Operating to the sting

Since its launch, it’s been onerous to speak about Cyberpunk 2077 with out discussing its launch. It’s one of many extra notable examples of a tough begin in current reminiscence. With each replace since, fixing bugs and including options in addition to variations for newer technology consoles, the query of whether or not Cyberpunk 2077 goes to understand its unique imaginative and prescient will get introduced up. And after enjoying a few of its enlargement Phantom Liberty, I believe it’s lastly there.

Phantom Liberty is Cyberpunk 2077‘s first, and solely, enlargement. CD Projekt Purple has a superb fame for its expansions, after two phenomenal additions to The Witcher 3. From only a small slice, Phantom Liberty already feels prefer it’s dwelling as much as that legacy. The story and setting are wonderful, and it delves into some wealthy narrative potential for Cyberpunk 2077.

Greater than that, although, is the completely huge quantity of updates arriving alongside Phantom Liberty‘s launch. Each a part of this sport feels prefer it’s getting fine-tuned not directly. Updates, massive and small, really feel like they’re realizing the imaginative and prescient of Evening Metropolis set out years in the past. It’s even obtained me enthusiastic about rolling a brand new character.

What’s new in Evening Metropolis

As interviews with the workforce have rolled out, CD Projekt Purple is saying it’s overhauling Cyberpunk for Phantom Liberty. All of the “core most important methods” are being up to date or redone, CDPR informed VGC; this implies perks, ability timber, AI, development, tiers and loot drops, and extra.

There’s a brand new police system and vehicular fight, which apparently contains automobile chases. In a dialog with Kotaku, the workforce says there are new conversations with romance characters round Phantom Liberty. And sure, there’s a brand new ending that’s arriving as a part of the enlargement, too.

It’s an enormous replace, and the great half is, you gained’t need to spend money for all of it. Whereas Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty might be a $30 enlargement with its personal particular updates, many systemic modifications are coming to Cyberpunk 2077 at its base stage.
Suffice to say, Cyberpunk 2077 might be a really totally different sport when Phantom Liberty launches on September 26 for PC, PS5, and Xbox Sequence X|S. (It’s not coming to PS4 or Xbox One.) However that’s the inspiration. The thrilling half is that, even in a vacuum, Phantom Liberty looks like it’s going to be fairly a superb enlargement too.

Area Power One

On high of including Dogtown, a brand new area to discover, Phantom Liberty additionally brings a Cyberpunk faction into the Evening Metropolis sprawl: the NUSA. The New United States of America is talked about a good bit on the earth and lore, however after President Myers’ aircraft is introduced down in Dogtown and her netrunner Songbird recruits V for the rescue operation, the NUSA is way more concerned.
On the high stage, this brings a brand new form of rigidity to Cyberpunk 2077‘s story. Songbird says she can assist V cope with the Relic of their head if they assist Myers out of this mess. It’s fairly a debacle. And the spy thriller tone, which CD Projekt has been emphasizing, undoubtedly performs out.

Throughout my time enjoying, there have been informal walk-and-talks with Songbird as she spoke to V by means of their Relic. There was simmering rigidity that spilled over when Area Power One, Myers’ transport, falls in Dogtown and V has to hurry over to avoid wasting her. And it’s amplified much more because the pair gap up in a Dogtown hideaway, attempting to maintain the lights on and keep away from drawing consideration.

I obtained to share a beer with the NUSA president whereas speaking about who may presumably be behind this plot. All of the whereas, Johnny Silverhand is chattering in my ear, encouraging me to not belief something or anybody.

Lucky son

Going into Phantom Liberty, I used to be a bit interested by the place Johnny Silverhand would match into all of this. The enlargement already has one other star lined up in Idris Elba, and Keanu Reeves is a reasonably large identify; I assumed Reeves can be coming again to place collectively some strains and preserve Johnny’s presence within the story, whereas different characters took up the companion function for V.

Think about my shock, then, when my Phantom Liberty demo segued into an extended dialog with Johnny about his previous. Those that are aware of the tabletop world of Cyberpunk might know a great deal of this already, however Silverhand is a navy deserter. And Johnny has fairly a bit to say as V’s future entwines with the way forward for the NUSA.

Cyberpunk 2077 already held some poignant character moments, each with its most important companion characters and Johnny. However seeing Reeves seem once more and get much more to do along with his portrayal of Silverhand is a welcome shock. There’s numerous potential avenues right here, and I’m fairly psyched to see how V and Johnny’s relationship performs out on this new gentle.

For ages, it looks like we’ve been speaking in regards to the Cyberpunk 2077 success story. Different video games with notoriously rocky launches have had one already. Whether or not or not Cyberpunk has hit that time but, or may, is one factor. However Phantom Liberty feels prefer it’s realizing a imaginative and prescient of Cyberpunk 2077 that CD Projekt Purple has been chasing for a while. And that’s a really thrilling prospect.

Eric Van Allen

Senior Information Reporter – Whereas Eric’s been writing about video games since 2014, he is been enjoying them for lots longer. Often discovered grinding RPG battles, digging into an indie gem, or hanging out across the Limsa Aethryte.

Extra Tales by Eric Van Allen