably well is admirable anyway. For as long as there was some decent content to play through in Night City, being in that game's world was fun.
To conclude my thoughts, I think that something went wrong with the development of Cyberpunk 2077. Yes, hearing about the sorry state it released in and experiencing the still present glitches galore on offer that much is obvious. But I do mean something went really wrong here. The creators seemed to have had a vision, indeed a grand vision, that simply was left half-shaped and unfinished. Cyberpunk 2077 is not a bad game by any stretch. I enjoyed my time with it. But it is an incredibly disappointing game. The expectations it creates, it simply never delivers. It sets itself up to touch the stars and falls flat on its face. Do I recommend this game? To fans of the cyberpunk genre in general and Pondsmith's work in particular, absolutely. But I do advise going in holding a fairly small basket.