CyberPunk 2077: Is it as Bad as They Say?

Ethan Goerger

Cyberpunk 2077, the “greatest thing to happen since the last greatest thing to happen”. The game that so many fans were waiting for, just to get nothing but a glitchy, buggy mess. So many people have lost faith in the game, saying that it is nothing but a steamy pile of rubbish. But is that truly the case? Is that really all the game is? Well, there’s a couple different opinions out there, which makes the answer really complicated, but in reality it isn’t really all that bad. 

Cyberpunk 2077 is a game made by CD Projekt Red, a very popular game company that is very well known for its good storytelling in games such as the Witcher series, which is a fantasy RPG like game. Unlike Witcher, CyberPunk 2077 takes place in a fictional futuristic city in America called NightCity, which is based off of Morro Bay in California. 

In Cyberpunk, you play as a character named V, as V can be whoever you want to be. V is you, and you are V, as that is how people usually play games like Cyberpunk. You immerse yourself into your character’s life, ultimately becoming them, in a sense. And according to a review done by NPR, “We invest in the fiction that we are who we play.” 

When you first start Cyberpunk, you create V using this wonderful character customization menu, that really lets you get into detail when creating your character. You can customize almost anything, making it easy to make a character however you want, whether as yourself or a version of you that you wish to be. This gives you the freedom to choose who you want to be, with almost no limitations.

After creating your V, you get to choose one of three pasts that your character can have. V can be a Nomad, which is basically a freelancer which lives outside of cities. Another option is a “street kid”, in which V was born and raised on the streets of NightCity. The last option is Corporate, which means that your V originally was in the corporations that you are now trying to destroy. Selecting a past not only gives your V a backstory, but it also influences what you know, and who you may run into in the game. 

Now that you have a character and a backstory, it is time that you get into the actual story. You get to night city, and make a friend, which becomes really close to your V in a matter of a short couple cutscenes that happen within a couple of minutes. I will admit that I wish that there were more ways in which our friendship could grow, but it wasn’t the worst way I had seen it. Anyways after that, you are free to continue whatever you want, whether that be the main story or go around and do little side activities for random people. It’s a free roam game, a game where you choose when and how you do things. You are V, so you decide. 

However, according to NPR, there is no real story. There is only a plot of sorts. From that same review from NPR, you can find the quote, “Cyberpunk 2077′ is about … nothing. There’s a plot of sorts. But it isn’t about anything.” However, from a fellow Spash student that has played the game themselves, they seem to enjoy the game and its story, saying that they got so immersed into it that they forgot they were playing the game. “I was so focused on the story that it felt like I forgot about reality for a second.” Personally myself, I enjoyed the game too. There’s just enough action to make it exciting, enough drama to make it interesting, and enough awkward moments to make it seem realistic. 

The main thing that players keep in mind a lot throughout the story is that V’s main goal is to just be remembered. He wants to leave a lasting impression on Night City unlike anyone else has done before. “What V  truly wants is simply to be remembered. In a future where absolutely everything is disposable, V just wants to leave an indelible mark.” And I believe that goal is very relatable, as a lot of people want to be remembered in many different ways. This goal makes it so much easier to connect to V on a personal level. This helps with the immersion I keep bringing up. 

Otherwise, the game isn’t bad. It is really enjoyable to play, being V, doing whatever it is you want to do in a futuristic city. It is a beautiful game that really gets you enticed with the story.