Home Gaming Going first-person created a new layer of storytelling for Cyberpunk 2077

Going first-person created a new layer of storytelling for Cyberpunk 2077

3 min read
9

It’s weird how we get accustomed to certain ideas. People scoffed at the idea of combining supper with breakfast but hot damn if chicken and waffles isn’t one of mankind’s greatest mash-ups since Archie met the Punisher. Take Cyberpunk 2077 for example. After a trio of third-person games, fans were expecting CD Projekt RED to stick to their third-person guns and transition to a more neon-infused future for Cyberpunk 2077.

That ain’t happening. Instead, Cyberpunk 2077 is a proper first-person experience, complete with all the action and hacktivism that you’d expect it to have. Why the change in perspectives though? What does it add to Cyberpunk 2077? A lot more in terms of storytelling and immersion according to Cyberpunk’s father.

“The one thing is the state of the character, the interfaces they use, the drugs they take, the way they deal with their implants–it’s all very, very internal to the head of the character, and if you step out of that out [into a third-person view] it becomes a busy hub that you’re tracking,” original Cyberpunk 2020 pen and paper RPG creator Mike Pondsmith said to Gamespot.

I think first-person was best because it could provide more than just the immersion

On another technical level, the world is massively immersive and if you’re stepped back from that into a third person avatar dummy, you are not really part a part of it.

I’ll give you an example. I went and walked over at one point to another character’s car and as I was walking, somebody that I never actually saw in the crowd, makes a comment and they’re talking about some problem they’re having with their girlfriend, and it was peripheral, it was in my hearing. I didn’t see the person and I really was interested in this story that was going on. I wanted to know more about this.

My belief is that third person, has a lot of good places. In this particular case, I think first-person was best because it could provide more than just the immersion, it could provide the tools for you to perceive the world and make decisions that were proper within that world. If I have 360 view, I see everything and I know where the bad guys are coming from all the time, it is kind of a shooter where we’re setting up the targets.

If I am immersed in it, then I’m having to take split second decisions that feel real because in real life, you don’t know what those guys, 300 feet away are doing. If one pulls out a gun, you have to make a decision. You. That’s important if you’re going to be immersed in a world and particularly when you’re dealing with a game that is so heavily role playing driven as this game is.

After sitting through that gorgeous demo, I can attest to that. There’s a lot more value in experiencing Cyberpunk’s story directly through the head of V, that ties in perfectly into the techno-themes of tomorrow. I’m personally hoping that CD Projekt RED releases that gameplay demo to the public soon (hopefully at Gamescom!), because there’s a ton of incredible storytelling that I’m dying to see how other people react to when they view it for the first time.

Last Updated: June 22, 2018

9 Comments

  1. Making Cyberpunk first person is really essential for the kind of story-telling they want to do with it. I’m completely behind that decision.

    Reply

    • Pariah

      June 22, 2018 at 08:20

      Say no to Third Person Perspective. Cyberpunk 2077 is coming. 🙂

      Reply

  2. Craig "CrAiGiSh" Dodd

    June 22, 2018 at 08:47

    Reveal the gameplay 😀

    Reply

  3. Nikola

    June 22, 2018 at 10:21

    We haven’t seen any gameplay but I am already excited for this!! I expected third person but I trust they know what they are doing Witcher 3 is my favorite game of all time so I am going to give them a benefit of the doubt.

    Reply

  4. Johann

    June 22, 2018 at 11:09

    Seriously excited for this one, but it’s still a long way away…

    So it’s based on cyberpunk 2020 pen and paper right? I have a hunch that it will release in 2020 as a nod to the original pen and paper.

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Check Also

Manchester United Sues Football Manager Over Use of their Name and Fan Mods

Manchester United, that massive global football brand whose fans are as equally annoying a…