Cyberpunk 2077 – My Thoughts
After around 40 hours of total playtime, I finally finished the main storyline of Cyberpunk 2077 – and I felt like I should share my experience and thoughts with the game while covering all of its different aspects. Please keep in mind this is not an in-depth review, more of a surface-level analysis of the game. I would like to start with the positive aspects of the game, as I feel there is far too much negativity surrounding the game at the moment – as well as the fact that the positives far outweigh the negatives.
The atmosphere and detail are where the game shines brightest in my opinion as it successfully captures the stunning beauty of Night City while also showcasing all of its darker elements – all while feeling naturally consistent and immersive. Brimming with small details that you wouldn’t notice if you were just running around blindly, not taking the time to slow down and soak it all in. That in itself is almost like a reward for both player and developer, as the extra work a developer may put into a small area may be missed by most players, but those who do happen to spot it can feel the love and care behind it. However, in the games current state this can act as a double-edged sword as it makes the rougher / unfinished aspects of the game stand out like a sore thumb – I will get to that later though.
The quest design for the most part is exceptional, especially the side quests. The natural flow through quest chains feels organic and makes you care for the characters and their stories. Quests can pop up randomly that change all the plans you had in your head, all for this story you had no idea existed until a few moments ago. The only downside with this is that these quests that pop up can (and will) stack, and you will prioritize the more interesting sounding ones first – so when you go back to the ones you brushed off after the initial message, you have no idea what started it or what’s going on. To put it bluntly, it makes you feel overwhelmed at times. The main story itself is incredibly short in my opinion, nevertheless, I do like the themes that it explores (especially in the final act), even if it has been done better in other forms of media.
Some one-off side quest stories leave you wanting more though…
When it comes to CDPR games, the combat is usually the weakest aspect of the game, and Cyberpunk 2077 is no exception. Easily the buggiest part of the game gets shown off in all its glory, with AI that barely works and instant-death situations that have no explanation behind them. It’s a mess, and I hope this gets patched down the line before the release of the expansions. Quick-hacking feels very surface-level, as it doesn’t seem like it’s worth the effort most of the time. I’m a fan of stealth games, however, running and gunning in this game is faster and more efficient than the alternative. It’s just not worth the trouble.
Lastly, the bugs – and boy there are a lot of them. On patch 1.06 there is a myriad of bugs that plague the game, with a handful that soft-locked the game for me. While the bugs did not completely ruin my experience of the game it must be said that it is a massive shame that the game released in this state. As you’re playing you can see the effort and love the developers put in – you can see the diamond trying to shine through but it is constantly battling against itself through the overabundance of bugs and glitches. Even if it’s a small visual bug, it pulls you right out of the game, which hurts the immersion that the game tries so hard to achieve.
In conclusion, if you can wait a year or two for the bugs to be fixed, as well as the promised DLC expansions to be released – I would wholeheartedly recommend it. The game is perfectly playable at the moment, but you will get the best experience if you wait.