Cyberpunk 2077's launch and subsequent fallout has been one of AAA gaming's biggest disasters. While some thought that the controversies would cool off after release, CD Projekt Red has continued to take hit after hit. From a studio breach to ineffective patches to a reconsidered multiplayer add-on, the team couldn't catch a break. Underneath all this noise, though, is a very compelling Western RPG that deserves one more shot.
It is important to note, though, that Cyberpunk deserving another chance does not absolve CD Projekt Red of its shadiness. Not all of Cyberpunk's failings are a function of the studio, but the lion's share is. CD Projekt Red made its bed and now has to lie in it. This protracted controversy will cause irreparable damage to the team. However, a good step forward is nailing the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series S|X release of Cyberpunk 2077.
After all, the tenor around Cyberpunk would've been much different in the absence of these issues. Had the game released this Spring with significantly fewer technical issues and clearer marketing, players would've been able to see the game's myriad successes. Currently, though, it's hard to cut through all of Cyberpunk's external failings. As such, CD Projekt Red is in a position similar to Hello Games circa 2016, and its launch of No Man's Sky. That is to say, it's time for a redemption arc.
Unlike No Man's Sky – a high-profile example of recovering from a nosedive – Cyberpunk 2077's issues aren't content-related, but primarily technical. From its presentation to its gameplay, Cyberpunk 2077 is exemplary. The game straddles a line between action-oriented open-world gameplay and a deep, Fallout-style RPG structure. It doesn't get bogged down in the minutiae of its genre tropes, instead looking across the industry and pulling different threads from the biggest games. Its writing is the sort of rich, engrossing material that CD Projekt Red fans expect. This excellence extends to the narrative threads and world-building, too. But, this is less of a straight RPG and more a blockbuster hybrid. After all, the combat and traversal options feel deft and empowering, drawing upon tentpole shooter and action-adventure design philosophies. Cyberpunk feels head and shoulders above its western RPG contemporaries mechanically due to these influences.
All of this, of course, is contextualized within Night City, which is a character itself. For as wildly unpolished as Cyberpunk 2077 is, the game succeeds, paradoxically, in its detail. The world comes to life in a way that few digital metropolises do. CD Projekt Red's realization of Mike Pondsmith's Cyberpunk 2020 is painstakingly rich. Simply trawling around Night City is an enrapturing experience, as the player becomes immersed in the sights and sounds.
The sum of these parts is a sharp and engaged RPG that moves the player from beat to beat excellently. The narrative has momentum, the combat has weight, and the world is so stylish that the player will have a hard time stepping away. Cyberpunk is a true achievement in many respects. But, no one talks about the emotional impact of Jackie's storyline. No one talks about Cyberpunk's Smart guns and Mantis Blades. No one talks about the dense environmental detail. All anyone talks about is Cyberpunk's laundry list of failings.
It's impossible to blame people for doing so. There are really two Cyberpunk 2077s: the game itself, and the cultural phenomenon surrounding it. The latter is more sensational and has a greater impact on the industry overall, but it completely misrepresents the game itself. Cyberpunk deserves better, as do the countless individual developers who poured a staggering amount of passion and craftsmanship into the experience.
The dedicated next-gen release of Cyberpunk 2077 is CD Projekt Red's last chance to shift this narrative. Ultimately, if the end of the Cyberpunk story is a complete disaster, that will be a shame. However, a polished, technically impressive Cyberpunk release on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X could begin to right this ship. This effort must come from CD Projekt Red, though. Support for the game can't be carried by the community and press when half-hearted patches from the studio are all that materialize. CD Projekt Red has a lot of careful work to do, but a definitive next-gen Cyberpunk port could provide a clean slate for the game and a true second chance for the studio.
0 Comments