Cyberpunk 2077 - Preview, let's analyze the game in detail

Finally the time has come, Cyberpunk 2077 has officially shown itself in a much more substantial way than it has in the past. The presentation of CD Projekt RED it was rich in content, showing only the surface of a much larger and more complex work, revolutionary and full of opportunities. Potentially, in fact, a title of this magnitude had never been seen on the market before, thus allowing our medium to take a further step towards the construction of much deeper and more complex works, marking the industry like a Final Fantasy VII, GTA V or Breath of The Wild. At least that's what we hope for, also given how much the team has worked hard to sip the information released: if, as they said, what is shown is only a small portion of the prologue, we find the postponement of the release date more than just right. Such a mammoth title hides several pitfalls in the design phase, bugs will be on the agenda. But it is one thing to make these small smudges insignificant in terms of usability, it is another thing to allow them to undermine the in-game experience.

Despite this, the software house enjoys all our trust, because it really seems that what they are creating in their studios can definitely break the rules, raising the quality and establishing a new yardstick for the RPG genre.

The creation of the character

In the video we immediately witness the creation of the character, an element that prepares the player for very difficult choices that are not limited to pure aesthetics. In Cyberpunk 2077 you can enter the story of your avatar, choosing between three types of style (Nomad, Body and Street Kid). By influencing V's past, you will automatically change the perception that all characters have of you, which obviously will behave differently depending on the situation and the relationship you form with us.

The game editor therefore leaves the player with a practically unlimited change except for the name, but you can also alter sexual traits that will also characterize the character: every single detail of the protagonist is in fact customizable. While this will have a purely aesthetic impact, on the other hand it will also be possible to make changes to the five main attributes: Reflexes, Body, Intellect, Tech and Cool. In short, a lot has been left in the hands of the players, who will be able to freely choose which character to play, going well beyond the predefined classes to which so many productions have accustomed us.

To further expand everything we think the unlockable abilities via the branches of the five values, which make the character even more malleable and adaptable to the user's style. To conclude the RPG package we think the grafts, cybernetic upgrades that will act as real gear (complete with rarity) and will give active, trigger and passive abilities.

The battlefield of Cyberpunk 2077

The second part of the video instead showed us a game section capable of highlighting the breadth of approach: in-game, in fact, not only will you be able to decide how to take down the enemies, but you can even opt for a completely free path. of violence and devoted rather to dialogue. Finally, this also shows how it will be possible to experience portions of unpublished history depending on what choices we make. In short, the decisions that will be made will shape the story and give a unique experience for each player.

This is also accompanied by an investigation system called BrainDance: it will allow you to enter into the memories of others, going to live certain moments and even offering the possibility to investigate characters, objects and even sounds. For the rest, we were already aware of the fights instead. In the gameplay trailer previously shown, in fact, we could see how hacking could help disturb machines and enemy grafts, while the classic melee assault of the character dedicated to strength will allow you to avoid various minigames, so as to focus only and exclusively on the blind brutality.

The video showed a welcome novelty in the gunplay: it seems as if, taking the feedback from the last E3 and the last Gamescom, the developers had refined everything taking it to the next level, now undoubtedly well structured. On the contrary, the hand-to-hand fights are not yet well done, and we really hope they will be improved by November. To top it all off there is obviously the guide system; when you enter a vehicle, the view will shift from the first to the third person, offering you a more complete overview of the surrounding environment and not linked only to your field of vision. We can't wait to try this mechanic first hand to evaluate the road holding of all the vehicles that CD Projekt RED will make available to us.

A little virtual world

The thing that finally stands out from the video recently shown concerns the city that will be the background to the events narrated in Cyberpunk 2077; Night City, that's her name, and she appears to be alive and well. The study done to bring this world full of NPCs and fantastic locations to life is at the limits of the human, and makes it impossible not to be amazed. Precisely with regard to the characters it must be emphasized that each will have a purpose and will be thought, the players will be able to interact with us to discover subplots and stories or to unlock missions that otherwise we could totally get lost along the way. The various areas of the game world will be unique, distinguishable and original: each character inside it interacts with the world and with the protagonist, and everyone does it in an always different way, as would happen in reality. Paradoxically, although the game world is virtual (and it focuses a lot on this), it is fantastic even to think that we will be able to experience that city on our skin (and on our pad). Night City is an integral part of the experience, the real beating heart of the production.

However, although the size of the map cannot be compared to that of the team's previous work, The Wicther 3, the developers have made efforts to give the player not only a greater thickness linked to interactions, but also an abundant verticality. To this are added two other great prominent elements, namely the art design and the profound aesthetic care of the environments. The work of CD Projekt RED allows to have very scenic elements in the frame, which stand out in a perfectly coherent way in the context in which they are inserted. Neon lights, underground gambling dens, slums and skyscrapers, everything in Night City breathes. Being in such a vast world in terms of possibilities will give users new playful insights, and we can't wait to see how they will be exploited.

In conclusion we can say that Cyberpunk 2077 could potentially be the only game competing for GOTY in The Last of Us Part 2, given that the world created by CD Projekt RED could really make the definitive leap in quality to the genre it belongs to. We therefore have no reason to doubt the final product, but to see the actual quality of the work we will naturally have to wait for the review phase. Unfortunately, we still don't know anything too in-depth about the basic plot, also because the almost infinite choices can give life to unique stories for each user, but the stay in Night City promises to be particularly eventful.