Summary

  • Cyberpunk 2077 has come a long way from its rocky start, now considered a top open-world RPG.
  • CD Projekt Red can still improve the game with Project Orion, addressing missing features and content.
  • The potential addition of wall-running in the sequel could bring a fresh perspective to Night City exploration.

Cyberpunk 2077, following a long period of intense criticism and backlash, is now in a relatively stable and respectable state, with many considering it one of the best open-world RPGs in recent memory. Although the game has seen a number of worthwhile improvements through post-launch patches and the fantastic Phantom Liberty DLC, there's still plenty of room for CD Projekt Red to improve with Project Orion, its code-named sequel. While no game is perfect, and even the most tightly designed masterpieces have their detractors, Cyberpunk 2077 criticism has a few peculiarities.

For one thing, many players are still feeling a bit sore about the game's notoriously bad launch state, and for good reason—Cyberpunk 2077 simply wasn't up to snuff on release. In the same vein, there's an argument to be made that Cyberpunk never truly lived up to the early promises made by CD Projekt Red, who marketed the game as a revolutionary RPG and a massive leap forward in terms of gaming presentation, ambition, and technical quality. Cyberpunk 2077 is much better now, but it still lacks many features touted by CDPR ahead of its release, with some of the most disappointing omissions including backstory customization, third-person cutscenes, and NPC interactions based on street cred.

Project Orion Make Good On Cyberpunk 2077's Cut Wall Running Ability

Among the most notorious pieces of cut content is Cyberpunk 2077's wall-running feature. Shown off in pre-release gameplay footage, wall running and wall-hanging were originally intended to be powerful parts of V's toolkit, allowing them to get the upper hand on enemies, traverse environments with greater efficiency, and create makeshift vantage points for various scenarios. Players were excited about this feature, not only because wall-running almost always makes for a fun addition to a game, but also because it would service the cyberpunk fantasy; running and gunning, hacking enemies, and escaping danger would have had a far more unique and dynamic feel, were wall-running to have made the final cut.

Like many pieces of cut content, Cyberpunk 2077 modders have retrofitted wall-running onto the game, but the feature still isn't available for console players.

Project Orion Has the Perfect Opportunity to Add Wall Running

While the removal of wall running is disappointing, it's at least understandable. On paper, wall running might seem like a fairly straightforward implementation, but in practice, that's not quite the case, especially in an open-world game. It would have been a complex and arduous process to keep the player from sequence-jumping, cheesing important missions, clipping through the map, or otherwise breaking the game through such a feature. It's a far different situation than in a game like Ghostrunner, which is built around platforming mechanics rather than open-world exploration or RPG systems.

But if Project Orion is taking players back to Night City, then wall running could be an ingenious way to make the setting feel fresh between entries. Of course, the sequel will presumably add a few more locations and tweak some details, but the biggest differences between it and its predecessor could be how players engage with its environment, rather than the environment itself. Moreover, CD Projekt Red wouldn't have to juggle designing a new Cyberpunk setting and a reliable, major traversal feature; the studio could just focus on the latter aspect, potentially reducing the development strain of such a feature.

Of course, this is all assuming that Night City will return as the main setting of Project Orion. The next Cyberpunk 2077 could leave Night City behind, or make it only one of many explorable cities. Even so, with how fun Cyberpunk 2077's other traversal features can be, and how excited fans were about the prospect of wall running, Project Orion seems like a great chance to finally bring the ability to fruition.

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Cyberpunk 2077
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6 /10
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Released
December 10, 2020
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WHERE TO PLAY

SUBSCRIPTION
DIGITAL
PHYSICAL
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Cyberpunk 2077 is an open-world action-adventure from the creators of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, CD Projekt Red.

Set in Night City, a megalopolis obsessed with power, glamour and body modification, you play as V, a mercenary outlaw going after a one-of-a-kind implant that is the key to immortality.

Upgraded with next-gen in mind and featuring free additional content, customize your character and playstyle as you take on jobs, build a reputation, and unlock upgrades. 

The relationships you forge and the choices you make will shape the story and the world around you. Legends are made here. What will yours be?

ESRB
M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Nudity, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content, Use of Drugs and Alcohol
Developer(s)
CD Projekt Red
Publisher(s)
CD Projekt Red
Engine
REDengine 4
Genre(s)
RPG, Action
How Long To Beat
25 Hours
Metascore
75
PS Plus Availability
Extra & Premium
cyberpunk 2077 player count edgerunners 2 reveal
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