Cyberpunk 2077

The game from CD Projekt RED, the creators of The Witcher, inspired by the tabletop game Cyberpunk 2020 by Mike Pondsmith. The player is sent to the year 2077, where their character named V must become a legend in the futuristic city of Night City (California) and find salvation from an incurable disease. The task is not easy — the metropolis is torn apart by gangs, the intrigues of transnational corporations, and everyday conflicts due to glaring social inequality. A wide selection of weapons and a dynamic combat system offer an exciting gaming experience.

Cyberpunk 2077 — a first-person role-playing action game with immersive sim elements. When driving vehicles, it switches to third-person view. The action unfolds in a vast open world of Night City, where every corner is filled with characters and activities, and adventures can be found in both abandoned buildings and bustling streets. The combat system allows hacking computer systems and opponents' implants, shooting or slicing enemies in close combat. The chosen background of the hero (corporate, gangster, or street kid) does not affect the main story but provides unique dialogues with secondary characters.

The game features a setting — "cyberpunk" — in the representation of 80s sci-fi. Not dark, cold, and technological, but bright, kitschy, and crazy. There is a blending of human and machine. Everywhere, there is active augmentation of people with cyber prosthetics and brain implants. Free artificial intelligence. Urban landscapes of a metropolis ravaged by economic crisis, street gang wars, and corporate conflicts. Streets illuminated by neon lights and hieroglyphs. This is a world where high technology coexists with a society in decline and a low standard of living.

We learned about the start of work on the game inspired by "Cyberpunk" in 2012. A full announcement took place at E3 2018, and after a series of delays, the game was released in December 2020. The release was accompanied by technical issues that negatively impacted the ratings of Cyberpunk 2077. However, the creator of the universe, Mike Pondsmith, praised CD Projekt for how the developers embodied the setting, atmosphere, and game world — preserving the spirit and themes of the tabletop game.

Over the next 3 years, CD Projekt refined the game, improving its overall state through a series of patches. A new pursuit system was introduced, and shootouts in vehicles became possible. The artificial intelligence was revamped, teaching NPCs, police, and enemies to respond adequately to what is happening. The leveling tree was completely updated, and the controls were refreshed. The graphical component was significantly improved. With patch 2.0, the open world, role-playing system, and interaction with the police worked as they should have at launch.

The structure of the Cyberpunk world is vastly different from our reality: technology developed more rapidly, and elective democracy was replaced by corporatocracy, that is, the power of transnational corporations. In the early 21st century, half of the American states achieved autonomy from Washington, but the USA did not collapse; instead, they formed a confederation. Under pressure from circumstances, California split into Northern and Southern, with the border between them lying south of Night City.

The city was founded in 1994 by billionaire Richard Night, who wanted to build a utopia free of crime, poverty, and government dictatorship. He was supported by corporations attracted by the freedom in the field of unethical developments. But everything turned upside down when Richard was killed, and the corporations seized power by force. Night City became a symbol of how high technology can be used to enhance social inequality and exploit people.

By 2077, due to economic crises and prolonged wars between gangs and corporations, most areas of the metropolis plunged into chaos and anarchy. Corporations abolished human rights and acquire any successful business, while gangs on the streets have zeroed the value of human life.

Bright spots in this dark reality are the heroes of the past, such as Johnny Silverhand (a character played by Keanu Reeves). The leader of the Samurai group actively fought against injustice through his songs before ending up in V's head. In his time, he blew up the headquarters of the Japanese corporation Arasaka with a portable nuclear bomb, completely changing Night City. Hence, the difference between the game and the tabletop.

The ideology of the residents is simple — to know how to present oneself profitably and stand up for oneself, which has increased the number of freaks, crazies, and maniacs on the streets. Night City has become a city of adventurers who find themselves here in search of fame and self-realization. In reality, these are just empty expectations, illusions, and lies for which most give their lives.

In Cyberpunk 2077, there is a vast open world consisting of two large and roughly equal areas: Night City itself and the surrounding Badlands wasteland to the east. The city consists of 6 key districts:

Nigh City is outwardly beautiful. Here, buildings have rich architecture and unusual shapes. Giant screens, neon and regular signs are everywhere. Cars fly through the sky. Subway trains zip by on monorails. Nightclubs seem straight out of cult sci-fi. The characters on the streets, the cars, and the appearance of the buildings match the description of the districts. In the center, corporate types and celebrities in expensive cars, while on the outskirts, regular guys in clunkers. The same goes for interiors: an ornate shack with plastic and cheap decor in the Pacific cannot compare to a luxurious apartment with marble and wood in a glass and concrete skyscraper in the City.

In terms of building detail, Cyberpunk 2077 surpasses GTA and other similar games: there are more bars, clubs, shops, offices, and other interior spaces here. Many open spaces, though their filling is limited to mountains of trash and concrete benches. The wastelands also earned their name, although among gas stations, motels, power plants, and endless dumps, valuable loot is hidden. The life simulation system is standard. Bots go about their business, run away from gunfire, or chase the player for offenses. The wanted system is similar to the star system from GTA.

In the world of "Cyberpunk," there is the internet and social networks in a form familiar to us. Throughout the game, the player communicates in chats, fiddles with computers, visits websites to buy cars or real estate, and even surfs the internet through virtual reality glasses.

The promised CD Projekt "cyberspace" is realized as a special method of programming and hacking, a visual interpretation of code. Those who use it are called netrunners. The technology is so dangerous that simply entering the network by plugging a cable into the head socket is not possible — the body works as a single processor and generates a lot of heat. If it is not submerged in an ice bath, the body will overheat, and the netrunner will die.

Fans rushed to refine and improve the game with mods, reworking every aspect. Modifications for Cyberpunk 2077 are catching up in popularity with Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim Special Edition and Fallout 4. Developers actively assist the modding community by releasing necessary tools. The best and latest modifications can be downloaded from our mod database for Cyberpunk 2077.

They improve graphics and clarity of the visuals, add radio for every taste, rework the mechanics of guns, allow travel on subways and tuning cars, enhance car physics, add fan service, like a sword from Doom or the ability to fly.

Characteristics — strength, reflexes, intelligence, technique, and composure — are the main parameters affecting the character. Within each perk tree, there can be abilities, buffs, or enhancements that improve V's interaction with the world. For example, by leveling up strength, you can break into cars, force open locked doors, or use intimidation. The higher the characteristic, the more perks can be learned in a separate branch.

Skills — engineering, endurance, hacking, combat parameters, and melee — are small improvements that correspond to the player's playstyle. They are leveled up in passive mode when the player performs certain actions in the game. Thus, using smart weapons, implants, and crafting items, the player levels up engineering, and the skill in turn makes them slightly more effective in crafting and using weapons and implants. Every 5 levels (a total of 60), the character receives a passive perk in one line or another.

The third development line is cyberimplants (chrome), from 1 to 3, installed in all parts of the character's body. They can add armor and health, speed up regeneration, highlight enemies behind walls, increase carrying capacity, damage, and defense in melee combat.

You cannot install all the best body modifiers — there is a limit on implant points. Their number is determined by the development of the "technique" characteristic. With the 2.0 update, implants play a special role in gameplay and are as important as the main leveling. For example, the implant “sandevistan” slows down time and allows you to deliver headshots to enemies.

The game features cold and firearms in all known manifestations, but stands out with five degrees of rarity (from common to legendary), types of damage (explosive, thermal, electrical, or chemical), and futuristic types.

Regular firearms are called power weapons; they are powerful but their bullets ricochet significantly. "Techno" based on railgun technology penetrates cover but shoots slowly. "Smart" fires bullets that track their target until they hit it. You can attach upgrades to guns that increase damage, accuracy, and other parameters, and their features, such as ricochet or bullet intelligence, only work in combination with implants.

Blade weapons, including axes, katanas, long knives, and machetes, are perfect for stealth kills, but you have to get up close to the enemy. With the 2.0 update, katanas and other melee weapons have become more deadly and effective. Meanwhile, for hand-to-hand combat, when you need to stun rather than kill, hammers, non-lethal weapons, or simply V's fists will do.

All of this allows for the creation of characters of different classes and to play the game in completely different ways. A lone wolf can, just like Rambo, shred enemies with a machine gun. A non-runner relies on pistols, sprinting, and blades in their hands. An engineer may hold an assault rifle but utilizes technology and a helper robot.

The gameplay of Cyberpunk 2077 is typical for open-world games — we move around, complete main and side quest tasks, secondary missions, and participate in random events, such as shootouts between the police and gangs. With the release of update 2.0, clothing has become purely cosmetic and no longer provides "armor," a role taken over by implants.

Earning a lot of money, acquiring the best implants and legendary weapons are priority tasks for success. You will have to take on quests from fixers, many of whom are as well-developed as the main quest, craft items from found resources for resale, hack access points, and complete small quests in the world. For example, helping the NCPD (police) fight crime, battling urban gangs and capturing their bases.

It is impossible to complete the game without killing anyone. The shooter component is significant, but the combat aspect, as mentioned earlier, varies for each class. Also, be prepared to participate in races, pursue a target, or escape from a chase.

There are several hub locations: the apartment, where V rests and stores items, and the Afterlife bar — another key location in the game.

of Cyberpunk 2077 are not just a set of combat mechanics and ways to interact with the world; it is a full-fledged narrative adventure. The simple premise — V yearns to get rich and become famous in Night City — turns into a struggle against the Corporates' dictatorship for freedom, peace, and capitalism with the emergence of Johnny Silverhand. Keanu Reeves' character is not without sin but rejects the material world and tries to prove to V that corporations embody true evil, and the desired cars, clothes, and implants are merely tools of control and oppression. The internal conflict of the heroes is fueled by a biochip that rewrites V's consciousness with Johnny's personality.

Within the plot, three main quest lines must be completed, each with its own set of events, characters, locations, and activities, intertwining into one of several endings. The story immediately captivates, emotionally charges, and develops in various dimensions. The ideological confrontation of the heroes, the struggle for control over the body, each person's ambition to influence the world around them, and complex philosophical questions about life and death, goals, and the importance of time — all of this unfolds before the player's eyes. And flashbacks into Johnny's world allow one to immerse themselves in his persona.

In addition to the main storyline, there are several side quests that also impact the ending and the main gameplay. But the player chooses whether they want to complete all of this or not. The game will take the choice into account and build the narrative in the given direction.

The writers skillfully reveal the personalities of both the heroes and secondary characters. V will collaborate or compete with people of various ages, cultures, statuses, and influences. Some will stick around for a long time, as a love interest, while others will disappear at the end of another mission.