2023 was the year Cyberpunk 2077 found redemption

It’s safe to say 2023 has been a stellar year for gaming (unless you’re a dev). This year’s release window has been chock full of blockbuster quality, including RE 4 remake, Super Mario Wonder, Baldur’s Gate 3, plus indie sleeper hits such as Dredge and Dave the Diver. So why does a three-year-old game, released with a Metacritic score of 50, take the third most-played spot on my PlayStation 2023 Wrapped roundup?

Of course, we’re missing vital context here. Let’s rewind all the way back to the simpler times of 2013. Hot off the wild success of The Witcher 3, CD Projekt releases a teaser trailer for its brand new IP, Cyberpunk 2077, a sci-fi-infused RPG set in a sprawling futuristic metropolis. I fondly remember that trailer, which featured bullets ricocheting off a mantis-bladed woman gone cyberpsycho, surrounded by empty bullet rounds, jacked-up police, and bodies set against a dystopian skyline.

And we couldn’t wait. Even after delays and more delays, we’d hoped CD Projekt was perfecting on perfection, especially off the back of the sublime adventures of Geralt of Rivia.

Cyberpunked

But of course, it’s the hope that kills you. Cyberpunk 2077 was finally released in late 2020. But despite a half-decent showing on PC, reviewers everywhere critiqued that the game was fundamentally broken, particularly on last-gen consoles. Bugs like invisible cars, incorrectly animated NPCs, poorly rendered textures and corrupted file saves all turned the Night City dream into a nightmare. Notably, CD Projekt suffered near-catastrophic reputational damage, having previously banked considerable consumer goodwill.

And that, we assumed, was that. Most developers might have fixed the most pressing issues and had nothing more to do with it. But not CD Projekt. CD Projekt was bustling to set things right. 

The first major updates came over the next few months. However, it wasn’t until version 1.5 where the tide of public opinion finally started reversing. Here was finally a decent game, albeit not the fully-realised one we’d been yearning for all those years. Its player customisation and story choices were utterly diverse, even if there were a few misses in the execution, such as patchy enemy AI.

Liberty X

The fixes were not done, however. We were introduced to a new district of Night City called Dogtown through its first and only DLC package, Phantom Liberty. The story also featured Luther legend himself, Idris Elba, playing gruff yet world-weary government agent Solomon Reed.

The DLC was one of the best I’d played in recent memory (seriously, whatever happened to good DLC?). It featured a twisting espionage yarn that weaved in moral dilemmas and choices that would truly make you second-guess everything you’re putting on the line. There were also multiple endings. This included an updated finale for the main campaign — each one a gut-punch that’ll have you sat in silence until the credits are done rolling.

Phantom Liberty was released to universal praise, but that wasn’t the only surprise. Update 2.0 also overhauled many gameplay mechanics and core game features. There was a completely new skill tree, new police and enemy AI, and if you were gunning for a fight, a Max-Tac security team to put you down if you hit that five-star wanted level.

Update 2.0 also brought new enemies to deal with. Double-hard mechs stalk you and suppress your position. Snipers and netrunners stay back to take you out from afar. What’s more, enemies had better AI and could use their own outfitted body mods against you.

Do you feel lucky, Cyberpunk?

Taking out enemies in Night City has been a balletic maelstrom of cyberhacking, razor-thin monowires, red hot katanas and guns — lots of guns. You’d be hard pressed to scroll social media and not stumble across players blitzing through scores of enemies with their slow-mo Sandevistan mods and a masterful blend of melee attacks, grenades and bullets before they even have a chance to react.

If that wasn’t all, the most recent update 2.1 adds even more game features. This includes an all-new metro transit system, new vehicles, replayable races with more aggressive AI, and hangout dates with your paramour. Gangs will even pursue their vendetta against you according to your in-game actions.

It’s bittersweet that 2.1 is CD Projekt’s last major update for Cyberpunk, but the difference between how it was at launch and how it is today is nothing short of night and day. If you haven’t dived in yet, now’s the time, with tons to do and some of the most interesting and unpredictable side quests since The Witcher 3. 

Notably, for me, it’s those haunting side quests that tend to stick with you well after you’re done playing. What should you do with a father and son duo who have been selling digital copies of murder braindances — essentially a person’s digital representation of their sensations, thoughts and feelings — to twisted punters. There’s another quest involving a shadowy conspiracy involving a mayoral candidate. There’s very few simple kill or fetch quests in Cyberpunk. Many are advertised to be, but the reality is a lot more disturbing, hilarious or downright weird.

Today, the Metacritic score for Cyberpunk has transformed into a very handsome 86. And after a rollercoaster of a redemption story, much of CD Projekt is now concentrating on the newly-announced sequel to Cyberpunk, coyly named Project Orion. However, don’t expect details on this for some time. According to Cyberpunk’s original development timeframe, we might not see it until 2030.

Well, I’m not waiting that long to jack back into Night City. Even with a huge backlog of games to get through, I’m leaving those on the backburner to dive back into Cyberpunk 2077 for a second campaign and DLC playthrough. It’s another chance to delve into those intimate and personal stories, tales that hold a mirror up to humanity. And of course, all of this while living in the meat grinder that is Night City. A living, breathing organism, filled with mega powerful and shadowy corporations, anarchic gangs and insidious AIs. And there’s you, V, up and coming merc who’s in it to make it to the big time. The only question is, what will your legend say?