Akira, Deus Ex, The Fifth Element, Bioshock. Cyberpunk 2077 reminds me of all of these games and movies in some way. When I first saw the trailer on the Xbox stage, I wasn’t completely sold and I wasn’t sure what to think. I couldn’t fully tell what type of game that we were getting. I was excited for the game but I didn’t have a lot of information about it. When I think of CD Projekt Red, I think of The Witcher and it is hard to separate from that. Being transported from the old world of The Witcher to a dystopian future is a hard transition. I hadn’t seen any gameplay yet so I walked into the behind closed door demo with little to no expectations. Once those lights dimmed and that demo started, I was quickly turned into a believer.
I was so drawn in to the gameplay demo, I had no idea that almost a hour had passed. In the demo, you follow V as he/she infiltrates a gang hideout searching for a missing cyborg. Here we got a look at some of the combat and the upgrade system. There are cover mechanics, destructible environments and bullets that bounce off of walls. Movement and shooting mechanics looked very smooth. Cyberpunk 2077 is an open world, narrative driven, first person rpg. There is plenty of world to explore but a lot of the mission take place in these mega complexes that may be hundreds of stories high. The player will be able to create their own character and backstory. This includes the ability to choose male and female characters with varying abilities and skills. There are no specific classes to choose from. The player has the ability to choose the way they play.
The world of Cyberpunk is both bright and beautiful and dark and dingy at the same time. I can already tell that I, along with many others, will get lost in this world. If The Witcher is any example of what we can expect as far as quality, Cyberpunk will surely amaze. I am excited for CD Projekt Red to release more footage and information about the world. The demo showed a very dense world so I can’t wait to see more of it. The developers let us know that not all the buildings can be explored but those that can have a lot to see within them.
When you are able to see the things That CD Projekt Red are able to do, it’s hard to believe that they are an ‘Indie” studio. This demo may have been a very small portion of the game but I was floored by what I saw. A first person shooter/rpg and something that I didn’t expect from this team. I now have confidence in whatever game that CD Projekt Red may choose to make. While watching the demo, I thought I was watching prerendered or prerecorded footage and then you would see small glitches in the gameplay. There were a lot of great games at E3 2018 but Cyberpunk was a clear standout.
I was only a few months old when the original Cyberpunk role playing game was released but what I saw at E3 2018 has me excited to explore the world. I believe that CD Projekt Red is going to do something special with the Cyberpunk IP. There is no release date at this time but I would definitely keep my eyes open for any information that may arise about this title. Hopefully the behind closed doors demo is release to the public soon. Trust me. It will not disappoint.
