Though CD Projekt Red's highly-anticipated sci-fi RPG is an ambitious game with some excellent features, it did receive a fair bit of controversy after its release. Cyberpunk 2077 fell into the trap that many long-awaited titles encounter, releasing too early in the wake of pressure from players and higher-ups and launching in a far-from-finished condition. To meet deadlines and budgets, some games also sacrifice features that were promised before launch or compromise on graphics, which inevitably leads to fan disappointment and backlash. In many ways, Cyberpunk 2077 had a rough first few years after it launched in 2020, but it's largely managed to get its reputation back on track thanks to multiple updates and patches.
Some fan criticism was based on apparent false marketing and failed promises, or unfair vitriol because of personal disappointments, though other complaints centered on Cyberpunk 2077's actual shortcomings. No game is ever going to be perfect or manage to please every single gamer, and there are inevitable differences in opinion when it comes to how games can be improved. While Cyberpunk 2077 certainly has its fans and has a good deal of aspects to recommend it, some feel that it should have incorporated more elements from the original Cyberpunk tabletop RPG that inspired it.
Elements Of The TTRPG Cyberpunk 2077 Included
Mike Pondsmith created the Cyberpunk TTRPG originally released in 1988, with multiple later editions that focused on a sci-fi world where order has largely collapsed and violence is endemic. The game focuses on themes of rampant capitalism, exploitative corporations, and body modification, and in that regard, Cyberpunk 2077 retained a lot of the core tenets of the TTRPG. The game also focused the action in Night City, with its neon-lit streets and escalating crime, and shared the TTRPG's aesthetics when it came to futuristic attire and tech.
CD Projekt Red may have presented its own story within the Cyberpunk universe and included its own elements alongside the ones borrowed from the board game, but it's clear the TTRPG had a strong influence on many aspects of the video game. More than anything, the look and feel of the game have been distilled from the visuals of the board game, so fans of the latter should feel right at home in the world CD Projekt Red created.
An absolutely key element of the board game is the cybernetic enhancements, and Cyberpunk 2077 makes sure that players have the chance to change up their implants, limbs, and other features at the various Ripperdocs littered about Night City. Not only does this tie in well to the RPG elements of the game, but it also helps players customize their combat as well as their look.
Why It Should Have Featured More
Cyberpunk 2077 wears its TTRPG inspiration on its sleeve, but some fans feel like the video game should have delved a bit deeper with the aspects it featured. While players can create their own V and decide what their backstory is, they're locked into a certain type of career path right from the start. This doesn't mean that players can't choose how they want to go about making a name for themselves in Night City, but the RPG elements would have been enhanced if players were able to choose their own roles such as a solo, netrunner, techie, or even a rockerboy with their own associated skillset.
Other elements of the TTRPG should have been explored to a greater degree to make Night City feel more like a living, breathing place with in-depth characters and authentic stories. Cyberpunk 2077's Lifepaths were fairly shallow, whereas backgrounds in the TTRPG were fleshed out and even affected things like the types of enemies players would have that were specific to their pasts and associations. Relationships between characters in the TTRPG also depended more on player actions for whether they were successful, and weren't quite as formulaic as they appeared in Cyberpunk 2077.
Other groups and factions that had a lot more prominence in the TTRPG would have helped to add layers and complexity to Cyberpunk 2077's world, like more encounters with the highly-trained and formidable MAX-TAC units, or the Trauma Team that helped to heal and keep players alive. These serve as fascinating glimpses into how Night City actually functions, but their infrequent use in Cyberpunk 2077 made the world of the game feel a little simplistic compared to its TTRPG counterpart.
Cyberpunk 2077 is available now for Google Stadia, PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
