Cyberpunk 2077’s Retrofuturistic World Is Worth Exploring Beneath the Flaws – Gizmodo

I had to work extra hard to look this cool. Photo: CD Projekt Red

When Cyberpunk 2077 came out last December, all eyes were on what I like to call the little game that couldnt. CD Projekt Reds long-anticipated dive into the cyberpunk genre was laden with bugs, glitches, and reports of horrible work conditions for the development team. Six months later, enough patches have come out to make the game (mostly) playable. But is it good cyberpunk?

I decided to finally dip my toe into Cyberpunk 2077, after waiting several months for the game mechanics to catch up with its own vision. Im still in the middle of my first playthrough but overall Im more satisfied than I thought I would be. Players tale on the role of V, a mercenary in the corporate-fueled world of Night City. Its a filthy, no-holds-barred dystopia where American and Japanese esthetics have intertwined, becoming a dark and grim San Fransokyo. The character of V is customizable in appearance, cybernetics, and originI chose the corporate backstory, because Opulence!although the look doesnt matter much because the video game is in first-person. (I played as a feminine-presenting character, so Ill be using she/her pronouns from here on).

Note: Below this paragraph will be minor spoilers for the main storyline. If youre not wanting to know anything, TLDR; its got its issues but is worth a play, especially because you can get it for pretty cheap. The PS4 edition, which is by far the buggiest, is discounted at many stores right now. Its available for $28 at Walmart and Best Buy (Xbox One copies are still around $40-$60). It recently returned to the Playstation Store for $50 tooalthough it comes with a disclaimer that playing on the PS4 is not recommended. I dont care about occasional bugs, so I shelled out for the cheaper version.

After botching a heist and witnessing a murder, V lands smack-dab in the middle of a massive conspiracy involving the head of Arakasa Corporation. She ends up on the run from Arasakas goons while also working with one of them to expose Arasakas corruption. She eventually finds herself with an unwanted guest sharing her brain: terrorist Johnny Silverhand, played by our favorite and yours, Keanu Reeves. Hes a ghost in the machine, a virtual dead man trapped inside her headand hell eventually destroy her mind unless they figure out how to remove him together, so they become a buddy cop duo thats both fun and frustrating. Its great to see him pop up and crack wise at whatever V is doing; the banter between them is entertaining but it can also feel like, from that point on, the game isnt about you anymore. Its the Keanu Reeves Show. Which, I mean, OK hes great. But hes not V. Hes not me.

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The main plot feels familiar, but its interesting enough to follow. V is a mercenary trying to remove a digital virus thats killing her and does so by teaming up with different factions (and romance-able NPCs) who all deliver a piece of the fix me puzzle. In the process, she learns the truth about Arasakas work on preserving the digital consciousnesssomething theyre employing to help people with the Relic... and also control them through its more accurate name, Soulkiller. Theres some spoiler stuff with artificial intelligence and the definition of the Self that I wont get into because it gets convoluted.

Apparently so...Screenshot: CD Projekt Red

Several missions in the game feel like echoes of other stories, although its likely unintentional. The bioengineer you seek out in the wilderness reminds me of The Glowing Sea mission from Fallout 4. The sex Dollhouse filled with humans whose minds are programmable is straight outta, well, Dollhouse. And lets not forget how most facets of the cyberpunk genre, including this iteration, owe much to classic anime (like Akira) and Blade Runner. None of these things make it badJ.R.R. Tolkien carries a huge presence in modern fantasy, including in CD Projekt Reds The Witcher seriesbut if youre looking for original storytelling, youre not going to find it here. Id be hesitant to even call this pure science fiction, to be honest; its not speculative of a world that could be, at least not anymore. Id call this more of a retrofuturistic piece, a tribute to the best of 1980s sci-fi.

Where Cyberpunk 2077 shines is in the little details. Night City is gorgeous, at least when its not buggy. The eye line is filled with towering skyscrapers, creepy alleyways with side quests, digital display overlays, and passersby wearing all sorts of cybernetic enhancements. I often found myself avoiding Fast Travel (a service I usually employ liberally) because I didnt want to miss anything. I also appreciate a video game with combat-free missionsespecially sci-fi games, given how much they rely on gunplay. Its why I enjoy playing Detroit: Become Human way, way, way more than the game deserves.

One of the things I didnt like about Watch Dogs: Legion was how all of the missions were the same: talk to a person, shoot some people, hack all the things. Cyberpunk 2077 gives players ample opportunity to interact with characters and the world in ways that dont involve shootouts. Most missions have plenty of stealth options; several of them can be accomplished with no fighting at all. Plus, there are a lot of main and side quests where its just you and people. No fighting. No fleeing. Just being. Meeting a contact at the docks, and talking. Helping a former cop with his PTSD. Investigating a crime scene using someones virtual memory.

One that really stood out to me happened pretty early in the game. V is asked to attend the funeral of a friend who was killed during the failed heist. She spends her time searching for the right item to put on his ofrendagoing through his garage and reminiscingand working to make amends between his mother and his girlfriend. Shes then given the option to make a speech, which you as the player customize depending on how you choose to remember him, and then she goes around the bar drinking shots in his honor. Once again, just being. It wasnt as exciting as the Citadel party in Mass Effect 3, or as emotional as the epilogue in The Witcher III: Wild Hunt, but it was still appreciated. As a gamer, I like a little ebb with my flow. Not only does it give me a chance to breathe, but it plays better into the genre as a whole. Cyberpunk isnt just sci-fi, its film noir.

Hey, hey buddy. How are you eating that?Screenshot: CD Projekt Red

Am I enjoying the game? Yes. But Id be remiss if I didnt say its impossible to separate the art from the artistby which I mean the game company, CD Projekt Red, and the messy product they produced. Even with months of patches and bug fixes, there are still a lot of goofs in this thing. Examples include: missing art on billboards, delayed rendering on buildings and characters, character designs repeating in the same locations, cars getting stuck all the time. My favorite bug has to be when I have V sip some alcohol and shell stay drunk (with blurry, shifting vision) until I quit and reload the game. You heard it here first, kids, dont drink and game. Your face will freeze like that.

You still cant customize your characters look beyond cybernetics after theyre createdeven something as simple as changing your hairstyle seems beyond Cyberpunk 2077's reach. The edgelord contentwith its emphasis on sex jokes, body horror, and exploitation of womenborders on cringe, when its not outright racist or transphobic. And lets not forget the months of grueling crunch and other awful work conditions, much of which has been reported by our sister site, Kotaku. I dont mention these things to shame folks for playing Cyberpunk 2077Im still playing it right nowI bring them up because its important to understand the full story behind the media we consume and to call out the things that dont work, even if some things do.

Ive just entered act threeof Cyberpunk 2077, which means Im probably getting ready for my five days until retirement moment. And even though Ive already written this piece, Im going to keep playing. Not only to see what happens, but also because its a world Im genuinely having fun in. If youve been clamoring to see yourself in the world of Blade Runner, Cowboy Bebop, Ergo Proxy, or (the non-Scarlett Johansson) Ghost in the Shell, Cyberpunk 2077 might be one of the best things out there. Its not perfect, and maybe something else will come along someday that addresses the games many misfires. But for now, its a fun time. I like putting on some stupid shades, hopping on my buddys motorcycle, and riding off into the chrome-lined sunsetat least until I crash into an invisible wall because it hasnt rendered yet.

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Cyberpunk 2077's Retrofuturistic World Is Worth Exploring Beneath the Flaws - Gizmodo