Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty

You can't meaningfully see Phantom Liberty without Cyberpunk 2077. Both together are like a director's cut of an already outstanding game. And together they are more than the mere sum of their parts. The new story fits seamlessly into the saga of V and Johnny in a way that makes you truly admire CD Projekt's artistry. Tugging at the interconnected threads of a game as artfully convoluted as Cyberpunk 2077 and incorporating this new episode meaningfully into everything is quite a feat.

2023 was a year filled with hotly anticipated RPGs that largely delivered. Over the past five months alone, we’ve had The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Final Fantasy XVI, Baldur’s Gate 3, and Starfield, all of which left remarkable impressions on their respective reviewers here. It’s no surprise that any one of these hyper-expensive, lovingly crafted generational touchstones would be some RPG fan’s exact cup of tea. Phantom Liberty happens to be mine. It has the cinematic panache of FFXVI but incorporates the player more fully into its events. It has the world-building chops of Starfield but has a more kinetic and vibrant energy in its quest structure and character interactions. Most importantly, it’s a proof of concept for less-is-more AAA RPG design that I hope more developers make note of for potential standalone products.

CD Projekt RED brings a thrilling race against time where you must save the president and go undercover, all while trusting no one. Combined with the free but accompanying 2.0 update, Phantom Liberty delivers an experience that even disappointed players of the base game should definitely check out.

Phantom Liberty is everything we expected from a Cyberpunk 2077 expansion, if not more. This techno-thriller immerses players in a gripping story that will have an unprecedented impact on the game universe. The ruined neighborhood of Dogtown is not to be outdone with its post-war atmosphere where the law of the strongest reigns supreme. master. Rich in content for around twenty hours of play, this DLC masterfully concludes V's dystopian epic in Night City.

Phantom Liberty succeeds as another 20 hours of great adventure in Night City and, coupled with Cyberpunk 2077’s new Update 2.0, a culmination of three years of hard work. It makes a strong case for a return to Night City for experienced mercs and rolls out the red carpet for CDPR to showcase to newcomers all it's done to improve Cyberpunk 2077. From a disastrous launch in 2020 to now, CDPR has finally made good on the promise of this futuristic, dystopian RPG. While Phantom Liberty doesn't stand head and shoulders above the rest of the Cyberpunk package, it slots in nicely, like a preem piece of cyberware you’ve been waiting to be in stock.