Cyberpunk 2077 (Phantom Liberty)

Cyberpunk and its expansion are among my favourite video games of all time. I loved The Witcher 3, so it was only natural for me to purchase CD Projekt Red’s next video game instalment.

Now, of course, it had its controversies (which, quite frankly, is a disturbing trend in modern AAA gaming). But I think that even before all the patches, I still liked the game.

I know a lot of things were promised in this game, but the only thing I wanted was the ability to roam a futuristic cyberpunk setting. I wanted to be truly engrossed, and I was.

A large part of that had to do with the story and the side quests. I loved how you could complete them guns blazing or stealthily. There were moral and ethical scenarios that raised my eyebrows, and sometimes it was really difficult to make a choice when called upon.

Especially if it was a quick-time event and I had to decide within the allotted time. I know it’s cheating, but sometimes I pause the game to give myself more time to think.

The atmosphere of the story can be heavy, tense, or foreboding. It could also be comedic. Having real time cutscenes with exemplary voice acting really sold the theme of a dystopian future.

The protagonists and characters in the game are really well written. Everyone has their own agenda or goals in Night City and it’s apparent.

The combat and gunplay feel really fun, especially with the revamped system in the 2.0 update. As I levelled up, I started to become stronger and stronger, eventually feeling like a “Night City Legend.”

Not everything is rosy, though. There are still bugs and graphical glitches, missing features that were advertised, and the driving feels extremely clunky.

But I didn’t experience any gamebreaking bugs that forced me to quit the game.

Anyway, in video games that offer multiple endings, I try my best to strive for the “happy ending.” After all, it’s what people generally prefer.

For the main story, I opted for the secret ending and was satisfied. But with Phantom Liberty, it was an entirely different story.

I opted for the “bad ending.”

Spoilers Ahead.

It’s the first time I’ve ever done this, and it really goes to show how great the writing is. I chose this ending because I was invested in the “there are no happy endings in Night City” theme that the writers sold. I think that’s what makes the story so good: they managed to convince me of that, and I bought into it.

I chose the King of the Cup ending, truly believing I was doing what was best for the NUSA, before ultimately granting Somi’s wish. Of course Reed was upset and I eventually lost the chance to get V cured.

But the story was so engaging and well-crafted that I couldn’t stop thinking about it for a long time. The ending felt so melancholy and pensive. Also, when I mentioned how the game’s atmosphere can get tense, I really meant it. One section of this ending was pure horror, and I loved every second of it.

A great story lingers in your mind long after it ends, and that’s exactly what Phantom Liberty accomplished. Huge kudos to the writers for this DLC.