We got to experience Cyberpunk 2077 gameplay and… whew. Wow.

Rumors and speculation about CD PROJEKT RED’s Cyberpunk 2077 have been flying around for more than half a decade and the anticipation has been palpable after the success of other projects from the developers. At E3 2018 we got a full teaser trailer as well as private screenings of gameplay for the title and they did not disappoint in any way.

It can be difficult for a studio known for such a popular series and its style of gameplay to have a good showing on its next effort, but CDPR has obviously been at work for a long time and it is clear the efforts are paying off. 

Environment

The world in which Cyberpunk 2077 takes place is dystopian and set in an alternate future timeline. As with the character background, we don’t know a lot about the world quite yet. We just know it’s cool and kinda dystopian. 

Customization

Players will decide how they want their character to look and act. However, the one thing you can’t change is your character’s identity – V. V is a hired gun; a mercenary. The gameplay demo didn’t reveal a ton about V’s backstory but, if CDPR’s previous work is any indication, the backstory of the protagonist will be well defined and deep. 

Players can decide V’s gender and look, but it’s mostly cosmetic. The real customization options that affect gameplay will come mostly in the form of cybernetic enhancements, made by either legitimate or black market Rippers, that players can earn currency to purchase. In the demo we saw several of these enhancements made in the form of sight upgrades, hacking abilities, an optic implant that controls a robotic spider, wall running, and even some sick looking arm blades. We’re sure this list only scratches the surface and players will find some enhancements better suited to their play style than others. 

Gameplay

Cyberpunk 2077 is a first-person perspective game. The hour long gameplay session we observed didn’t just include lots of shooting like the first person style is known for, but also an immense amount of customization, some driving, dialogue trees, robust inventory and skill systems, as well as wall running and much more. According to the developers, you’ll have the option to fight your way through portions of the game or resolve them peacefully with words. Each action has consequences and can steer the player in a multitude of directions. Though it is predominantly a first person perspective, we also saw some cutscenes in which you view your chosen character from other angles.

Combat

The combat is, for lack of a better word, explosive. While no one outside the development team actually had hands-on with the game, it looks incredibly responsive and just plain fun. Shoot through walls, take out some knees, and blast your way through enemies with a wide variety of skills and abilities. There are multiple styles of weapons and enhancements. One of these enhancements seems to come in the form of an inhaler that gives characters a buff for a set amount of time. We don’t know if there are a wide variety of these types of inhalers, if they are reusable, legal or illegal, or really anything else except that the effect was near immediate.

Tech

Cyberpunk 2077 has no loading screens, or at least that’s what we were told would be in the end version. This is similar to many other games, even some big games. But what makes it unique is that there are both indoor and outdoor environments and the player can move in and out of them with no interruption.  Everything about the slice we saw is detailed and refined. If there is one thing that CDPR is known for, it’s their attention to world-building and detail. Of course, this was a demo you can assume they worked very long and hard on, so it’s entirely possible it was beefed up for a great first impression – but it’s safe to say you should expect a ton of intricacies you may not even pick up on during your first playthrough.

Audience

It should go without saying, but Cyberpunk 2077 is probably not a title for most kids or those with certain sensitivities. There is nudity, violence, foul language, dubious ethics and much more stuff society typically tries to reserve for adults. This will likely be just as divisive for some folks as it is exciting for others. If you’re someone who tries to stay away from these types of things, we’d recommend you steer very clear.

Release

There’s no announced release window for Cyberpunk 2077. If what we saw is any indication, the game looks like it’s rather far into the development cycle but, again, this was probably a vertical slice that took tons of time to put together. Knowing CDPR’s history of getting things right before they release them, we wouldn’t be surprised to see it before the end of this console generation – but it seems much more likely it will be a release title, or at least very early, for the next generation of hardware.

Below is the trailer from the XBOX press conference where it was unveiled. Enjoy!

*A very special shoutout to Tom Ohle from Evolve PR for making sure we got in to see the demo! Space was limited and interest was SUPER high, so we’re definitely appreciative*