After 181h, two full playthroughs of base game and one playthrough of Phantom Liberty, there isn't a doubt in my mind that CP2077 as a whole may never fully be recognized by how truly amazing of a story it is, and unfortunately it only has itself to blame. If you simply take the events that unfold at base value, you may come away with the impression it's a somewhat middling action flick, even disappointing at times but hiding behind simply things that occur are some of the most complex and human depictions of characters and their world that I've possibly seen in cyberpunk fiction. Much like Johnny Silverhand himself, it takes a lot of heavy lifting and charity on the player's behalf to really appreciate the complexity at play. There's a lot of work to put in to get to the good stuff, both in terms of technical issues and presentation that will be too tall of an order for most people. If you're looking for gameplay, you won't be blown away. If you're looking for an RPG, you might even be disappointed. If you're looking for a story, you might be pleasantly surprised, on a good day. But if you're willing to go the extra mile and really give it a chance, take the time to analyze and unpack, read between the lines and understand what is being said, and even more importantly - what isn't said, you'll find a world, characters and struggles that are so vividly human it's nothing short of genius. And that goes double for Phantom Liberty, which makes for some of the most morally complicated storytelling not only in the game but maybe fiction altogether. It may not look that way, but I promise, the more work you put in to really understand it, the more it truly keeps giving.
