A fan of CD Projekt Red's latest open-world role-playing video game Cyberpunk 2077 has replaced the protagonist V with Handsome Squidward from the Nickelodeon cartoon SpongeBob SquarePants.
The image was posted on Reddit by user NOMADISATERRORIST and it quickly amassed praise. The post places the strikingly gorgeous visage of Handsome Squidward into the character creation screen that players see as soon as they start a new game of Cyberpunk 2077. The Reddit post was created in Photoshop using a 3D render from artist Miguel Vasquez, who specializes in horrifyingly realistic 3D images of traditionally 2D cartoons.
For those unaware of the "Handsome Squidward" meme, its origin is from the Season 5 episode of SpongeBob SquarePants, "The Two Faces of Squidward." The aforementioned "Handsome Squidward" appears briefly near the end of the episode when SpongeBob hits Squidward with a door in order to reverse him into his typical non-handsome self. Unfortunately, this accidentally makes Squidward even more chiseled, sculpted and attractive. The close-up image of Squidward has been a popular meme ever since.
Players of Cyberpunk 2077 will know that the limited character creation system in the game does not have the capability to actually recreate the likes of Handsome Squidward. If anything, the Photoshopped image has strengthened the desire for a more developed character creation system in Cyberpunk 2077 with comments asking for the ability to customize the size of facial features, as well as more color options for skin. That being said, Cyberpunk 2077 infamously gives players the option to customize their player's genitals, a feature that certainly separates the RPG from its contemporaries.
The limited customization options are not the only complaints lodged against the game over its early days of release. Players have been reporting a number of bugs, crashes, and glitches while playing the game, especially on last-gen consoles. Earlier this morning, developer CD Projekt Red formally apologized, saying "We should have paid more attention to making it play better on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One." They went on to say that they will release patches that will fix player issues over the next couple of months, but that players who are especially dissatisfied can request a refund for the game. The developer had cited last-gen versions of Cyberpunk 2077 as its primary reason for delaying the release of the game back in November.
Developed by CD Projekt Red, Cyberpunk 2077 is available now on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Google Stadia and PC.
Source: Reddit