The nuance and moral ambiguity of CD Projekt Red's quest design became a part of its signature style with The Witcher 3 but was never on finer display than during the Sinnerman gig in Cyberpunk 2077. A simple assassination when it is first delegated to V, Cyberpunk 2077's Sinnerman side quest takes a number of unexpected twists if the player chooses to spare their hit, and its dual-natured design is precisely what the upcoming Phantom Liberty expansion should shoot for.
Cyberpunk 2077's first and only planned expansion, Phantom Liberty, had a high-octane trailer released for it in the winter of 2022, but little has been shown about the DLC since then. Leading speculation places its launch in the Fall of 2023, with a marketing campaign set to ramp up in June. After its semi-disastrous launch in 2020, CD Projekt Red has been hard at work rectifying the blow to its public perception by fine-tuning Cyberpunk 2077 and addressing player feedback. Fans' feelings remain mixed, however, the game is currently in a good place, and its best moments still ring true as some of the finest dynamic storytelling in the medium.
Sinnerman is Exactly The Type of Story That Put CD Projekt Red on The Map
The Sinnerman gig for Cyberpunk 2077 is deceptive in its complexity. Beginning as a relatively simple hit job, the player can opt to kill the target and be done with the whole thing in a cut-and-dry fashion. It is only if the player decides to hear their target out and then spare him that the gig takes an ethically complex turn to the absurd. As it turns out, the mark is a criminal turned born-again Christian, whose sentence was commuted thanks to his agreeing to a uniquely macabre Braindance. As V, the player can escort the target to the Braindance studio, where he is set to be literally crucified. All sides are in agreement with this arrangement, and despite its gruesome consequences, the target seems especially into his sealed fate.
There are several crossroads the player must face in the Sinnerman gig, opting to either take a bribe from the Braindance producer to look the other way, or refuse it in order to attempt to be a voice of reason to the intended victim. Despite the player's choice, the initial target is doomed, and the ensuing moral quandary highlights how great CD Projekt Red is at creating scenarios that are never truly black and white. There are four options related to assisting in the crucifixion, ranging from washing their hands of the whole thing, all the way up to hammering in every nail to the crucifix. Sinnerman is as bleak as it is brilliant in design and execution and remains one of the most memorable chapters of Cyberpunk 2077.
CD Projekt Red Should Take a Note From Its Own Book for Phantom Liberty
With plenty of time to double down on what worked in Cyberpunk 2077 while foregoing or improving what did not, anticipation for Phantom Liberty is high. Fans are hopeful that the lessons learned over the course of the last several years point to Phantom Liberty being close to the standards set by the studio with Witcher 3. Compared to the Blood and Wine expansion for Witcher 3, Phantom Liberty could add as much as 30 hours of new content to the game. CD Projekt Red would be well-advised to fill as much of that content as possible with morally ambiguous and sordidly dark quest lines. Sinnerman was a discomforting and introspective storyline, and that is exactly what the studio should go for with its expansion.
With some phenomenal set pieces shown off in its trailer, and the inclusion of A-list actor Idris Elba joining the cast, Cyberpunk 2077's Phantom Liberty has a lot going for it. In order to stick the landing, CD Projekt Red will have to go back to its roots of quest design that gives players agency while taking unexpected twists that eschew the traditional good-bad dynamic of most games.
Cyberpunk 2077 is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
