A Cyberpunk 2077 player has showcased just how terrifying the Sandevistan cyberware would be from the perspective of pedestrians. Beyond the neon veneer of Night City is a deadly, punishing world that Cyberpunk 2077 fans have not shied away from, often eager to discover what harrowing secrets and events are hidden from view.
Although present in Cyberpunk 2077 since release, Sandevistan was popularized by the recent Cyberpunk Edgerunners, an anime that heavily features the time-slowing implant. Protagonist David Martinez visits a ripperdoc to have a military-grade Sandevistan neuralware installed, granting him the ability to briefly experience a heightened reaction speed. The brevity of this state is of little consequence, given that the pace at which David can operate when under the influence of Sandevistan is so fast that others are rendered incapable of responding without a comparable implant. However, both the anime and game represent this superhuman speed by slowing down the surrounding environments, which provides clarity for the Sandevistan user but does not necessarily encapsulate just how terrifying the devastation could be to the average person.
A video posted to Reddit by Soggy-Snake makes use of editing to demonstrate this phenomenon in real-time. Their V is seen sprinting down a street, pausing to turn towards a trio of thugs waiting by some steps. The player scans them, activates Sandevistan, and not even an entire second passes before pedestrians are fleeing in fear as the enemies lay on those same steps, now without their heads. However, the montage of destruction has only just begun, and another trio from one of the many gangs in Cyberpunk 2077 are enjoying a drink at a bar, only to have their corpses stretched over the seats a moment after.
The horrifying display concludes with an entire convoy of military targets decimated within seconds, their lives extinguished as the vehicles transporting them explode. A comment from Soggy-Snake explained that they utilized the Warp Dancer Sandevistan, which effectively slows time down to 10% of the norm, and then edited the time it was activated to make it appear in real-time, just like any witness nearby would view it.
By the time of Cyberpunk 2077, approximately a year has passed since the events of the anime. Sandevistan is now significantly more accessible, no longer boasting the exclusivity it enjoyed in the anime, meaning the likelihood of such catastrophic carnage being unleashed has exponentially increased. It joins NPCs committing suicide from skyscrapers on a lengthy list of why Night City may not be one of the best places to reside in.
Cyberpunk 2077 is available for PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. The Phantom Liberty DLC releases in 2023.
