Thanks to Cyberpunk 2077’s initial reception and “redemption”, the in-development sequel has a high bar to jump…

Few games have been able to bounce back from hostile reception, like Cyberpunk 2077. Since its initial gas release, CD Projekt Red has worked tirelessly to bring the game’s original vision to life. All of this culminated in the incredibly ambitious 2.1 update in 2023 and the launch of the Phantom Liberty DLC expansion. The game consistently lands at or near the top of bestseller lists in digital stores. The number of concurrent players on Steam is also impressive, with an average of roughly 60,000 players.

CD Projekt Red has successfully won back the goodwill of fans thanks to bringing Cyberpunk 2077 to the state it was initially supposed to ship in, but also setting the bar high for the sequel in development.

It was first announced in October 2022, along with several other CD Projekt Red titles in development, that “Project Orion” was the working codename for the Cyberpunk 2077 sequel. Little is known about the project so far, except for the crew involved, which includes Phantom Liberty director Gabe Amatangelo. He is responsible for directing the sequel. Considering the overwhelmingly positive reception of the 2.1 update and Phantom Liberty, it’s safe to say that Project Orion has much going for it regarding narrative and gameplay.

Cyberpunk 2077 leaves tiny uncharted territory for Project Orion

Between the base game and Phantom Liberty, there really isn’t much traditional space left untouched by CD Project Red for a future game. All the major themes of the cyberpunk sci-fi genre can be found in the game’s best missions. The relationship between man and machine, what happens when these boundaries are blurred, the power dynamics between governments and corporations and the merging of different cultures and social classes are explored in-depth and from different perspectives thanks to Cyberpunk 2077’s flexible life path system.

That’s not to say the writers and director behind Project Orion won’t find ways to surprise fans, but they may have to venture into foreign territory.

One area waiting to be further explored in the next Cyberpunk game is body horror. This gives the game a chance to delve deeper into the psychological and physiological dilemmas that arise when mechanical parts fused with organic tissue begin to betray the body they are supposed to repair. Both Cyberpunk 2077 and Phantom Liberty touch on these elements of body horror. But a full sequel could embrace the concept as part of the main narrative.

In terms of gameplay, Project Orion definitely has some ways to go to surpass its predecessor. An expanded and reworked version of the RPG’s progression system is one of the primary candidates. CD Project Red has greatly improved Cyberpunk 2077’s previously unwieldy RPG development.

The current state of the systems is much easier to understand and includes Cyberpunk perks and stat bonuses that have a tangible impact on how characters perform in combat.

All in all, the constant improvements to the base game and the additions that came thanks to update 2.1, which significantly transformed the base experience, have resulted in Cyberpunk 2077 being closer than ever to its initial promises. Cyberpunk 2077 seemed like a game that was too good to be true. The same hype had negative and positive effects on the game during redemption. If Project Orion is to avoid the same initial stumbles and truly grasp its goal, CD Project Red will have a hard time…

Source: GAMINGBible