Original link: https://markonreview.com/2023/09/30/its-okay-to-cry-review-on-2077-and-phantom-liberty/
Thanks to the invitation from CD Projekt RED, the author started playing version 2.0 of “Cyberpunk 2077” (hereinafter referred to as 2077) and the expansion pack “Phantom Liberty” about a week in advance. Halfway through, I experienced an issue with the Xbox version. Activation, damaged PS5 version saves, etc. have delayed time. In short, I have completed the experience of the new content so far. Here I will share some of my feelings and thoughts after playing the new version and new expansion pack through this article.
This article contains spoilers for “2077” itself. It does not contain spoilers for any specific plot of “Shadows of the Past”, but it does mention some scenes and lines.
This article is mainly divided into three parts: the first part briefly summarizes the gameplay experience in version 2.0 of “2077” and “Shadows of the Past”; the second part wants to talk about the overall experience of playing “Shadows of the Past”; in the third part, I would like to take this opportunity of the release of “Shadows of the Past” to share with you some of my personal thoughts after playing “2077” for the second time.
Version 2.0 and the gameplay experience of “Shadows of the Past”
First, let me introduce my current play situation: This trip is my second complete experience of “2077” (including “2077” and “Shadows of the Past”). The overall play time is about 290 hours, of which “2077” is about 230 hours and “Shadows of the Past” is about 230 hours. “Shadow of the Sun” takes about 60 hours. The playing platforms are XSX and PS5. The game difficulty is very difficult. V is a female and is born as a “Nomad”. In terms of play style and configuration (Build for short), I used the For the hacker genre, this time I chose the Sianwestan sword genre. In terms of character level, the level and street reputation when I first started playing 2.0 were both full level 50, and soon reached the new 60 after unlocking “Shadows of the Past” Level cap, this is my main Build information:
In the preview of the new game in September this year , we have covered in detail the major changes to the skill tree, prosthetic system, etc. in version 2.0 and “Shadows of the Past”, involving attribute expertise tree, health items, grenade system, prosthetic system, etc. This article will not go into details about the body system, special effects of special weapons, clothing system, UI interaction, etc. Here I will mainly share some of the author’s overall feelings about the gameplay.
The gameplay changes in version 2.0 have greatly improved the immersion of the game and also improved the fun of combat.
Browse 2.0 for the first time. The biggest and most intuitive feeling is that the game content has been reorganized. The game’s comprehensibility has been greatly improved. The expertise tree has been redesigned and arranged, skill growth points have been simplified, keyword bars have been highlighted, and expertise has been returned. There are no longer any large-scale adjustments to cost, interface and interaction design. These large and small, representative changes make “2077” more pleasing to the eye and easier to use on the one hand, and on the other hand, they also enhance the cyberspace. The credibility of the punk world. For example, the threshold for players to plan their own builds without referring to external strategies has been greatly lowered. For example, separate chips related to tasks are now listed below the task log. Click on the chip title to jump to read. , which facilitates players to solve puzzles and analyze plots, which are of great benefit to players’ investment and immersion in the game.
At the same time, 2.0 has greatly reduced the elements that require repeated brushing, such as: removing the armor attribute on clothing, weapons of the same quality and the same type no longer have individual numerical differences, and optimizing item inventory management in disguise; high rarity items drop The probability of dropping is very high (most of the dropped qualities are the rarest gold at full level). You can now get a lot of money by selling high-rarity items. There is also a chance of dropping chips that directly add money during battles, so there is no need to deliberately grind them. Money is necessary; skill growth points can not only be obtained naturally in processes and events, but can also be obtained through high probability drops, stable mission rewards, direct purchase (only once) of growth chips, etc., and there is no need to deliberately swipe them.
Under the same logic, 2.0 generously abandons the need to stack values. Originally, players could use plug-ins to increase the armor value, the cooling rate of the prosthetic body, etc., but in 2.0, these numerical bonuses were changed to be bound to the prosthetic body, and can be optimized through expertise or skill growth points, while the prosthetic body added ” “Prosthetic value” attribute and the total amount of whole-body prosthetic value have been capped, so players need to make a choice between prosthetic function, prosthetic capacity, and armor value. This increases the challenge of “2077” and makes the game more challenging. The combat part is more believable: in the previous version, it was easy to create a somewhat funny situation, that is, the game text described V as a struggling mercenary, but in actual combat, V was already outrageously strong. This kind of situation Dislocation not only makes the battle mindless, but also leads to plot disengagement.
However, the problem of numerical overflow is still “late but arrived” in 2.0. In the first few days after the 2.0 update, I had not yet reset my attribute points, so I could not immediately unlock and experience several powerful feats. I also did not have enough money and materials to purchase and upgrade the most suitable prosthetic body, and I was still working on the new gameplay. During the running-in process (especially the low number of blood-returning items and long cooldowns), the combat experience at this time is still quite challenging. But after getting familiar with the new Build mechanism and using my own Build, as attribute points were reallocated, specialty points were optimized, and prosthetics reached their peak, the battles gradually became violent and smooth. In the end, only a few boss battles could make me feel it. Some pressure. After opening the content of “Shadows of the Past”, the two specialties of “Flaw Analysis” and “Optical Camouflage” in the Relic specialty tree are too powerful, and the penalty brought by the load of the prosthetic body is almost not felt, and even the highest difficulty is difficult. To break a little sweat, the most difficult aspect of combat is primarily stealth.
Overall, the above-mentioned “simplification of complexity” in 2.0 helps players maintain focus on the game process itself, while enhancing the immersiveness of the world of “2077”. In contrast, the author feels that the situation of “Shadows of the Past” is different. CDPR has added a lot of fancy gameplay in the expansion, which is interesting and slightly deliberate. It is more “gamified” than the main body of “2077”. It is difficult to say that it has How much progress has been made in design concepts is more like bringing a variety of gameplay methods to the table for players to try.
Overall, Dogtown, the game stage of “Shadows of the Past”, is small in area and has a high mission density. The development team has put a lot of effort into the design of the map and scenes. The building density of Dog Town is much greater than that of Night City, and the sense of space of a single building is better than that of other areas in the main body. Starting from the first mission of the expansion pack, “Shadows of the Past” has more intentionally emphasized action puzzle elements (3D platform jumping) than the main body of “2077”. The same is true for other subsequent missions and Dog Town’s exclusive airdrop gameplay. Related terrain , architectural design are all interesting, but the emphasis on action gameplay is a little deliberate.
It is worth mentioning that based on the already complex terrain of Dog Town, the development team may have consciously implanted a more exaggerated architectural design language, making the visual guidance quite iconic; at the same time, it is not difficult to find that there are various luxurious, Magnificent entertainment facilities, they not only remind us of Soviet-era sanatoriums, but also resemble real-life Soviet sanatoriums that went from prosperity to decline, naturally giving rise to a sense of dystopia and chaos. Dog Town is reminiscent of the architectural style of the planned economy, forming a strong contrast with the bustling city of Night City separated by a wall. However, the inherent cruelty of “eating people without spitting out the bones” on both sides of the high wall is surprisingly consistent. , it’s really a very interesting arrangement.
Next, let’s take a closer look at the gameplay experience design of “Shadows of the Past”. The author mainly noticed three differences in the expansion pack’s missions and open world experience:
First, what is more interesting in the mission design is that a new “role-playing” gameplay that appears in a main mission and a side mission is added, which is similar to the one-time experience of Mewtwo puzzle solving in the main body. I will not describe it in detail to prevent spoilers.
Secondly, “Shadows of the Past” has added two new gameplay types that are constantly generated repeatedly: one is airdrop. Within the scope of Dog Town, material airdrops will land near the player every once in a while, and the player can solve puzzles in the action ( Some airdrop locations require exploring the scene, climbing, and jumping to reach) or killing the defenders to obtain high-quality items such as high-rare weapons, accessories, skill growth points, etc. in the airdrop; the second is the vehicle express mission, which can be done in Dog Town or at night Encountered by chance in the city, the designated vehicle must be transported to the designated location. In the process, the player needs to defeat the enemy or deliver it within a time limit. The rewards are similar to airdrops. Airdrops and vehicles to be transported are constantly refreshed on the map at a high frequency, which is not fun to play, but the rewards are somewhat attractive, so they seem a bit useless.
Thirdly, “Shadows of the Past” has also significantly increased the number and proportion of scripted performances – that is, players cannot control the camera – and added QTE, NPC partner action levels, stealth levels and other common and more popular FPS masterpieces. In my personal opinion, the overall added interest of the “routine” experience elements is lackluster. Compared with the “2077” itself, it seems more “game-like”, and some regressions in design concepts are even noticeable.
Thoughts on “Shadows of the Past”
After sorting out the overview of “2077” version 2.0 and the gameplay of “Shadows of the Past”, the author will focus on sharing his many thoughts after playing “Shadows of the Past” in depth.
CD Projekt has revealed that CDPR will change the game engine from the Red engine used in “2077” and other games to Epic Games’ Unreal Engine. This technical decision will result in “Shadows of the Past” developed using the Red engine being the only data for “2077” piece.
“Shadows of the Past” will unlock the Dog Town area and related tasks. Depending on the player’s choice, a new ending may be unlocked for “2077”. The story of “Shadows of the Past” begins with the crash of the President of the New United States (NUSA). Songbird, an agent of the New United States Federal Intelligence Agency (FIA), entrusts V to rescue President Rosalind Myers. The reward is to solve the problem. Relic’s question in V’s mind. Whether it is from the introduction of the story or the announcement of the game, we can easily know that “Shadows of the Past” will be a story related to “spies”.
Spy stories are generally very reminiscent of the history of the last century such as World War II and the Cold War. At first glance, they seem to have little to do with the cyberpunk worldview, but when you peel away the layers of intrigue and ideological conflict in spy stories After the fog, what is left is nothing more than the soul torture of who/what to believe, what the cost is, and whether everything is worth it. From “The Witcher” series to “2077”, players are tortured about what they believe and what they believe. What to pursue has always been one of CDPR’s special skills. So from this point of view, it is reasonable to choose the theme of “espionage” to produce the expansion pack of “2077”.
In terms of nature, “Shadows of the Past” is like a new major branch line of “2077”, which is somewhat similar to unlocking the Badlands area and the Panan line in the plot, except that the content of “Shadows of the Past” is much larger. And the new ending’s quest line will not end in the original “Nocturne Op55N1” (Nocturne Op55N1). In terms of narrative process, “Shadows of the Past” has 2 branch options and 4 endings. If you continue to advance some of the endings, you can unlock the new ending of “2077”, “The Tower” (corresponding to the Major Arcana Tarot Card). ); the author has produced the ending flowcharts of “2077” and “Shadows of the Past”. Players who are interested and don’t mind spoilers can click here to check it out .
In the main body of “2077”, players only need to choose the branch they want to choose – for example, if they are willing to enter the branch line of Rogue Amendiares, and then follow it to experience it. But “Shadows of the Past” gives me a different feeling. I guess the development team hopes that players will experience both branches of the route once before making their own choices and deciding where to go with “Shadows of the Past.” In terms of specific paths and sequences, CDPR seems to have insight into the players’ psychology and make corresponding designs and guidance.
After learning about a certain aspect of the lark and the sleeper agent Solomon Reed in a certain branch, out of concern and curiosity about the character itself, I naturally chose to read the file and experience another branch. It brings a bit of Metagame elements. I am not a player who likes Metagame, but I still feel that the whole experience process is very wonderful: by following a certain guided sequence and playing two branches, the player as V can truly understand the game from the shallower to the deeper. With the important roles in the film, you will experience ever-changing complex emotions as you recognize the different aspects of these characters. What I particularly want to mention is that in the later stages of a certain branch of “Shadows of the Past”, players will experience a passage related to the expansion pack “Hearts of Stone” of “The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt”. ) is a very similar experience of “walking into the world of paintings”. Personally stepping into the spiritual world of a certain character and witnessing how a normal person’s ordinary but happy life is swallowed up step by step. With the blessing of the first-person perspective, this paragraph The emotional tension of the experience is much stronger than that of “Hearts of Stone”, and it can’t help but make people cry.
In his introduction to John le Carré’s novel “The Spy Who Came in from the Cold,” writer Donno introduced the “world of spies” like this: “It seems to be independent Outside our real life, we are closed alone and play with completely different emotions, beliefs and rules of the game. Many of the things we firmly believe in and regard as precious in real life have become so accustomed to us that we don’t notice them and have formed our natural reactions. Things that have to be removed in this weird world, such as trust, honesty, kindness and compassion, but the terrible thing is that they are still human beings and have the same things in common as us, and they are not flexible enough to be distorted at will. The fundamental human nature and needs of torture, they have the same reaction when we love them, and they have the same feelings when we grieve…”.
Lark and Li De are normal people living in such a world. When a normal person’s fundamental humanity and needs suppressed by so-called interests, justice, etc. can no longer be ignored, the price he has paid in the past, the people and ideals he has wrongly believed in, the people he has deceived or harmed, the people he has committed Mistakes, endless regrets and regrets… This is originally a question that spies must never think about, but it will slowly surface. “Shadows of the Past” is about a normal person in an abnormal world trying to make up for their mistakes, heal their pain, and redeem themselves. But will the ending be as they wish?
“Can mistakes be made up for and whether sinners can atone for their sins?” is the theme of “Shadows of the Past” and one of the important themes of “2077”.
This is reflected in V: In “Shadows of the Past”, not only does the main story repeatedly ask this question, but side tasks and commissions also repeatedly allow V to choose whether to give people who have made mistakes a chance to start their lives again. This is also reflected in Johnny Silverhand: In “2077”, Johnny will share his early experiences with V, his regrets and reflections on the past, as well as his thoughts on Alt Cunningham and Rowe. Kerry Eurodyne’s guilt, he admitted in the conversation in the oil field that he had messed up everything, but he did not want to mess up the relationship with V again; Johnny will continue to reflect in “Shadows of the Past”, he will Revealing more of his military experience and sharing his views on ideals, beliefs, country, and war.
In “2077”, almost every character has made mistakes, or thinks they have made mistakes – because the real world is like this, no one is perfect, and V can accompany them, allowing them to get out of the shadows of the past and choose the future they really want. , for better or worse. The entire process of “2077” is also about solving this problem for V and Johnny: How to face the mistakes of the past, how to bear the shadow of the past and choose the future life? Lark and Li De in “Shadows of the Past” also have to answer this question. The so-called “shadows of the past” may be mistakes that have been made, traumas left by the past, or people who cannot get out of the shadow of the past.
The above-mentioned motif is the medium that connects “Shadows of the Past” and “2077” on its own, but it is not the only connection between the spy story and the cyberpunk world. Let’s go back to the ultimate question of the spy story – “Who do you believe? Who are you loyal to?” In the early and middle stages of “Shadows of the Past”, Johnny will ask V how much he has suffered just because he believed in others, “Then let this ‘other people’ How about replacing it with ‘country’ or ‘company’?”
Graham Greene’s novel “Our Man in Havana” tells the story of Wormold, a British businessman who distributes vacuum cleaners in Havana, who accidentally becomes the British spy in Cuba. The story of an intelligence officer. In this situation, I would like to quote one of the characters: “Some people are loyal to the people who pay them, or to the organization. I don’t want to care about those people, and even the country doesn’t mean much to me. . A person can have many countries in his blood. If everyone was loyal to the people they loved, rather than to the country, would the world still be so chaotic?”
In “Our Man in Havana”, not only Woolmer has to face the question of “who is loyal to whom?”, other characters also need to make the choice of “who to be loyal to” when facing religious beliefs, social rules, and public order and good customs; In fact, the same is true in the cyberpunk world and in real life. Each of us will inevitably be involved in some kind of grand narrative. These grand narratives may be ideologies, religious doctrines, mainstream values, etc., every moment. We also all have to choose “who to be loyal to” under the grand narrative.
In Night City, who should you be loyal to? Is it the country, the company, or some absurd values? How many people are loyal to the ones they love? For V, this grand narrative may also grow into “becoming a legend” or “survive at any cost”. The new ending brought to “2077” by “Shadows of the Past” reveals this to players. a little. The new ending tells the same kind of sadness as the stories of the agents in “Shadows of the Past”: if you abandon the one you love in pursuit of an illusory thing, or miss too much in the life of the one you love, then there will be nothing but one piece of life. What remains of desolation?
Looking back at the entire “2077”
The separate discussion about “Shadows of the Past” has come to an end for the time being. Once again, I truly stand at the end of “2077”. I would like to share some of my feelings after experiencing “2077” for the second time. This is completely true. Personal feelings and some pretentious writing, there will be no new information about “Shadows of the Past”, readers who mind or are not interested can stop here.
In fact, this is the third time I have started “2077” from scratch. The first time was at the end of 2020, shortly after the game was released, and I chose the hacker genre with a corporate background; the second time was in the second half of 2021, with a street kid background and pistol genre. , but this round progressed slowly, and I did not continue to play after the 1.6 update; this third time started at the end of last year, but most of the process was completed in the second half of this year, and I chose the Wanderer route and Sword. Genre, the entire process including “Shadows of the Past” has finally come to an end in recent days. This is my second time playing “2077” in its entirety.
The process of the second complete experience is very interesting. If “music” can be called “the art of time”, then “games” can also be called. When I played “2077” for the first time, because I didn’t know where it was going, my attention was inevitably focused on the development of the main plot. Under the guidance of the game process, my emotions were always in a state of tension. After playing the game for the second time, I felt significantly more relaxed. Knowing that the ending was already determined, I was able to spend more time experiencing the many details of the game and chewing on more complex and sensitive emotions. If the first time I played it, the mood was like The Cure’s “Lullaby” and “Fascination Street”, and the second time I played it, it was like yeule’s “Ghoust”. Although it became much calmer and dreamier, it still felt broken.
This time I played, I also made some changes in the gameplay. I experience “2077” less and less in a “gamified” way. For example, I almost no longer use fast movement. Instead, I use it while rushing (in the game), chatting with family and friends, or listening to podcasts (in real life). ), just like I would do in real life. I became interested in taking photos of in-game characters from a first-person perspective, and then making them look like they were taken with a retro camera (thank you, NOMO CAM), just like I would use Polaroid or a retro camera app to take photos of family and friends in real life. Same. In the past, I preferred to play a game by immersing myself in the work, but this time I deliberately wanted to blur the boundaries between games and life. I preferred to use “2077” as another place in life, and It is not experienced as a closed work.
Another thing that impressed me deeply during this process was the wanderer route in “2077”. After experiencing all three routes (Street Boy has only experienced part of it), I feel that the three origins represent the three directions that the game wants to explore. The Company route explores companies and systems, Street Boy is a gang and works hard to become a legend, and Wanderer The latter is freedom and belonging. One design that I really like is that only when you choose a special origin, you can unlock the exclusive dialogue options for that origin in certain conversations. In these conversations, V will talk about his past and views on these topics; if there is no choice, With a certain origin, it will be difficult to learn about topics related to that origin.
When I experienced it for the first time, I was from a corporate background, and Panam Palmer’s quest line and ending branches didn’t impress me much. Perhaps it was due to some trauma left over from my real-world and personal life experiences over the past two years. To add fuel to the flames, I had no idea that Panam’s story would bring me great comfort more than two years later, whether in a cabin in a sandstorm or by a campfire at night with Panam and Aldecaldos. They all made me feel true peace and freedom, and I will never forget the sudden hug that Saul Bright gave to Panam in “Queen of the Highway”. At that moment, I also recall things like Panam also choked up the moments when she reconnected with important people.
Another important realization from this experience is that “2077” is for people with trauma. As mentioned in the introduction to “Shadows of the Past” above, every character in “2077” who has a deep connection with V has a painful past or is experiencing pain. Players can face these traumas with them as V. Talk about it and get through it, and these traumas are not some false and illusory things, they will happen to every ordinary person, such as losing close people, feeling deprived, fear of a bleak future, regretting the past Mistakes you have made, guilt towards those you have hurt, hatred that you cannot let go, etc. One of the most touching aspects of “2077” is the huge empathy it shows. Just like seeing the memories of Anthony Harris as a child in “The Hunt”, it made me feel for this serial killer. Heartbroken, as River Ward would later reveal about her childhood trauma; in “Pyramid Song,” Judy Alvarez was willing to share with me the depths of her life beneath the water and in her heart. During her childhood, Judy could also hear the voice in V’s memories. This feeling of openly communicating with someone close to her was so beautiful that it made people cry.
The most valuable thing is that “2077” uses the relationship between V and other people to allow players to face themselves: some emotions may be so painful that we dare not mention them in life, do not know how to express them, or even There is no chance to express and no one to listen. The interactive mechanism of the game gives players a way to express their emotions and thoughts, and gives players a space to think about their own lives.
Also, about Johnny, who accompanies the player every moment. When I experienced “2077” for the first time, my feelings for him completely changed from disgust to suspicion to trust. During this experience, I repeatedly read the files and experienced every dialogue option with him. . Under his rude and arrogant skin, there is actually a “failed person” buried. He is a “poor person” who can lie, self-deceive, do many things wrong, and has too many regrets – just like me I am particularly comforted by the fact that even such a nasty person can reveal such a vulnerable side to me, and even have the opportunity to make up for my regrets, and become the person I trust most. In the past year, he has accompanied me in some important spiritual moments. Last winter, I saw Zhang Zengzeng’s project “Breath” at an installation exhibition. In the light and darkness, I was so depressed that I could hardly breathe. I felt like he was there too; when I burst into tears when I heard “Ren Yin” at Wangwen’s performance in March this year, he was also in that livehouse; I listened to Rachmanino countless times in the concert hall this year Rachmaninoff, every time when indescribable emotions surge in my chest with sentimental melody, I feel that he is also in the concert hall (perhaps Kerry is also there sometimes). If a game can truly enter someone’s life, I feel like moments like these are proof.
Finally, I want to talk about AAA games. Many times we always feel that the possibility of expression only exists in independent games. AAA games cannot achieve rich self-expression or show tolerance and empathy. It may be that expression and empathy will cause pain to players, and pain is risky; it may be that games are also, as Alain Badiou said, “absolutely impure art”, with too many links, There are too many people and too many goals that are contrary to self-expression, making expression too troublesome and meaningless. But the existence of “2077” surprised me. I didn’t know that after going through so many processes, with so many people participating, and even in the context of various negative incidents such as “overtime culture” being revealed within CDPR, “2077” 2077》How can he maintain such a delicate and sensitive look.
In fact, I was a little nervous before the release of “Shadows of the Past”. I didn’t know that after experiencing so much, would the sharp knife of “2077” become duller, or would it directly turn into a gorgeous and sweet lollipop? Fortunately, my worries were in vain. It is still such a sharp knife, like a psychotherapy, and still so painful, but it asks the questions we really want to ask, and we need to face them.
This article is reproduced from: https://markonreview.com/2023/09/30/its-okay-to-cry-review-on-2077-and-phantom-liberty/
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