After an nearly three yr lengthy wait, the primary (and solely) enlargement for Cyberpunk 2077 is right here. Phantom Liberty affords an entire new storyline to discover, one which sees you getting wrapped up in a political spy thriller as you are tasked with saving the president of the NUSA. It additionally provides in an entire new space to discover, Dogtown, a cordoned off part of Night time Metropolis that has its personal guidelines and militia. Dogtown is not the largest space in comparison with the remainder of the sport’s locales, however actually? I believe it is higher than the whole remainder of the map.
Yesterday I wrote about my emotions on how Cyberpunk has modified with its 2.0 replace, and the way we should not actually be saying “it was all the time good,” as a result of I do suppose there are some larger issues {that a} ability tree overhaul and numerous different tweaks cannot repair. One in every of my downside’s is Night time Metropolis itself. For a futuristic metropolis, I believe large components of it aren’t all that fascinating.
As I outlined in yesterday’s piece, there are pockets of fascinating locations to search out in Night time Metropolis. Specifically I like Pacifica, as a result of from its design alone you may shortly garner it is not fairly as prosperous as different areas in Night time Metropolis. However once more, areas like these that I really feel genuinely all in favour of exploring really feel few and much between; all the opposite monolith buildings exist for no different function than set ornament.
It is no shock, then, that I like Dogtown when it is fairly actually located proper subsequent to the Pacifica district. Very similar to the remainder of Pacifica, it is not likely a spot you may simply go to however one can find quite a lot of fascinating areas to go to. There is a membership that has stacks of big enjoying playing cards adorning its entrance, a glass pyramid paying homage to the Luxor Las Vegas on line casino lodge, and even an space that feels closest to Disney’s Epcot.
The structure of Dogtown is what helps it stand out in comparison with the remainder of Night time Metropolis. On the entrance of Dogtown, or no less than the half that faces the remainder of Night time Metropolis, you may fairly simply see tall, trendy buildings much like what you’d see spherical the remainder of the map. Although the large distinction is that they are unfinished, clearly deserted development tasks left behind as a consequence of it beforehand being a warfare zone.
Behind all of that you’re going to discover two units of architectural kinds: artwork deco, and brutalism. The 2 aren’t all that dissimilar, but it surely’s clear that it is a city caught between two time durations, struggling to maneuver on from its historical past, however one it might’t handle to do from an apparent lack of funds. With out even enjoying the enlargement’s story you may shortly get the gist of what occurred right here.
Due to all that, Dogtown feels much more purposeful of a spot than the remainder of Night time Metropolis does. It is extra compact, however you are even given a tiny automobile to assist navigate it. That compactness is a boon, although, as a result of every thing feels a lot extra shortly recognisable to me in a means the remainder of the map hasn’t fairly managed to. It appears like CD Projekt Pink actually needed to depart an impression on the participant that that is its personal place, its personal mini-world with its personal guidelines.
Personally, I discover the fixed want for larger and larger maps to be a bit tedious, as a result of it is uncommon that anybody can truly pull it off (not each sport will be Tears of the Kingdom). Dogtown is a good argument for scaling again, and choosing one thing extra private. It appears like a personality of its personal, simply as a lot as Solomon Reed and Track So Mi are. Hopefully, that is simply CD Projekt setting the stage for its followup, as a result of if they will pull this degree of element off once more, I will wish to soar again into Cyberpunk’s world.