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The Cyberpunk 2077 title screen. The game's logo sits centered on a dark, static-filled screen tinted deep red: 'CYBERPUNK' in bold, angular yellow lettering with a glitchy magenta shadow, above '2077' rendered in a thin cyan techno font. Faint distorted shapes in the background suggest a city skyline glimpsed through digital noise.
Games

Cyberpunk 2077

This one had been sitting on my radar since it first came out, but I was hesitant as I knew it had similar concepts that are found in GTA. While that is true, it still soaked up well over 60 hours of my time with its incredibly bleak Night City and amazing story.

May 16, 20266 min readSteam Deck
  • Steam Deck

Cyberpunk 2077 has been on my radar since the game’s launch as one that I assumed I would get to at some point. I also recognized that it was going to be a long game and that I would have to really devote time to. Boy did that come true as I ended up dropping over 60 hours in the game and I didn’t even play the DLC yet. This was another one that I got as a part of the Gamer’s Tavern Secret Santa for 2025.

Right out of the gate, the first thing I noticed was, oh no… this game is a LOT like Grand Theft Auto. Those games aren’t my favorites just from the police chaces, battles, etc… but this game made it seem a lot easier to avoid a lot of those mechanics which make it much more enjoyable. I don’t dislike GTA, I just don’t love them either. But this is about Cyberpunk and the similarities really end there.

Johnny Silverhand lounges in a red vinyl diner booth, one arm stretched along the seat back and the other resting on the table beside a takeout coffee cup. He wears round tinted sunglasses, a black tactical vest over bare tattooed arms, and dog tags, his long dark hair framing a bearded face. Behind him a retro diner glows with warm neon and hanging lights, with a few patrons at the counter and booths.

The aesthetic of the game is truly beautiful and I wish I would have played this on something with a lot more power than the Steam Deck because I think I left a lot on the table there in terms of immersive beauty. You could tell that models were pared down a bit which took away from parts of the game. Especially when things have so much intricate detail to them in the tech and clothing they wear.

Four members of the Aldecaldos nomad clan relax around a campfire in the desert at dusk, lit in warm orange against a deep blue sky. On the far right a man in a cowboy hat plays an acoustic guitar, two others sit cross-legged in the center with beer bottles in the sand, and a rugged man in armored gear leans against a yellow container on the left. Behind them the glowing skyline of Night City rises in the distance, with a parked vehicle off to the side.

One of the things Cyberpunk 2077 penalized me for was my playstyle. With games like this, open world with a lot on the map, I tend to go run around and do a ton of the side quests before I even get into the main story line. The problem with this is that at certain points, you have to just wait for the story and the quests before continuing. I had literally done almost everything major outside of gigs and NCPD missions, there were times I was just running around doing gigs to waste time while waiting for the quests to continue. It wasn’t overly crazy but something worth knowing if you play this way as well.

The story was really well done and very engaging. Once I actually started the main story line that’s where the beauty of the game really shines. Without giving too much away, the back and forth struggle with V and the primary characters left me wanting to find out more and more. I found myself playing way later in the night than I anticipated because I just wanted to unlock a bit more of the story. The story involving Panam was one that really kept me hooked and I would easily find myself saying “one more mission” anytime she was involved.

Panam Palmer leans on a counter inside a dimly lit nomad trailer, looking toward the camera with a tired, wary expression. Her dark hair is pulled up in a messy topknot with loose strands framing her face, and she wears a red and grey leather Aldecaldos jacket over fingerless gloves. Empty green bottles sit on the counter in front of her, and through a window behind her a campfire burns against a hazy desert landscape at dusk.

What really kept me engaged with the game, however, was the soundtrack. I found myself switching regularly back and forth between Ritual FM and Radio Vexelstrom. There were several times where I’d go looking up the band that was playing only to be let down that they actually weren’t a full on band. There were several black metal songs that would feel right at home on my playlists. Radio Vexelstrom provided the nice contrast with the more industrial side of things. There were only a few songs that I disliked across both and it made it easy to just keep switching back and forth.

That’s not to say the game is perfect, even this long after launch. The typical bugs in massively open world games like this exist and there were several times I had to reload a save to clear a bugged quest. Also the weird clipping that can occur with path finding is prevalent here which led to some hilarious moments. But overall, it did run really well on the deck and was playable even in the craziness of Night City.

I think the game could have done a better job of explaining some of the intricate details and differences between the various cars, bikes, or even just some of the stats and cyber. There were moments where I would go look up what the best was for my particular playstyle but nothing breaking. I didn’t have to look it up. Of course I ended up playing my typical stealth sniper type of build which ultimately became super OP, especially when I added in some of the nicer hacks.

I’m really glad I played the game and enjoyed my time in Night City. Am I jumping right into the DLC? Not really, no, I think I need something different in my life next, but I would happily return in the future.