So Cyberpunk was an experience unlike any other. Beyond the bugs, glitches and wonky third act as well as some endings that don't hit as much as they should, this game is a true charm. Not a single open world has made me as addicited to it as Night City. Not even the excellence of Kamurocho from Yakuza rivals this. It's insane how much I loved every second of being here. To get out another Yakuza reference, the side quests here were just brilliant. Giving a huge amount of the cast additionial context all the while adding to the city as a whole. The lore, story and indepth character writing done here is truly one of a kind and I applaud CDPR for diving into so many different directions with a multitude of characters. There was barely any moment where I felt bored in Night City. Should there have been more stuff to do aside from jobs? Definitely. The repetitious nature of these side quests wasn't anything awful but there should have been activities to balance these things out, maybe mini games, maybe racing or just something. NC might not be the greatest open world map ever created or go above and beyond in any certain area but that's alright because it gains such incredible charm through the people living in it. Speaking of, all the longer side quests centered around certain characters are awesome. River, Panam, Judy, Rogue, Kerry and also for some odd reason the super religious bd actor Josh as well as Jefferson whom I don't want to spoil anything about, wouldn't leave my mind. Their internal conflicts are excellently explored and they thematically and emotionally work that good because they somehow always connect with the city and its tragic nature. It sounds rather lazy on the developers side but this is really great writing in my opinion. It gives NC this omnipresence in everything happening in and around the city. Nothing works out but that's precisely why the people who live there fight with all they have. Human struggle and becoming your ideal version of yourself despite the crushing weight of NC is truly inspiring. Even if the light at the end of the tunnel is artificial, a simple lie or something that leads to your demise, it's still worth pursuing. After all how can we be alive if all we do is run away? Putting everything on the table in exchange for the possibility of achieving a simple dream - a nonsensical solution to your problems but a very human one nonetheless.

Reviewed on Jun 08, 2023


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