Cyberpunk 2077 is finally in a position where it can not only receive the praise it deserves as an open-world action-RPG, but also excite fans with news about its upcoming Phantom Liberty expansion. This bodes well for any other post-launch content that Cyberpunk 2077 may have, as well as its confirmed sequel, but CD Projekt Red will still need to assure fans that it can stick the landing with the sequel’s launch. Cyberpunk 2077’s sequel is tentatively known as Project Orion at the moment, and full transparency about its development would be greatly appreciated by eager fans.
Further, there are multiple improvements that the Cyberpunk 2077 sequel could integrate in order to eclipse the original. Many fans dislike Cyberpunk 2077’s braindance sequences, for example, and how the game handles driving or inventory management. These are seemingly simple fixes that the sequel could iterate upon; however, Cyberpunk 2077’s sequel would see its most positively significant change if it decided to add a dedicated third-person mode. This way, the player’s character customization and cyberware implants would pack an immersive punch that the original game lacks.
Cyberpunk 2077’s Character Customization Leaves Much to Be Desired
It was disappointing that players could only see their customized character while they were on a motorcycle with a toggleable third-person mode, in the inventory menu, or when interacting with mirrors that obscure the character’s reflection otherwise. Mods have since attempted to rectify this, but of course they are not official corrections.
Indeed, Cyberpunk 2077 has been marred by all its glaring issues since launch, and CD Projekt Red was right to place its attention on those concerns rather than attempting to shoehorn in a post-launch third-person mode. That said, customization seems watered down when players are not always aware of how their character may look. Stats can have importance to some players too, but many fans would happily adorn their characters in clothing they like aesthetically, even if it does not have stats that exceed those of other clothing they dislike the appearance of.
Third-person perspectives may not be everyone’s preference and first-person perspectives are typically oriented toward action-shooters of Cyberpunk 2077’s ilk anyhow. However, customization could have been depicted much more immersively with a dedicated third-person perspective, and Cyberpunk 2077’s sequel has a chance to capitalize on that.
The Cyberpunk 2077 Sequel Could Revel in Third-Person Implant Cosmetics
One missed opportunity in Cyberpunk 2077 was the option to see how cyberware implants looked on the player’s character. Having unique implant cosmetics be represented on the character’s body and respective appendages would have been incredibly immersive, depicting when players choose to forgo their organic tissue for stylish biocomponents. Similarly, it would have been more immersive if each cyberware upgrade or installation at a ripperdoc was represented with its own cinematic to show those implants being installed.
If Cyberpunk 2077’s sequel has a dedicated third-person mode, this could finally be achieved and portrayed in-game. Many players would love to have a visual representation of all the mods they install into their character’s body, but a third-person perspective would be great in general for any fans who prefer The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt’s own third-perspective while exploring the open-world, or during combat for a wider field of view.
Of course, the certainty that a sequel will launch with much less technical issues is obviously where the development should lean. But there are many incentives for a third-person mode that will hopefully be offered to fans in the upcoming sequel to Cyberpunk 2077.
Cyberpunk 2077’s sequel, codenamed Project Orion, is in development for unspecified platforms.