Cyberpunk 2077: 5 big gameplay details from today’s deep dive video

CD Projekt Red released today a 15-minute gameplay video from their upcoming RPG Cyberpunk 2077. Here are some of the highlights.

Looking ahead to 2020, there isn’t a game more highly anticipated than CD Projekt Red’s Cyberpunk 2077. Over the past few months, the developer has slowly been peeling back the curtain of its massive RPG, teasing us with trailers and gameplay snippets.

Today, they provided us a 15-minute “deep dive” into the gameplay of Cyberpunk 2077, highlighting several key aspects of the game. In the video, we are shown two distinct ways to play the game and introduced to Pacifica, one of the game’s districts. We also meet the Animals and Voodoo Boys, two rival gangs.

The footage actually presents us with gameplay that is pretty far into the game’s storyline, so CD Projekt Red did edit in a way to avoid spoilers.

Here are some of the highlights from today’s Cyberpunk 2077 deep dive.

Welcome to Pacifica

Pacifica is one of the six districts in Night City. Simply put, it’s a dump.

Envisioned to be a tourist hot spot, an uncertain global economy caused investors to pull out their funding. Unfinished buildings are now home to some of Night City’s most dangerous citizens, including gang wars.

While most of what we’ve seen of Night City has been glitz and glamour and neon lights, Pacifica is the exact opposite. War-torn and dirty.

But with the grime comes some perks that could help you along the way. In Pacifica, you can find rare goods and illegal cyberware.

Gang Wars: The Animals vs Voodoo Boys

The Animals are one of the gangs featured in Cyberpunk 2077 and have taken up base in Pacifica’s abandoned Grand Imperial Mall. What are they up to? That’s exactly what their rival gang, the Voodoo Boys, want to know. So they’ve hired you to find out.

The “rulers’ of Pacifica, the Voodoo Boys are comprised of highly skilled netrunners. The gang itself has close ties to the Haitian community, many of whom settled in Pacifica in the 2060s after a natural disaster struck their island.

The Animals value might and strength, enhanced with melee combat implants and “Juice,” a strength-and-speed enhancing concoction.

“Fluid” Character Creation

Cyberpunk 2077 doesn’t necessarily have predefined “classes.” Rather, it’s up to you to build the character you want through a “fluid” class system.

It all starts with you selecting a background story which unlocks “special options at important story junctions.” Then there’s the actual physical customization of your character, which looks incredibly in-depth. The customization also includes choosing your abilities.

In the demo, we were shown two different types of approaches to gameplay: a “strong solo” build with a focus on aggressive strength and direct combat, and a stealthier “netrunner” with a strategic focus on hacking and manipulating technology. Both approaches differed wildly in terms of gameplay, but they were also both very effective.

Netwatch and the battle for Cyberspace

The overseers of cyberspace, Netwatch is essentially “big brother.” They want law and order, and to protect people from AI anarchy from beyond the Blackwall. Naturally, this is in conflict with the Voodoo Boys, who want to establish contact with the free AIs to enable boundless expansion on the net.

Both have their own reasons and part of the RPG aspect of Cyberpunk 2077 is decided who to side with.

Johnn Silverhand: Ally or Enemy?

Revealed at E3, Johnny Silverhand is played by none other than John Wick star Keanu Reeves. But at the time, not much was known about his character. Apparently he has his own agenda, and it’s your choice to befriend him or make him an enemy. But despite learning a little more about Johnny Silverhand, we still don’t know why you have a chip in your head that allows him direct contact with you. Perhaps that’s something we’ll learn during the game.

Cyberpunk 2077 is set to launch on Xbox One, PS4 and PC next year on April 16, 2020.