Everything You Need to Know About Cyberpunk 2077
2020’s biggest game looks breath-taking. Welcome to WatchMojo and today we’ll be telling you everything you need to know about “Cyberpunk 2077.”
For this list, we’re looking at all the most important information about CD Projekt Red’s upcoming RPG, “Cyberpunk 2077.”
#10: It’s Not For Kids
It goes without saying but “Cyberpunk” is far from family-friendly. It’s still too far from release to have been rated “officially”, but everything we’ve seen so far supports that the game will certainly have a “Mature” rating. The 2018 E3 demo showed a completely naked man and woman in a bathtub, and sources say CD Projekt Red won’t shy away from nudity at any point. On top of that, you can expect the standard video game violence and a whole lot of swearing, but there’s also the potential for heavy drug use; that last part may cause problems for Australian players, as the Australian Classification Board has a history of Refusing Classification on games where using drugs improves player stats. Though CD Projekt Red are confident they can still get the game sold down under.
#9: Selectable Backstory
“Cyberpunk” is going the opposite way from what “The Witcher” games did with Geralt’s set backstory, instead taking a page out of “Mass Effect’s” book by allowing you to choose your upbringing. You’ll be able to pick one of three selectable “life paths” at the beginning, Corporate, Nomad and Street Kid. Corporate for example gives you greater sheech influence over characters in corporate positions, while Street Kid garners more respect from gang members. Nomad won’t have any social influence but does have a greater array of problem solving abilities, though to what extent we don’t know. Still it would give us a reason to replay the game again.
#8: Factions
No RPG is complete without a set of warring factions, all of which have a unique aesthetic and pose a different challenge to the player. Factions we’ve seen in demos include Militec, who deal in high-grade weapons and intelligence, and Maelstrom, a criminal gang of drug-pushers. We also saw the Trauma Team, who will come offering medical aid to anyone with enough money and foresight to take out an insurance policy. There are many more gangs and corporations making up the rich world of “Cyberpunk”, and changing your allegiance is a great way to ensure replayability.
#7: It Will Have Multiplayer After Launch
At launch, the only thing “Cyberpunk” will have is its single-player campaign. Since this is the biggest draw and the reason most people want to play it, this certainly isn’t an issue, but, it’s nice to know that further content awaits down the line, in the form of post-launch multiplayer. What this multiplayer will consist of isn’t yet clear, but CD Projekt Red has said that their focus is the story, and the multiplayer won’t be available until after all the planned, story-based DLC releases. This could be as far off as 2022 though, so don’t buy the game thinking it’s going to have a complete multiplayer package right off the bat.
#6: No Morality System
CDPR is forgoing the typical good karma/bad karma morality system that other games enjoy in favor of a more nuanced reputation system. Rather than define actions as good, evil, or neutral and change the way people interact with you based on that, you’ll have a different reputation with every group you encounter, called “street cred” in-game. This means that players will have to rely on their own sense of right and wrong to decide what the best course of action will be, with nothing to telegraph whether your decision was “good” or “bad” until you see the consequences. And even then, it may still be hard to know whether you made the right call.
#5: Gender Options
While the first gameplay reveal originally showed binary gender options, CD Projekt Red has since shifted course. Now “Cyberpunk” will instead choose between a masculine or feminine body type and a masculine or feminine voice. This has been done to be truer to the cyberpunk genre and the theme of bodily autonomy it purveys, as well as making the game more welcoming to players who don’t fit into the traditional, gender binary. It’s some of the most liberating customization seen in a mainstream RPG, with V’s appearance being entirely in the hands of the player. V themselves will almost always be referred to by their name rather than pronouns, to create a gender-neutral protagonist anybody can project onto.
#4: The Setting
“Cyberpunk 2077” is set in Night City, a fictional metropolis in California sandwiched directly between Los Angeles and San Francisco. Dripping in neon signs and advertisements, the game takes place after the fourth Corporate War, a result of the city being controlled completely by malign companies who care about their bottom line above all else. The sprawling city is made up of six distinct districts you can traverse by driving and yes, it’s true, there won’t be any loading as you explore. Finally, the desert surrounding the city is also accessible, and there’s even going to be some content hidden out there for those who brave the wastes.
#3: Microtransactions are Neither Confirmed Nor Denied
Originally in October 2019, in an interview with Gamespot, CD Projekt Red's John Mamais seemed to shut down the talk of microtransactions when he labelled them as “A very bad idea”. But then a month later in an investor call, company president Adam Kiciński contradicted Mamais by stating that “Cyberpunk’s” multiplayer might have some form of monetization, but didn’t give any specifics, claiming it was too early to say. CD Projekt Red has in the past criticized people for thinking an RPG like this might have microtransactions in it, so hopefully, they stick to their guns and don’t submit to the pressure of monetizing absolutely everything. If all goes well, the only in-game purchases we’re prompted to make will be for those story DLCs.
#2: Stats
“Cyberpunk” will boast a more unique roster of stats than many other games, with lots of them lifted directly from the table-top RPG. While you’ve got standard categories like Strength and Intelligence, the most interesting stat is easily the “Cool” stat. No, this doesn’t determine how awesome NPCs think your character is – sadly – but instead refers to how well you’re able to “keep your cool” under pressure. If you’ve got a low “Cool” level, you may find yourself unable to lie convincingly, potentially leading to hairy situations. However, other fan-favorite stats from the Tabletop game are strangely absent, most notably “Empathy”, which determines how much cyberware you can install before you lose your mind.
#1: You Can Do a Pacifist Run
It’s long been a criticism of many RPGs that you can’t play all the way through without accumulating a pretty unforgivable body count. No matter how many good deeds you try to do, many players still feel that violence shouldn’t be your only option in an enemy encounter. Luckily, CD Projekt Red has come out and said that almost every weapon and ability in the game will have a non-lethal version, meaning you get all the fun of great gunplay without the narrative dissonance of being a saint while mowing down legions of generic foes. But of course, if you want to kill everyone you see you’ve got that option as well.
