After numerous delays and mountains of hype, Cyberpunk 2077 is finally being released to the public this week. Gamers have been dying to get their hands on CD Projekt Red's latest open-world RPG for a long time, eager to step into the shoes of mercenary V as they, and Keanu Reeves' Johnny Silverhand, make their way through the terrifying futuristic world of Night City. Reviews for the game started pouring in today, and while many of them had plenty of nice things to say, it certainly doesn't look like the finished product lives up to the years of hype.
Critics have praised Cyberpunk 2077 for its open-world design, flexible game mechanics and Reeves' performance. However, some reviewers also pointed out that the short campaign's themes and messages fall flat, its depiction of marginalized groups (particularly transgender people) are problematic and numerous technical issues hamper the overall experience. Here is a roundup of what some of the critics are saying.
Tom Marks, IGN: "The main quest may be shorter than expected when taken on its own and it’s not always clear what you need to do to make meaningful changes to its finale, but the multitude of side quests available almost from the start can have a surprisingly powerful effect on the options you have when you get there. It’s a shame that frustratingly frequent bugs can occasionally kill an otherwise well-set mood, but Cyberpunk 2077’s impressively flexible design makes it a truly remarkable RPG."
Andrew Reiner, Game Informer: "Cyberpunk 2077 is dark and disturbing at times (frighteningly so), but the majority of its content is fascinating, and loaded with depth through the various RPG systems and lore. I thoroughly enjoyed my time in Night City, and Johnny Silverhand is a great partner to see the sights with. Cyberpunk 2077 doesn’t overstay its welcome with its critical-path story, and invites players to jack in and stay for hundreds of hours of unique content should they want to. It didn't blow me away like The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, but is still a hell of an opening to what will hopefully be a new series."
Kallie Plagge, Gamespot: "I don't quite understand the ending I got, but it made me sad. It didn't reflect the V I felt I'd developed, one who helped her friends and followed her curiosity. Worst of all, I have no idea what Cyberpunk 2077 is even trying to say. There's an overall theme of identity that is dashed by the dissonance between the V you actually play and the V you get in the end; otherwise, I couldn't tell you what Cyberpunk is trying to do with its beautifully grotesque world. I got a lot out of the side quests and some of the characters, but I got very little out of the overall story."
Rob Zacny, Vice: "The politics of the world remain distant and hard to parse: private corporations run just about everything that used to be a public good, but how does that change daily life? You live in a world of widespread environmental devastation, but you don't get much sense of the hardship that would cause. You see people running around with all manner of augmentations, but why? The Deus Ex games at least made a point of understanding how cybernetics and enhanced prostheses would change the nature of labor, but Cyberpunk seems a bit iffy on its vision outside of the potential to turn people into living blow-up dolls."
Carolyn Petit, Polygon: "One of my fears about Cyberpunk 2077 was that it was going to be so cynical and nihilistic that playing it would be like wallowing in grim hopelessness, that the cheapness of human life in the game’s world would be mirrored by the game itself. But that’s not the case. It’s easy to lose the human thread in the overwhelming glut of stuff Cyberpunk 2077 puts on your plate, with your map plastered with crimes you can violently 'neutralize' for a reward from the police, and fixers constantly sending you text messages about underdeveloped one-off jobs you can take on to earn a bit of extra cash. But the humanity is there, if you look for it."
Adi Robinson, The Verge: "And seriously — Cyberpunk 2077 is fun. CD Projekt Red has created a sprawling yet densely populated world where even meandering freeways, outlying deserts, and rows of factory-farm greenhouses feel beautifully crafted. It turns the already eerie and dystopian California road network into a veritable maze, with cross-borough trips sending you through a tangle of cement overpasses."
Sam Loveridge, GamesRadar+: "Cyberpunk 2077 is a paragon of open-world gaming, offering the kind of freedom to explore and define your character that provides a new pinnacle for the genre. It takes everything we celebrate about open-world games, and learns from it, implementing best-in-class variations in a world that's so dense and detailed. Add in the human-like level of reactivity and emotional depth that it brings to its narrative, and it all combines for the most spectacular experience. Take a trip to Night City immediately."
Developed by CD Projekt Red, Cyberpunk 2077 arrives on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Google Stadia and PC Dec. 10.