Cyberpunk 2077 Review Summary

Engaging story and characters: The game features a deeply engaging and emotionally impactful narrative with well-developed characters. Players have highlighted the strong emotional connection to the story and characters, noting the gripping and captivating nature of the plot.

Varied and satisfying combat: The combat system is praised for its variety and depth, offering multiple playstyles and builds. Players enjoy the fluid and dynamic combat mechanics, which are both satisfying and well-refined.

Phantom Liberty DLC praised: The Phantom Liberty DLC is highly praised for adding significant content and elevating the game. Players consider it a masterpiece that completes the overall gaming experience.

Frequent bugs and technical issues: Players report a wide range of bugs, from minor visual glitches to game-breaking issues. These include floating vegetation, character movement problems, and random crashes.

Lifeless and unintelligent NPCs: NPCs are criticized for feeling lifeless, lacking depth, and exhibiting poor AI behavior. This includes issues with NPC driving and getting stuck.

Lack of interactivity and innovation: The game world lacks interactive elements and meaningful engagement. Players also note a lack of multiplayer mode and replayability.

Rough and buggy launch: The game's initial release was plagued with bugs, crashes, and unfulfilled promises, leading to a disappointing launch experience.

Empty and barren world: The game world is described as empty and barren, with some areas feeling particularly devoid of content and attractions.

Open-world RPG with deep systems: The game features an expansive open-world environment with a variety of activities, districts, and dynamic events. It includes deep RPG systems and action-oriented gameplay, offering freedom in gameplay approach and varied mechanics.

Flexible and engaging gameplay: The gameplay is flexible, engaging, and offers high replayability with multiple playstyles. It includes versatile skill systems and unique mechanics that are highly rated.

Variety of character builds: The game provides a variety of character builds and playstyles, with diverse skill trees and unique gameplay experiences. Players can choose from different builds offering unique combat abilities.

Extensive character customization: Players can customize their characters in detail, including gender, hairstyles, face, body type, modifications, and clothing. The game offers a wide range of customization options and skill combinations.

Variety in missions: The game offers a variety of missions and activities, with different mission approaches and gameplay styles. Players can choose from varied mission routes and combat abilities.

Well-optimized and stable: The game is noted for being well-optimized, running smoothly, and providing a stable experience with minimal bugs and crashes on good hardware.

Game crashes and major bugs: There are reports of game crashes and game-breaking bugs that significantly impact the gaming experience.

High hardware requirements: The game has high hardware requirements and is optimized for mid to high-end PCs, which may limit accessibility for some players.

Minor bugs present: Players report occasional minor bugs and technical issues that are generally not game-breaking but can be annoying.

Stunning graphics with ray tracing: The game features stunning graphics with ray tracing and path tracing, enhancing the visual experience.

Story and immersion praised: The game is highly recommended for its deep, story-driven RPG elements and immersive experience. Players appreciate the engaging gameplay and visually stunning world.

High praise for the game: The game receives the highest possible recommendations and is praised as one of the best and a masterpiece. It is highly recommended for a wide audience.

Worth the investment: The game is deemed worth buying, even at full price, and is considered a valuable investment. Players suggest it is worth the attention and money.

High recommendations despite flaws: Reviewers acknowledge the game's flaws but still highly recommend it for its overall quality and strengths. The game is considered worth experiencing despite its imperfections.

Appeals to specific genres: The game is recommended for fans of sci-fi, dystopian settings, and open-world action games. It is also suggested for fans of GTA and immersive open-world adventures.

Community fair range: $20.00 - $40.00.

Game completion: 100.0h.

Story completion: 25.0h.

Session length: 3.0h.

The game has a steep learning curve and initial confusion due to complex mechanics, which can deter players early on. However, once players overcome these initial hurdles, the game becomes more enjoyable. The fun factor drops after the initial excitement due to repetitive missions and a lack of meaningful progression.

Reported time to anchor: 3h.

Friction: Complex game mechanics; Lengthy dialogues and tutorials; Bugs and crashes; Steep learning curve.

Veteran Explorer: Thorough and methodical, often replaying the game to experience different storylines and playstyles. Motivation: Exploration and mastery of the game's content. Stance: buy.

Story-Driven Immersionist: Focused on story missions and character interactions, often exploring side quests for additional lore and depth. Motivation: Engagement with the game's narrative and lore. Stance: buy.

Narrative Enthusiast: Focused on experiencing the main story and significant side quests, often replaying to explore different narrative paths. Motivation: Engagement with the game's story and world. Stance: buy.

Performance varies significantly across hardware cohorts, with higher-end systems generally reporting smoother experiences. Lower-end hardware often struggles with crashes and performance issues, while mid-range and high-end setups tend to have more positive experiences, albeit with some caveats.

Windows 12-15GB VRAM: mixed. This cohort reports a mix of smooth performance and significant crashes, with some users experiencing stability issues despite high-end hardware.

Windows <8GB VRAM / <16GB RAM: negative. This cohort frequently reports crashes and poor performance, making the game often unplayable.

Windows 8-11GB VRAM: mixed. Users report a mix of smooth performance and crashes, with some experiencing significant stability issues.

Steam Deck: The analysis of user feedback for the Steam Deck experience of the game reveals several critical issues impacting the overall user experience. Key themes include performance and optimization problems, frequent crashes and stability issues, UI/UX difficulties, and various bugs and glitches. Users report that the game does not run smoothly on the Steam Deck without additional tweaks or hardware, indicating significant performance issues. Frequent crashes and instability are major concerns, with many users experiencing game crashes and task interruptions. Additionally, the small text and UI elements on the Steam Deck make it challenging for users to navigate and play the game comfortably. Numerous bugs and glitches, such as NPCs getting stuck and animation issues, further detract from the overall experience. These issues collectively contribute to a less than optimal gaming experience on the Steam Deck.

Linux and Proton: The game generally runs well on Linux with some users reporting smooth performance and good Proton compatibility. However, there are notable issues with occasional crashes, the need for tweaks and workarounds, and some significant compatibility problems for certain users. The overall experience varies, with some users having a seamless experience while others face considerable challenges.

Monetization: The analysis of user reviews reveals several key themes regarding the DLC, Phantom Liberty, for the game. Users generally praise the quality and integration of the DLC, highlighting its significant enhancements to the overall gaming experience. However, there are concerns about the pricing of the DLC, with some users finding the additional cost to be high. Additionally, users have high expectations for DLC content, given the developer's reputation for high-quality DLCs, and some feel that more major DLCs should have been provided.

Mod reliance: The analysis of user feedback reveals that while mods significantly enhance the gameplay experience and fix some bugs, they are not universally mandatory. Most users recommend mods for quality of life improvements and enhanced gameplay, but the vanilla game is generally playable without them. Some users report specific issues that require mods to fix, but these are not widespread enough to be considered game-breaking.

External guides: The analysis of user feedback reveals significant reliance on external data sources such as wikis and guides. The primary issues fall into three main categories: the need to understand complex mechanics and quest outcomes ('The Student'), navigation and bug fixes ('The Tourist'), and inventory management and crafting ('The Hoarder'). The most severe and frequent complaints are related to the need for external data to comprehend game mechanics and achieve specific outcomes, indicating a high impact on user experience.

Game inspires fan tattoos: The game has had a significant cultural impact, inspiring at least one fan to get a tattoo based on its themes or aesthetics.