The quality of an open-world RPG is often not determined solely by the strength of its main story, but rather by the side missions that surround it. With Cyberpunk 2077, CD Projekt Red has crafted an entire game built on this philosophy. Aside from its surprisingly brief yet utterly compelling central questline, most of what you can do in Night City is entirely optional, yet still incredibly impactful.
This freeform structure does have its drawbacks, including a multitude of distracting bugs. However, the strength of the missions and the wide range of choices available within them make Cyberpunk 2077 one of the most exciting RPGs I’ve played in recent years.
You play as V, a mercenary in Night City who finds themselves sharing their psyche with the long-dead rockstar and anti-corporate terrorist Johnny Silverhand. Yes, that’s Keanu Reeves, although his performance can feel somewhat stiff compared to the rest of the excellent cast. Nevertheless, Johnny’s confrontational relationship with V serves as the emotional anchor of the entire story.
The opening hours of Cyberpunk 2077 do an exceptional job of immersing you in their struggle before Night City’s sprawling map unfolds before you. While most game structures resemble a towering redwood tree with paths branching off higher up, Cyberpunk 2077 is more akin to a sprawling bush—where you don’t have to venture far to find dozens of intertwined branches. Night City is so dense, diverse, and consistently stunning that you’re bound to stumble upon unexpected sights and missions at every turn. The sheer scope is breathtaking, from the towering skyscrapers to the meticulously detailed in-world advertisements that adorn them.
Cyberpunk 2077 feels unmistakably like an RPG. It features rich, beautifully presented conversations and an almost overwhelming amount of choice—whether in dialogue, character builds, or mission approaches. These choices can significantly affect both V’s story and the fates of the characters around them. For instance, a suggestion I made to one character ultimately cost him his job, altering every subsequent interaction I had with him. Knowing that another player might have a very different relationship with that character made my experience feel uniquely personal. Similarly, I was astonished to discover that one of my favorite missions early on wasn’t even available to another player due to a single differing decision.
Such realizations became a common occurrence. The missions themselves are largely delightful, ranging from infiltrating a lavish parade to a series of detective missions where you collect evidence independently. There’s even a deeply touching scuba diving mission, as well as a quirky side quest involving a sentient vending machine. The fact that Cyberpunk 2077 can seamlessly integrate profound moments alongside lighthearted humor and provocative advertisements speaks to the strength of both its storytelling and the world it inhabits.
Importantly, just because a mission is categorized as a side quest doesn’t mean it lacks relevance to the main story. Surprisingly, my first playthrough of Cyberpunk 2077 took around twenty hours. It was only after reloading a save and spending another twenty hours on side missions and character interactions that I returned to complete the main story, discovering that my ending options had changed drastically. After forty-five hours, I had uncovered six wildly different endings and still had plenty more to explore.
While this freeform structure is impressive, it sometimes creates a misleading sense that I wasn’t making progress. Three percentage trackers in the menu relate to different aspects of V’s journey but don’t function as true progress indicators, which can be frustrating.
Nonetheless, the openness of Cyberpunk 2077 is remarkable. Beyond significant story decisions, players also enjoy the classic RPG choice of how to deal with enemies—whether to kill or incapacitate them non-lethally. There are no traditional character classes; instead, you invest points into five primary attributes and then into perks associated with each. For instance, if you opt for a stealthy approach, the “Cool” attribute can make enemies slower to detect you, while its stealth perk page offers additional benefits like increased crouch speed and the ability to perform aerial takedowns. As you use these perks, they naturally improve, lending the system a wonderful flexibility.
Combat evolves gradually as well. While I wasn’t initially enamored with the gunplay, I eventually discovered unique weapons and clever cybernetic augmentations that elevated it beyond mere shooting. Some guns can charge up to shoot through walls, while others fire seeking bullets, and iconic weapons add distinctive twists with their flashy designs. With cyberware that enables time-slowing, double jumping, and more, you’ll find a custom combination that suits your playstyle. The combat may not be the most complex, especially with somewhat simplistic melee options, but I felt fully in control of my approach. My V always preferred to sneak before resorting to violence.
Similar to combat, the stealth mechanics are straightforward, primarily involving crouch-walking to avoid detection. However, planning my route and utilizing quick hacks to blind guards can turn stealth into an engaging puzzle. Like in a Deus Ex game, I was able to complete certain missions without ever firing a weapon, providing a rewarding alternative to combat-heavy encounters. When battles do erupt, a special mention must go to Cyberpunk 2077‘s music. The soundtrack is exceptional, with the combat music standing out and effectively driving the pace of fights.
Now, we must address the bugs. I’ve only played the PC version so far, but the frequency of glitches has been a frustrating nuisance. While none have been game-breaking, it’s rare to go an hour without encountering some issue. Performance is only decent, even on high-end hardware, making me concerned about how last-gen console versions might fare. I’ve experienced characters glitching through animations during crucial conversations, overlapping calls, and my character bobbing awkwardly during drives. Occasionally, when my character model appeared, I found my customized hair missing, and I had to reload a save a couple of times due to mission progress halting. Although these issues didn’t overshadow my enjoyment of the storytelling, they did diminish moments that could have been truly impactful.
A day one patch is expected, along with likely many more in the future, and CD Projekt Red has indicated they will focus on stability and performance—areas where I encountered the most trouble. However, their excellent support for The Witcher 3 gives me hope that these issues can be resolved over time. Right now, though, the experience can feel a bit chaotic. I find myself somewhat envious of players who will dive into Cyberpunk 2077 six months from now, when I expect many of these bugs will be addressed.
Cyberpunk 2077 plunges you into its dazzlingly dense cityscape with few restrictions, offering an overwhelming amount of choice. Your decisions can have tangible impacts on both the world and the people around you. The stories you encounter can be emotional, funny, dark, exciting, and sometimes all of these at once. While the main quest may be shorter than expected on its own, the multitude of optional missions available can significantly influence the outcomes of V and Johnny’s story. It’s a pity that frequent bugs can occasionally undermine an otherwise immersive experience, but Cyberpunk 2077‘s impressively flexible design makes it a truly remarkable RPG.