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It's doubtful we'll see another open world as grand as this one for quite some time. Wandering through the trash-strewn outskirts, the vistas offer striking silhouettes from a distance. Up close, it's a different story – a mess of debris. Occasionally, the smog grows so thick in the heart of downtown, where Arasaka holds sway, that the buildings' summits become invisible, all bathed in an eerie orange light. Here, I observed the busy corporate world, its employees rushing to and fro.
However, a closer inspection reveals the seams. NPCs are little more than aimless automatons or rigidly posed puppets. I've encountered the same character, or at least the same character model, playing a guitar on a couch all over the city. I made the mistake of stopping to check out a roadside rave in the Badlands, only to realize that three sets of triplets were in attendance. Sometimes, distant textures load in tardily, or the evening rush hour materializes before my very eyes. Night City is a stage, not a simulation.
The Many Faces of Night City
The inhabitants of Night City are a testament to the variety of human expression, with futuristic fashion, outrageous hairstyles, and intricate cyber enhancements. Rodeo cowboys sport mechanical legs, tattooed yakuza members, and individuals adorned with cyberware, all intermingle with '80s metal enthusiasts flaunting neon visors. The city thrives as a vibrant, multifaceted metropolis layered with history and culture, where everyone looks undeniably cool.
The main storyline in Cyberpunk unveils a host of captivating ideas, but is hindered by inconsistent character portrayals and focus. The central figures are Johnny Silverhand, portrayed by a grumpy Keanu Reeves, and V, a voice-acted, mercenary character. As V, I unwittingly bear witness to a high-profile corporate assassination and am thrust into a partnership with Johnny. Together, we must uncover the truth and, more importantly, prevent Johnny from overwriting V's consciousness, which is slowly consuming his mind.
The influence Johnny has on V, and the corresponding influence V exerts on Johnny, serves as the heart of the game's narrative. Johnny is a crude, repulsive character with a deeply misogynistic persona. The game presents a moral dilemma: whether to suppress Johnny's influence with special pills or attempt to change him, a morally agonizing choice befitting an RPG. This gray area, where you question your decisions, represents an integral aspect of the experience.
Bugs in the Future
Regrettably, the serious dramatic moments are often undercut by various bugs, ranging from a cluttered UI with persistent notifications and crosshairs to scripting errors that disrupt otherwise impressive action sequences. For example, an exhilarating infiltration mission during a crowded public event, which should have been a highlight, was marred by two malfunctioning elevators.
One of the more absurd bugs occurred when children inexplicably spawned in front of a timed shooting contest I participated in with a friendly nomad. I couldn't fire my weapon anywhere near them, as it automatically aimed away. I ended up just watching the timer expire as my companion continued to taunt me.
More often, the bugs manifest as audiovisual quirks, such as the sound of a car loudly screeching its tires during a leisurely ride as a passenger, characters phasing through solid elevator doors, or Johnny's floating cigarette duplicating itself while he smoked another and rambled on about my cowardice. While I can tolerate these issues to some extent, they occurred in almost every quest.
Even the final scene of my chosen ending featured cars spawning directly in the path of an NPC-driven vehicle. It was a poignant moment disrupted by an unforeseen collision, visible only to me. Despite installing the Day 0 patch, Night City still feels like it's barely holding itself together. The good news is that these problems can be fixed, but it also means that the ideal Cyberpunk 2077 experience remains a few months away.
Decked Out
With a wealth of clothing options, fashion – and car acquisition – essentially becomes the endgame of Cyberpunk. However, be prepared to trade off armor and stat bonuses for your preferred style. Combat remains acceptable, combining elements of stealth and hacking reminiscent of Deus Ex with the snappy ADS gunplay akin to Call of Duty. Weapons and armor offer distinct stats, though these can often be boiled down to the damage you deal, the damage you can absorb, and the level of your adversaries. The rest, including fashion, comes down to personal choice. The initial hours are exhilarating, with a plethora of statistics and weapons to consider, but the novelty wears thin quickly.
Night City abounds with warehouses, armories, and secret laboratories to infiltrate, often through jobs facilitated by local fixers. These missions often blend together due to repetitive objectives, whether you're infiltrating, rescuing, or pilfering data. I initially wanted to be a cyber ninja, utilizing quickhacks to disable cameras, destroy turrets, and blind enemies before engaging with my katana. This approach worked for a while, but I became nearly invincible with enemies rendered as soft as marshmallows after investing in blade skills. It's satisfying, but I believe that beheading ten foes per minute should never feel so simple.
Even if you slow down and adopt a cautious approach, the enemy AI proves disappointingly formulaic. Stealth boils down to navigating vision cones and patrolling routes, with little differentiation between the gangs and corporations. The lack of diversity in enemy types and level designs after the first few hours discourages experimentation.
A Relentlessly Hopeful World
In the face of the relentless onslaught of bugs, what strikes me about Cyberpunk 2077 is its unwavering optimism. The game's portrayal of a techno-capitalist future relies heavily on genre conventions, with characters ranging from punks to corrupt cops conforming to roles established by William Gibson's "Neuromancer." Nevertheless, Cyberpunk 2077 remains a devoted love letter to the genre, constantly urging me to find a glimmer of hope amid the bleak urban landscape.
Even if you guide V toward a life of criminality and greed, the consequences highlight the opportunities that arise when you cast aside your principles in pursuit of power and wealth. Cyberpunk 2077 explores close relationships and, if you choose a colder character, the realities of life at the top, all set against a backdrop of urban decay.
The Verdict The temptation to adopt extreme views about Cyberpunk is undeniable. There are moments when you become completely engrossed in the game's world and characters, making the valid criticisms seem trivial. However, there are also instances when the game's flaws become painfully apparent, and you wish the mastermind responsible for them had hidden them better. The game's ambition teeters on shaky ground, always on the verge of collapsing. While there is greatness to be found, uncovering it requires an arduous effort that shouldn't be necessary. The next generation of gaming has arrived, yet we're also taking a moment to reminisce about the previous generation.
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