(ThyBlackMan.com) So, we’re a little over a month away from Cyberpunk 2077—following three delays on a game that was announced in 2012—but what is Cyberpunk? On that note, what is cyberpunk? Let’s look at both and get you up to speed on what is certain to be a break out game.
Cyberpunk The Genre
This subgenre of sci-fi has been around in some form of another in literature and comics since the 1970s. The most base description is sci-fi set in a not-so-distant future where technology is an important part of life, industry, law, and entertainment.
Because of technology’s importance, the companies that made all of the advances that impacted every facet of life generally become these mega corps that have a ton of sway in law and policy.
They have lobbyists, paid politicians, and paramilitary security forces. It only makes sense as they have so much money and produce weapons, gear, and everything else. Gangs still exist and there are larger crime organizations because…crime has become rampant with advances in tech.
Technology such as AI, drones, androids, and biological whatevers are also commonplace. Since there is a very human concern with immortality, it’s not unusual to see parts of the population in cyberpunk media get fully functional prosthetics or chips implanted.
That means we can add cyborgs to the list of themes.
All that ties into mega corps being so important they can go unchecked and get away with unethical things in these stories.
Tales often such as the line between man and machine, fights against the machine and powerful crime bosses, class clashing with technology, or combating some kind of grim super science are commonplace as well.
Like most fantasy/sci-fi subgenres, early cyberpunk literature had an issue with not involving people of color into storylines in a meaningful way. The equalizer to this was Mike Pondsmith’s tabletop RPG Cyberpunk 2020 which allows players and game masters to make the setting as they wish and play characters of all backgrounds that the players create.
Prime Examples
Cyberpunk has a lot of examples that we’ll all be familiar with. There are films such as Blade Runner, Minority Report, Demolition Man, Akira, Ghost in the Shell, The Matrix, and Dredd.
On the small screen, personal favorites Aeon Fluxx, Continuum, Netflix’s Altered Carbon, and Fox cult hits Dollhouse and Dark Angel both fit the bill. If you’re more of a bookworm or comic book fan check out Judge Dredd, Do Android Dream of Electric Sheep, Street Lethal, Neuromancer, and The City anthology are good places to start.
Gaming has run with cyberpunk since the 1980s. From the tabletop RPG origins of Cyberpunk and Shadowrun to adaptations of those two series and franchises such as Deus Ex, Final Fantasy, Strider, Satellite Reign, Cyber Knights, and Neon Chrome.
Speaking of Cyberpunk 2020…
So, What Is Cyberpunk 2077?
Back in 2012, The Witcher 3 developers CD Projekt Red announced that they had the license to do a Cyberpunk game. The game is an adaptation of the tabletop RPG series created by Mike Pondsmith and sticks closely to those roots.
The player will create their character, choose a class or job, allocate their points, and develop their character as they navigate Night City. This city is based in California—now a free state—and is a center for technological advancement in the late 21st century.
True to the subgenre’s tropes, there is a lot of crime, numerous gangs, tons of homeless and addicts, and tech companies that run everything. Oh, we can’t forget about paramilitary-type forces that keep whatever passes as order in Night City.
V In Night City
Your character—called V for voice acting/script purposes—navigates the large megacity in first-person similar to other action RPGs such as Deus Ex, Fallout, and Elder Scrolls.
While there is definitely a main storyline, I’m certain there will be a ton of room for freedom of exploration and side missions just like the games mentioned and in CD Projekt’s own The Witcher franchise.
I mean, outside of going from third-person to first-person, I don’t see CD Projekt taking a franchise that is based on choices and paving your own way and making it a linear, start-to-finish game. Since character creation is the hands of the player instead of playing as a defined character, expect layers to the gameplay and to your character’s development.
Ultimately, it will look like a next-gen version of many action games you’ve played on Xbox One or PlayStation 4 only with a gritty futuristic aesthetic. It’ll likely play the same as a couple of those games as well.
The interesting thing here will be how the game rules of the game’s inspiration will be implemented here. Pondsmith’s tabletop version has numerous classes, skillsets, and the like but there is only a thimbleful of classes here.
How will it play out on console and PC? Is it going to be a smooth adaptation like the Shadowrun games by Harebrained Schemes? Will CD Projekt release more classes as DLC? We’ll find out in December!
Staff Writer; M. Swift
This talented writer is also a podcast host, and comic book fan who loves all things old school. One may also find him on Twitter at; metalswift.