Cyberpunk has long been one of my favourite sci-fi subgenres. There's something about stories where technology has advanced but society has collapsed, where the capitalist hellscape of our reality has thrown away its mask and is displaying its cruelty upfront that's really interesting to me. Characters in cyberpunk stories walk neon-lit streets where the game is fixed against them, willing to throw everything away for the chance to complete their goal, usually either failing or succeeding after great sacrifice. Cyberpunk 2077 is one of the best examples of this I've seen, especially in video games.
Cyberpunk 2077 is one of the most immersive games I've ever played. You're dropped in the shoes of V, who's on the run from a shaky past and is trying to make it big as a Night City legend. V is one of my favourite video game protagonists, and probably one of my favourite protagonists in general. You have a good amount of leeway to shape their personality and background, but in a way where they actually feel like a present and important character in the narrative rather than a blank slate and nonentity in the story. While I'll admit that I've never played as masc V during any of my four playthroughs (and I haven't been all that impressed by what I've heard), Cherami Leigh gives an absolutely amazing performance as V. I honestly think she should've been nominated for best performance at the game awards.
Much of Cyberpunk 2077's strengths lie in its story, characters, and world. Night City is both alien and all too familiar, and despite the strangeness of their setting and situation the characters in Cyberpunk have realistic feeling motivations and writing, complimented by their excellent performances. Real standouts for me include Judy, Takemura, Claire, and Jackie, as well as Reed, Myers, and Songbird from the DLC (which is incredible in its own right).
This is also complimented by its gameplay. Cyberpunk 2077 decides not to go with the class system of the tabletop RPG its based on for a more skill-focused system. I personally really like this decision for the video game; V is a character in the game rather than a faceless self insert, so having them always play like a Solo (though maybe with a bit of multiclassing into Tech or Netrunner) really fits. On the subject of the tabletop RPG, I'm a really big fan of it (I'm most familiar with Cyberpunk RED because I started getting into tabletop RPGs back in 2017 when I was 13) and it feels like a fitting continuation of that world.
Also, the soundtrack is just incredible. From the game's score and combat music to the in-universe radio stations, every song works together to immerse you deeper into this world. If you haven't heard it, check out Kerry Eurodyne's version of Chippin' In. It's one of my favourite songs on the soundtrack but it only shows up very briefly during a Johnny flashback.
I also feel obligated to discuss the trans representation in this game, as I've criticised other games for their trans rep before. I personally don't really like it when devs include genital customisation and explicitly describe it as "playing a trans character", it feels really reductive at best and kind of objectifying at worse, but nonetheless I first played this during a period of time when I was feeling really shit about myself, and even if it's really dumb, being able to play as a canonically trans badass mercenary made me feel bit better. It's also worth mentioning Claire, an interesting trans character with her own sidequest line and story arc who's one of my personal favourites.
I played this for the first time in February last year; this playthrough was my fourth. Despite its rocky release, Cyberpunk 2077 was able to become one of the best games I've ever played and I can't recommend it enough if you like science fiction, action RPGs, or both.
Cyberpunk 2077 is one of the most immersive games I've ever played. You're dropped in the shoes of V, who's on the run from a shaky past and is trying to make it big as a Night City legend. V is one of my favourite video game protagonists, and probably one of my favourite protagonists in general. You have a good amount of leeway to shape their personality and background, but in a way where they actually feel like a present and important character in the narrative rather than a blank slate and nonentity in the story. While I'll admit that I've never played as masc V during any of my four playthroughs (and I haven't been all that impressed by what I've heard), Cherami Leigh gives an absolutely amazing performance as V. I honestly think she should've been nominated for best performance at the game awards.
Much of Cyberpunk 2077's strengths lie in its story, characters, and world. Night City is both alien and all too familiar, and despite the strangeness of their setting and situation the characters in Cyberpunk have realistic feeling motivations and writing, complimented by their excellent performances. Real standouts for me include Judy, Takemura, Claire, and Jackie, as well as Reed, Myers, and Songbird from the DLC (which is incredible in its own right).
This is also complimented by its gameplay. Cyberpunk 2077 decides not to go with the class system of the tabletop RPG its based on for a more skill-focused system. I personally really like this decision for the video game; V is a character in the game rather than a faceless self insert, so having them always play like a Solo (though maybe with a bit of multiclassing into Tech or Netrunner) really fits. On the subject of the tabletop RPG, I'm a really big fan of it (I'm most familiar with Cyberpunk RED because I started getting into tabletop RPGs back in 2017 when I was 13) and it feels like a fitting continuation of that world.
Also, the soundtrack is just incredible. From the game's score and combat music to the in-universe radio stations, every song works together to immerse you deeper into this world. If you haven't heard it, check out Kerry Eurodyne's version of Chippin' In. It's one of my favourite songs on the soundtrack but it only shows up very briefly during a Johnny flashback.
I also feel obligated to discuss the trans representation in this game, as I've criticised other games for their trans rep before. I personally don't really like it when devs include genital customisation and explicitly describe it as "playing a trans character", it feels really reductive at best and kind of objectifying at worse, but nonetheless I first played this during a period of time when I was feeling really shit about myself, and even if it's really dumb, being able to play as a canonically trans badass mercenary made me feel bit better. It's also worth mentioning Claire, an interesting trans character with her own sidequest line and story arc who's one of my personal favourites.
I played this for the first time in February last year; this playthrough was my fourth. Despite its rocky release, Cyberpunk 2077 was able to become one of the best games I've ever played and I can't recommend it enough if you like science fiction, action RPGs, or both.