First announced way back in May 2012, it goes without saying that a lot has changed in the gaming world over the past 8 years. But, with Cyberpunk 2077’s release just around the corner, it’s clear that Polish developer CD Projekt Red, the team behind The Witcher games, have remained at the cutting edge.
Launching players into a dystopian near future amid a fictional Californian city named Night City. In this alternative world, the US has undergone severe socioeconomic collapse since the 1990s, causing shockwaves around the planet and handing over control to a number of mega-corporations.
Equipped with all the cyberpunk staples—augmentations, futuristic weaponry, dingy slums, neon-lit sidewalks, bars, big business and plenty more—players take control of V, a mercenary who is crafted to fit each player’s desires. This comes in the form of cosmetic changes, body modifications, swapping out clothing and, most exciting, providing a unique backstory to V.
While exploring the game’s vast open world, players will also be able to select unique combinations of stats, from hacking and machinery to combat, perks and decide on branching dialogue which will impact the overall shape of a playthrough—providing a huge range of player agency across the entire experience.
In the gameplay released by CD Projekt Red to date, we have seen how these elements will manifest. Beyond the cutting-edge character, world and lighting design, we find all the dialogue decisions occurring in real time, outside of more traditional menu screens—quite similarto the systems seen in Red Dead Redemption 2. With dialogue decision-making building a good portion of the game’s playtime, and RPG draw, this system will have a huge impact on the way the game feels.
Gunplay also looks exciting, providing a sufficiently weighty and futuristic flair. Traversing Night City’s six-region vertical metropolis will likely be a joy, given the swath of vehicle choices, including autonomous cars, and the game’s Grand Theft Auto-esque pedestrians who litter the streets. And this traversal should be smoother than ever as CD Project Red have remained dedicated to having “no loading screens” throughout their vast open world, similar to how The Witcher 3 functioned.
Formerly set to release April 16, 2020, then September 17, we now know the game will launch in autumn on November 19. This gives any avid fans additional time to check out the various pre-order deals, ripe with collectibles—including a SteelBook, 25cm V statue, art book, embroidered patches, keychain, pin set, world compendium, world map, postcards and much more.
As fans worldwide have been awaiting its release for years, we’re all hotly anticipating the launch of Cyberpunk 2077—eager to dive into its thrills, extensive customisation, rich narrative and sprawling world when it comes to PlayStation 4, Windows and Xbox One on November 19. And with further releases on Google Stadia, PlayStation 5 and the Xbox Series X in the pipelines, along with a supposed multiplayer mode to be released down the line, it’s clear that there’s a lot to look forward to about Cyberpunk 2077.