I'll be short: I have about 20 hours invested in the PC version thus far. I am amazed by the sheer impression the developers were able to pull off at such a great scale as night city, the wasteland that is north-california beyond, and the lore. This does feel as a living and breathing city with a very unique culture. The many gigs, side quests and main quests all keep me invested with ease thus far. There are many different styles to build your character: be it a hacker, a melee combatant, rogue samurai or gunner, or the best crafter of them all... There is a bit of a learning curve at the start though, you'll have to get used to how the inventory, cyberdeck and journal work, or find out what the difference exactly is between a quick-hack and data-breach/deamons upload, as the tutorial nor database isn't exactly clear about this. That said, I found that on the PC, once you get to know the game, Cyberpunk 2077 will steal your soul!
Let's start with the type of game you're looking for when purchasing this game. It's one of Bioware's 2 latest 'big' franchises (Dragon Age and Mass Effect) and a natural successor to the game Baldur's Gate as I have understood. I never played the latter, so I will review this as a standalone. It is definitely a Role Playing Game in a Fantasy Setting. The lore of this setting started with this game, so there is no need to inform yourself with books/comics etc. The game consists roughly out of exploring, combat and dialog. Before continuing with those 3 bullet points I would like to express my opinion regarding visuals and soundtrack. The visuals are fine : they never have been top notch but they are still looking great. And the game runs very smooth on any recent Windows system with decent hardware. The in-game music is, in my opinion, nothing more than ok. The tracks are frequently repeated, there is no outstanding tune, but they keep the game rolling. If you are looking for RPGs from that time with superb soundtracks, I advise The Witcher or Divinity 2. Exploring : The 'map' of Dragon Age Origins is not that big, so exploring as in searching for loot takes not much time beside the rest of the game. Regarding the lore of Dragon Age, it's trademarked by Bioware : I myself find it not the most convincing or interesting for fantasy, but it gets a +1 for being very vast and well documented on online wikis, so that players who really wish it, can spend hours studying this work of fiction. Combat is well presented. Had it not been so, the game would not have become as popular as it is today. The player controls a party of 4 companions and can instruct each of them to move, perform basic attack, special skills ( there are a lot of skills and improvements ) or use items. Combat can be paused at any moment for a more tactical approach. What is nice is that another party combination can have great effect on the difficulty of a fight. Alas, as a result you may find yourself neglecting some of the playable companions. In dialog, the game is at it's strongest. Characters share opinions at any time, the dialogues excel in being serious, funny or just silly. And this really is an RPG where choices influence the events taking place in the story a great deal; or at least that's the illusion. A fair amount of dialogues is just between party members, so you really end up thinking of them as friends. Or lovers, yes, I can't imagine you haven't heard of this. Romance is there, and characters behave differently according to the choices you make. Their storyline changes accordingly too. The best part is that the game is very generous with excellent voice-casted dialogues and options. Except for the Elves. ### I hate the elves. Their looks, voices, background, it all feels so synthetic to me? See for yourself!
The witcher is the perfect mix of elements that make an action RPG: realism, humor, sadness, great gameplay, and a story to get lost in. I recommend new players to read the novels the game is based on. It's not necessary but it helps getting things in perspective. An absolute must have!
