There has been much written about Cyberpunk 2077’s many flaws (at least in its initial release), but we should also give it credit where credit is due. After many moons of patching, it finally feels like the game is in a good place ever since the PS5 update launched, from the title’s disastrous launch to its almost entirely unprecedented removal from the PS Store.
However, Pawe Sasko, the director of quests at CD Projekt Red, admitted as much during a recent stream on his Twitch channel, as reported by PCGamesN. A viewer questioned the developer about his thoughts on the criticism that Cyberpunk 2077 turned out to be a much more linear gameplay experience, at least when compared to how the game was advertised before launch. Well, I think it’s completely justified, Sasko retorted.
Depending on the background of the character they choose, players can experience radically different opening segments. There are also numerous branching questlines and no less than five endings. Sasko does admit that “players expected more,” though.
Sasko asserts, “that’s not enough,” before elaborating on why he believes that is the case, despite the fact that there are enough systems available to have at least two playthroughs that feel noticeably different. “Players expected more,” said the author, “they expected more because of how The Witcher 3 is built, and I think that Cyberpunk has an insane amount of non-linearity, but I think expectations were higher.”
It’s good to see a developer respond to constructive criticism, and perhaps future products will include more non-linearity. Phantom Liberty, the first and only expansion for Cyberpunk, is expected to debut in 2023 and reportedly have a record-breaking budget. In order to help with Project Orion, the follow-up to 2077, the company is also expanding and opening a new studio in Boston.
Do you believe the structural criticism of Cyberpunk 2077 is justified? Was The Witcher 3’s freedom overstated by the developers, or were we simply spoiled for choice?
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