Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty Review: The Turnaround We Needed
Cyberpunk 2077 is one of those games that gave me plenty of reasons to be nervous when it first launched, and the announcement of Phantom Liberty made me extremely wary. This game had the worst kind of underdelivery and overpromise. Studio Trigger's anime, Cyberpunk Edgerunners revitalized the game, and regular patches improved overall performance, bringing gamers back to Night City. But the game still lacked an RPG feel. Do update 2.0 and Phantom Liberty fix this problem? Can you finally explore Night City as you wish? Let's find out in our Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty review!
A Series Of New Characters
In the story, Phantom Liberty does not introduce a whole series of new characters and only introduces a few of them. However, each character introduced serves its intended purpose. Not for once does it feel like any character is wasted. Of course, Idris Elba, who plays Solomon Reed, does a fantastic job of being a weary sleeper agent whose entire life is dedicated to serving NUSA.
They only care about following the President's orders. However, his past decisions also come back to haunt him, raising questions about his loyalty and duty to his government.
Songbird is the another standout character in DLC. Seriously, Songbird reminds me of the character Lucy on the show Edgerunners. Saying anything outside this spoils her role, but she plays an important role in the game.
Of course, other characters shine, such as the cruel and calculating NUSA president Rosalind Myers. Myers, the former CEO-turned-president of Miltec, is all about results. The voice actress does a great job with the character and leaves a lasting impression. If there's anyone who feels doomed as a character, it's Kurt Hansen. We only see him briefly in two full scenes. Perhaps more conversation would have helped.
Two other characters who played their roles well are NUSA sleeper agent; Alex, and the new Dogtown- based fixer, Mr. Hands. Alex is Solomon's ex-colleague, who works with Songbird and him. Every conversation with him felt very personal. Mr. Hands, on the other hand, has a vested interest in Dogtown and helps V in his missions in exchange for power and politics within the closed confines of the area. Although Mr. Hands' role is brief, his presence and the holocall are charismatic. Of course, you'll find out more about Keanu Reeves' Johnny Silverhand here. A little less prick this time.
New Ways To Play
However, it is worth noting that they have fixed most of the main Cyberpunk 2077 gameplay issues with the 2.0 update. Two issues, the skill tree and police AI, have been reworked and fixed. Let's start with police AI. The system works like any other open-world police AI system in video games. If you do something life threatening and somethng stupid the police will be alerted. This initiates a chase where you break their line of sight and hide. Every time you successfully hide, your wanted counter is reset, and as your wanted counter intensity increases, more and more police will appear. Until you reach the maximum desired level, in which case Maxstack is shipped.
A working police AI system brings the city to life, making the place feel alive. Another great addition is the complete revamp of the skill-tree system. It feels broad and encompassing. While you still receive attribute points that you spend on the five attributes in the game, the skill tree associated with the corresponding attribute has received extensive reworking. Gone are the days when you spent points to improve your craftsmanship. Skill trees now give you game-changing rewards. We're talking quick-dash, bulldozing on enemies, shockwave attacks. Each skill you unlock also has sub-skills that improve your attributes. If anything, you can now create a specific build for your V. Do you want to become proficient in nettraining? You can finally do it. The changes are meaningful enough that you'll get some great builds.
Additionally, when your attribute reaches a certain level, you can unlock more sections from the skill tree. You can also become a full-fledged ninja, who can run around with a katana and block bullets. The game also receives a new skill tree called Relic. It comes with three different skills for you to choose from, each costing 3 Relic points. These relic points are collected from old Miltec stations scattered throughout Dogtown. The Relic tree gives you various new skills, such as skills for your Mantis Blade, cloaking abilities, and vulnerability analysis. Although it's not as extensive as other skill trees, it does give your gameplay a bit of a refresh with specific weapons like the Mantis Blade. I feel like Project Red could have added a more diverse set of skills to this tree, making the Relic tree seem quite redundant.
CD Projekt Red didn't stop there. Now you can engage in vehicle combat, allowing you to shoot while driving. Although the holster animation inside the car needs some work, you can eventually elude the people chasing you. The game allows you to do it in first or third person mode. There were also some changes in cyberware and gear. Taking inspiration from Edgerunners, the game now links your armor rating to your cyberweapon. Of course, this means that the clothes and uniforms you purchase during the game are now cosmetic and offer no protection. The Cyberware menu has become more attractive by adding new animations, and you can change Cyberware only on the Ripperdock. This means you have to plan accordingly to get the perfect build. And yes, if you have too much cyberwarfare you can go into cyberpsychosis. A new radio station has also been added in the new update. Called 89.7 Growl, it hosts user-generated music that CD Projekt picked up from a contest months earlier. Sasha Gray voices RJ, and it will definitely make you tilt your head sometimes.
Finally, the game removed the collectible and craftable Med-Hypo and added a fixed Maxdock. It comes in quantities of two and replenishes over time. Gone are the days of submitting to med-hypos. Now you need to think and strategize to plan and deal with situations. These changes make for a fascinating experience, and while I would side with less use of the city, all of these changes make the game a worthwhile experience.
Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty DLC: Is it worth buying?
Finally, the game removed the collectible and craftable Med-Hypo and added a fixed Maxdock. It comes in quantities of two and replenishes over time. Gone are the days of submitting to med-hypos. Now you need to think and strategize to plan and deal with situations. These changes make for a fascinating experience, and while I would side with less use of the city, all of these changes make the game a worthwhile experience.
Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty DLC: Is it worth buying?
Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty and Update 2.0 do exactly what we expected from the company – bring the game to a state where it's fun. I'm not saying that CD Projekt Red as a company should be cut in any way for the original's poor launch. We must hold them accountable for the false promises and the conditions in which the game was first launched. But Project Red has worked tirelessly to make the game enjoyable and it shows in this DLC. The love and care they've received through the Phantom Liberty DLC and this update makes the game a completely different, enjoyable experience. Now, the biggest question might be whether to play the game afresh with all these changes. And we share the same idea as CD Projekt Red. Given how drastic some of these changes are, we recommend you do a new playthrough of Cyberpunk 2077. Granted, we played the game from our existing save file (since we were short on time for the review). However, this doesn't detract from the overall fun experience of the game. With a story that highlights the story of Night City and some meaningful changes to the gameplay, Cyberpunk 2077 is finally in a position where you can purchase and enjoy the game without any worries. This is how the game should have launched, and it shows that the team took every criticism seriously and delivered a great update. We recommend getting Phantom Liberty and exploring Dogtown with a new perspective. Well, this is the perfect way to cap off V and his escapades in Night City.
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