Cyberpunk 2077 Review: RPG from The Witcher developers finally released

This dystopian look into the future from a famed developer has been coming for eight years. This week it finally arrives.

One of the most anticipated video games of 2020 is finally coming out after several delays but it’s been worth the wait.

Cyberpunk 2077 is the latest game from the Polish developers behind The Witcher franchise that was turned into a Netflix series.

As you can figure out from the title, the game is set in a dystopian future where crime ravages the fictional Night City and evil corporations have control.

Like The Witcher, Cyberpunk gives you a variety of different ways to play and its role-playing style that adapts to the in-game decisions you make means there are multiple ways the game can pan out.

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Loyalty isn't always rewarded in the future.

There are three different "lifepaths" to choose from.

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You start the game by creating your character and there’s no shortage of customisation options. You can even pick your avatar’s genitalia and their size — I guess now is the time to mention this is a video game for mature adults.

You can also pick from three different “lifepaths”: Nomad, Streetkid and Corporate.

This decision mainly impacts where and how you start the game and the first act is different for all three, which provides some replay value even once the secrets of the story have been revealed.

Physical augments make for some interesting characters in the future.

"Braindances" let you live other people's experiences, though you won't always want to.

The game itself combines gunplay and brawling with stealthier tactics like hacking and sneaking in a first-person perspective, similar to a Dishonoured or Deus Ex type game.

Both elements can take some adjusting to like any other game, but once you pick it up it’s not long before you’re hacking cameras just in time to make sure no one can see you taking down mindless corporate guards (it’s better to think of them this way than entertain the possibility they may have families at home).

Your specific skills in these areas can depend on how you set up your character so there’s also an element of deciding how you want to play the game as you decide what upgrades and perks to apply.

The neon tint of the game speaks to Night City's troubled history.

Imagine: A dystopian future where the police primarily protect the interests of powerful corporations.

The breadth of the game makes it hard to write a proper review at this stage: There’s surely more to it than the five or so hours I’ve been able to make it through in the past couple of days. Some reports have suggested a play-time of up to 175 hours to fully complete the game.

Even the brief time has been enough to justify the delays and maybe even prompt some gamers to forget about them in the first place.

Playing Cyberpunk 2077 is an immersive and atmospheric experience, perfectly accompanied by a gritty but avant-garde soundtrack.

Again, it’s early days, but so far the game has managed to avoid slipping into becoming a boring task master. Most of the things you do in the game serve to move the plot forward and the bits that don’t are at least interesting or enjoyable enough to help you fill your time rather than waste it.

Ripperdocs like this bloke here perform operations to fit you with "cyberware"

Not everyone will survive Cyberpunk 2077.

Gamers have been waiting a long time for Cyberpunk 2077. It was first announced back in 2012.

Since then we’ve seen two different generations of gaming consoles hit the market, but interest has only increased.

This week gamers can finally see for themselves if it was worth the wait.

Cyberpunk 2077 releases on December 10 for PC ($89), PS4 and Xbox One consoles ($79).

A next-gen version for PS5 and Xbox Series S/X is due to arrive next year.