CD Projekt RED recently unveiled the teaser trailer for their upcoming Intellectual Property, Cyberpunk 2077. Though the game is still in its infancy, the developers have done well in garnering attention and excitement for the upcoming title.

Cyberpunk 2077 is to be the videogame embodiment of the pen and paper Role-Playing-Game from which it is based off of, Cyberpunk 2020, and from the tidbits of info and images the developers are willing to give out, it looks like they are going to stay true to some of the more niche RPG elements and ideas.

Mike Pondsmith, the creator of the pen and paper RPG, is working very closely with the devs to really drive home the feeling of an immersive and gritty cyberpunk world. As Pondsmith himself says, “It's not the technology, it's the feel. It's giving that dark gritty rain wet street feeling, but at the same time, getting that rock'n roll lost and desperate dangerous quality.”

According to the official blog of Cyberpunk 2077, the team has a lot of experience to work with. Along with skipping classes to play Cyberpunk 2020, the devs cite games such as System Shock, Fallout 2, and the original Deus Ex (not to be confused with the modern prequel Deus Ex: Human Revolution) as their inspiration for their game. For those unaware of the cyberpunk genre, these games are considered the representatives with Deus Ex being revered as the golden standard.

While details for 2077 are scarce at best, the teaser trailer does give us some possible clues to go off of. The return of an empathy bar from the original seems very possible, and likely the cause of rampage by the augmented woman in the video. When the player chooses to forsake their human side and “augment” themselves, they lose Empathy, their ability to communicate with humans. Enough augments and your character becomes abrasive, inhuman, and eventually loses all self-restraint until they turn into a “psycho.”

It is the unique and rarely done RPG element such as this that separates cyberpunk from mainstream Role-Playing games, and can be considered a breath of fresh air. While no class roles are announced yet (the equivalent to character classes, warrior, gunman, wizard, etc.), the police department feels like a nod to the Cop role. Fixer, Media, Corporate, Netrunner, Nomad, Rockerboy, Solo, and Techie from the original are absent for now, but including the expanded roles given in the expansions and sequels, there is a lot of future potential. 

Though CD Projekt RED says the game will be released “When it's ready,” they are projecting a finalized date sometime around 2015. In the days of day one downloadable content, the rushed Wii-U launch, the WarZ disaster of the decade, stale sequels, and failed reboots, this will hopefully start a trend of games actually being made well right from the get go, when they’re actually ready.

 

You can reach contributor Mychal Vazquez here.