Cyberpunk 2077 is more than just bugs and Keanu Reeves
A long, strange trip
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Over 10 years have passed since CD Projekt Red promised us a cutting-edge cyberpunk RPG to run around in, and it’s been one heck of a journey since.Cyberpunk 2077went from a hype-saturated development cycle to a tumultuous release. It is only recently that we have started to see a renaissance for the once-troubled game.
It’s been two years sinceCyberpunk 2077was released. I’ve played through the game twice, once at launch and then again over the winter break. With both experiences firmly fixed in my mind, I’m prepared to declare that I’m ready to loveCyberpunk 2077again. I’m ready to get lost in the winding neon streets of Night City. I’m ready to look forward to thePhantom Libertyexpansion, set torelease later this year.
However, as I muster this readiness, I do so as a wiser, more reserved creature.Cyberpunk 2077may now not only be playable, but it’s a delight. However, its tumultuous, bug-ridden release casts a long shadow.
The Keanu-ing
Here is the first trailer forCyberpunk 2077,which was released over 10 earth years ago. It’s melodramatic, violent, and edgy as all hell. In just 260 seconds, CD Projekt Red lays bare the transhumanism, trauma, and violence at the heart of Cyberpunk.
Alone, this stylish trailer would have turned heads, but it wasn’t coming from just anyone. CD Projekt Red had started had made a name for itself withThe Witcher2: Assassin of Kingsand expectations were building for its sequel. WhenThe Witcher3launched two years later and was recognized as one of thebest RPGsever made, all eyes were on the studio.Cyberpunk 2077had some serious shoes to fill.
For years, CD Projekt Red showed nothing ofCyberpunk 2077. Expectations only grew in that vacuum. Enter Keanu Reeves and the 2019 E3 trailer. Compare the two and you can see a dramatic change, where once there was a high production value, gentle, slow motion trailer, we’re now exposed to a dramatic cinematic exposition that not only spoils the first act of the game but also introduces us to Keanu Reeves as Johnny Silverhand – Night City’s baddest bad boy.
By now, things have snowballed significantly. What was once a speculative sci-fi RPG from a well-respected, but relatively modest studio was now being pitched as a global entertainment phenomenon, with all the excitement and scrutiny such a project entails. To watch the 2019Cyberpunk 2077trailer is to watch a trailer for “one of the most expensive [games] ever made” (via Barron’s).
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CD Projekt RED didn’t deliver on the promises ofCyberpunk 2077. The studio’s co-founder, Marchin Iwiński, even apologized for the state of the game, saying ina video“The console version ofCyberpunk 2077did not meet the quality standard we wanted it to meet”. Though I enjoyed my time withCyberpunk 2077on its release, I was only able to do so by contorting my gameplay around the game’s numerous bugs. At times, it was like tap dancing in a minefield.
A hard-won renaissance
However, over the last 2 years,Cyberpunk 2077is enjoying something of a rebirth. Now at version 1.6,Cyberpunk 2077has beenpatched a great dealand, although it is not exactly bug-free, it feels like a “finished product” in a way it simply didn’t at launch.
The title can now be appreciated for what it is: a very well-written open-world romp that, while not reinventing the wheel, offers a compellingly bleak account of 2077’s grim, dystopian future. Without bugs to stymie the product, players are free to enjoy the refreshingly philosophical dialogue, nuanced storytelling, and gritty open world. It is far from a perfect game, but it is, at last, a fully realized cyberpunk RPG.
It is far from a perfect game, but it is, at last, a fully realized cyberpunk RPG
It’s no secret that the release of Netflix anime seriesCyberpunk EdgerunnerscausedskyrocketingCyberpunk 2077player counts. However, though the release ofEdgerunnersdid coincide with a large spike in players that has since petered off, the game still boasts roughly double the number of players it had before the anime’s release (via Steamcharts.com). This staying power indicates a shift in terms of both whatCyberpunk 2077has to offer and in terms of how the title is perceived.
With this in mind, I am willing to hope again; not for a revolutionary expansion or another bombastic global media event. Rather, I’m excited for more of what we already have.Phantom Libertydoesn’t have to be a radical departure from theCyberpunk 2077 formula. Now that the game is in a good place, “more of the same” would be absolutely fine by me.
An editor and freelance journalist, Cat Bussell has been writing about video games for more than four years and, frankly, she’s developed a taste for it. As seen on TechRadar, Technopedia, The Gamer, Wargamer, and SUPERJUMP, Cat’s reviews, features, and guides are lovingly curated for your reading pleasure.
A Cambridge graduate, recovering bartender, and Cloud Strife enjoyer, Cat’s foremost mission is to bring you the best coverage she can, whether that’s through helpful guides, even-handed reviews, or thought-provoking features. She’s interviewed indie darlings, triple-A greats, and legendary voice actors, all to help you get closer to the action. When she’s not writing, Cat can be found sticking her neck into a fresh RPG or running yet another Dungeons & Dragons game.
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