CD Projekt Red’s upcoming RPGCyberpunk 2077is so hotly anticipated that even Obsidian gave a tongue-in-cheek shout-out to the hype in the launch trailer for its game,Grounded. CD Projekt Red has long stated that it is determined to redefine the storytelling capacity of the first-person open-world RPG genre, with every quest feeling like its own full story.
However, it wasSkyrimalmost ten years ago that made that genre what it is today, and there are a few key areas whereCyberpunk 2077still resembles some ofSkyrim’s limitations. Here are a few of those similarities and ways CD Projekt Red could perhaps avoid problems with them in the future.
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Clunky Melee Combat
Many have consistently pointed tomelee combat as a weakness ofCyberpunk 2077. Fortunately forCyberpunk, there’s likely to be a far greater number of players who want to play with the games’ expansive gun collection than those who wanted to stick to archery inSkyrim.
The game, likeSkyrim, has been said to have melee combat which doesn’t necessarily feel weighty enough to deliver trulycinematic combat inCyberpunk, and it’s worth mentioningCyberpunk’s dev team has already stated that it wants to improve melee combat inCyberpunk 2077before release. However, the game has already been delayed multiple times during its development cycle, and it is far more likely that these changes will be primarily aesthetic, such as improving sound effects and animations.
Aesthetics, however, can be a very powerful part of immersion, and this might be enough to at least make the melee combat feel more natural, even if it is one of the less enjoyable combat styles. The good news, however, is that the developer has already confirmed that enemies with high health won’t simply bebullet sponges inCyberpunk 2077, so for the gunslingers among the fans, combat will likely still be satisfying as they progress through the game.
Invincible NPCs
It has been confirmed thatCyberpunk, likeSkyrim, will limit which NPCs can be killed, and this applies primarily to NPCs who are deemed necessary to the story and to children. While some fans might find immortal kids immersion breaking, the developer is unlikely to hear too many people demanding that they’re able toattack children inCyberpunk 2077compared to story-essential NPCs.
Having story NPCs who cannot be killed can be immersion breaking. Considering the emphasis CD Projekt Red has placed onCyberpunkas the new defining next-gen RPG, many fans will have hoped that if they killed an NPC in the story the narrative would adapt around them, or at least have consequences in the game world itself rather than the game preventing that character’s death. These are lofty hopes, however, something that may not quite be seen in gaming just yet.
Leveling Skills
CD Projekt Red has also confirmed that leveling skills is similar toThe Elder Scrollsin a few ways. The main way to levelskills inCyberpunkwill simply be to use them; for example, a character who fires pistols a lot will get better at firing pistols. This isn’t a bad idea in and of itself. However,Cyberpunkwill need to avoidSkyrim’s trait system, which generally encouraged the player to be a jack of all trades rather than rewarding specialization. These playstyles are not impossible in either game, of course, but it takes someone knowing what they want from the get-go to have a natural progression.
Immersive Dialog Interactions
Cyberpunk 2077is said to have extremely immersive dialog, where players have to remain aware of their surroundings. According to some, the player could even be having a conversation with aCyberpunkNPC and notice a suspicious car pulling up, and, if they’re quick enough, might realize that the NPC is preparing to attack them.
This would be one of the bestSkyrimfeatures, as interactive dialog also occurred there, to take and run with, and a great way to help players fully immerse themselves in the world ofCyberpunk. However, players should hope thatthe player character, V, has plenty of lines recorded on launch. InSkyrim,the lack of a voiced player character enabled modders to quickly add many more dialog options for every NPC simply by taking advantage of the reused voice actors, while the PC could say anything new as they didn’t need a voice.
Due to the fact thatV will be voiced inCyberpunk 2077, this will be far more difficult for modders to achieve. However, there is a greater concern for the modding community, and CD Projekt Red’s approach to it could determine the longevity of the game, especially compared to a game likeSkyrimwhich still has a vibrant modding scene nearly ten years after its initial retail release.
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Mod Support Confirmed (After Launch)
The success of any open world RPG in the long-term is deeply tied to its ability to grow and maintain a modding community. Some fans were disappointed to learn last year thatCyberpunkwon’t feature mod support at release. However, the developer did express interest in supporting mods in the future, andSkyrim’s Creation Kitdid not come out until 6 months after its launch, helping to make modding far more accessible.
In the long term, therefore, this could be a good point of similarity betweenCyberpunk 2077andSkyrim, and could go some way to helping fix some of the other potential problems mentioned above without demanding additional work from the studio or anotherdelay toCyberpunk’s release date.
Cyberpunk 2077is bound to have plenty of similarities toSkyrim, because it is stillSkyrimwhich provides the main template for a hugely successful first-person open-world RPG experience. Fans hope, however, that many of these systems will have been developed to improve uponSkyrim’s problems. Whether CD Projekt Red will be able to pull it off and deliver the genre into the next generation, however, remains to be seen.
Cyberpunk 2077launches on November 19 for PC, PS4, and Xbox One. Stadia, PS5, and Xbox Series X versions are planned to release in 2021.
