Cyberpunk: Edgerunners Is Going To Outlive The Game Its Based On – TheGamer

Bandai Namco has just announced that Lucy from Cyberpunk: Edgerunners will be coming to Guilty Gear Strive as part of a future season pass. This is the most surprising crossover in fighting games since Negan came to Tekken 7, and once again proves that if characters are iconic enough, nothing can stop them from securing a spot on a well-fitting roster.

Lucy has an iconic design with her myriad augmentations and gorgeous eyeliner, alongside her white outfit complemented by a fierce black leotard. She is sexy, daring, and would breezily kick your butt in a fight. And half the cast of Guilty Gear Strive's butts too, apparently. Fans were awfully surprised to see her revealed as a playable fighter at EVO 2024, but the more I think about it, the more I see how Lucy belongs, and the more it speaks to how iconic Edgerunners really is.

The Netflix anime from Studio Trigger arrived in September 2022 and was an instant hit. As a part of Cyberpunk 2077s emerging redemption arc, it encouraged thousands to jump into the flawed RPG after seeing the stories of David Martinez and Lucyna Kushinada unfold. It helped that CD Projekt Red took the time to implement new quests, weapons, and amazing easter eggs that directly referenced the prequel series.

What its ensemble cast gets up to is pretty massive in the grand scheme of things, so it makes sense to retrofit their existence in a game that they wouldnt exist without. But looking back, I remember far more about all the stories from Edgerunners than I do 2077, and for good reason.

It used Night City as a foundation for something entirely unique, while simultaneously trying to flesh out the game world and make it feel lived in. 2077 is a great game, but hardly any of the inhabitants you encounter feel like living creatures. They walk in circles only to provide a false illusion of purpose, while Edgerunners is able to show the main and supporting characters trying to make a living in this dystopian world while uncovering small pockets of joy between all the misery.

Its a harrowing watch, but also undeniably heartfelt and beautiful. Thats why we cant help but rewatch it over and over, or get all choked up when we recall what Davids journey was ultimately leading towards. Phantom Liberty would ape David and Lucys wistful desire to leave their planet behind and find a second home on the Moon too, so it must have left an impression. There is a lot of heart in this universe, and Edgerunners understands that.

One look at Twitter or TikTok following the Edgerunners premiere told me all I needed to know about its cultural longevity. Across its ten episodes, it took its time establishing all the motivations and quirks of its characters, ensuring that big plot twists and tragic events would feel like a twisting knife. I fell in love with the ensemble cast only to end up hurt and betrayed when they changed allegiances in pursuit of profits and survival.

Its also testament to the world CD Projekt Red created in its adaptation of the tabletop title, and how satisfying it is to see it become a place of everyday triumph and struggles, where death is an everyday occurence and the main cast fights to survive on the slimmest of margins, just like the rest of the denizens of Night City. But it doesnt stop them from dreaming big, or fighting back against corporate forces capable of obliterating them in seconds.

Edgerunners legacy can be defined by one song - I Really Want To Stay At Your House by Rosa Walton and Hallie Coggins. The melancholic bop plays in the final episode just as Lucy lands on the Moon and lives out Davids lifelong dream following his death. The two have so many conversations about leaving Night City behind and finding purpose elsewhere, so they can live a normal life away from sex, violence, and corruption.

But deep down, they know its impossible, so they develop this eccentric fantasy of leaving the atmosphere in pursuit of a normal existence. Where you can fall in love with someone and go round their place and fall asleep in their arms, knowing that a gun isnt going to be pressed against your head just as you drift off to sleep. Its a song with a message that craves the mundane, something which Edgerunners craves.

Thats a beautiful thing, and a defining message I will remember years from now even as the show fades from memory. But as you can probably tell, theres no chance of that happening.

Developed by CD Projekt Red, Cyberpunk 2077 is a first-person action role-playing game based on the Cyberpunk tabletop RPG. You must choose your path through life in the lawless Night City, while contending with the memories of Johnny Silverhand (Keanu Reeves).

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Cyberpunk: Edgerunners Is Going To Outlive The Game Its Based On - TheGamer