I played the demo a while ago and I was very much looking forward to diving into the full experience. The atmosphere and pixel-art style all did a great job of pulling me in and making me want to keep playing until the end. The gameplay is very much of the classic style: Find objects and use/combine them in ways that sometimes require obtuse logic in order to solve puzzles and progress. Over all, I found the game to be challenging but not impossible to complete without a walkthrough - though I did consult one a few times later in the game. There is a requirement that you do a good amount of backtracking and this did feel quite tedious a few times. This includes going back to other locations not just back and forth across different screens in the same location. The visuals are one area where this game really stands out for me - a cyberpunk universe with a pixel art style. There are enough details in the environments to make each area feel unique and immersive. I know pixel graphics are not everyone's favourite but I feel like the artists did a great job here in capturing that neon-saturated, rain-soaked cyberpunk feel. The soundtrack is amazing and added a lot to the atmosphere of the world. There is no voice acting here so expect to do a lot of reading. The story was pretty good - not amazing though. The ending seems to have disappointed some people. The tone of the game generally is pretty serious but there are moments where the sound design comes across as silly, such as a funny sound effect when interacting with an object in order to solves a puzzle. These are not game-breakers for me though and I was generally pretty engaged throughout. The main character starts out just looking for his girlfriend but as the game progresses there are some pretty big stakes at play in the overarching narrative. Very much worth checking out if you are a fan of the genre - a little dated (or nostalgic) in design but still a great experience over all.
I have been having some fun playing but it is evident that what we got is a far less deep and immersive game than was promised. The city is huge and detailed but it is also dull and lifeless. I have tested the AI a number of times by simpy pointing my gun at people walking by and getting absolutely no reaction at all. Nobody cares what you do and your actions have no impact on how gangs or the city react to your presence. Also, why can't I get a haircut, change my facial hair, get tattoos, etc.? Serious bugs still exist after several patches eventhough the game apparently went gold more than a month ago. I find myself having to frequently reload saves in order to get the game working the way it should. I have been very frustrated with how phone calls from Delamain and local fixers will still come through when driving during story missions and will drown out conversations with other characters. The performance throughout the city overall varies wildly and crashes are not uncommon. The story is also pretty lackluster as well with the main narrative being too short and not particularly well-paced either. The plot beats are also very predictable and offered nothing in the way of surprises. There were a few moments that might have had bigger impact had they not been spoiled in a trailer or deep dive or whatever. Dialogue options are often binary and I never really felt like my choices impacted the story beyond minor changes. This is such a disappointing game with a serious lack of polish and clear downgrade in terms of scope, systems, and mechanics compared to what was being teased for the last several years. I doubt I'll have much interest in replaying Cyberpunk after I finish the main story in a few more hours. Updates might be coming but I spent money for the game that should be working properly right now, not a few months from now. A game that has been in production for this long should be better than this. A lot better.
