Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty Overview (PS5)

CD Projekt Pink has a little bit of a knack for crafting DLC adventures. The Witcher 3 was blessed with two excellent expansions, and the Polish developer can now add Phantom Liberty to its listing of extremely prime quality excursions. Cyberpunk 2077’s first (and final) enlargement is an emotional rollercoaster, and options a few of the finest, most memorable moments and missions in your complete RPG.

Phantom Liberty unlocks when you’re completed with the Pacifica storyline within the base sport’s marketing campaign, so you’ll be able to take it on fairly early if that is your choice (or you can begin it chilly from the principle menu). Nevertheless, due to its penchant for callbacks to characters and occasions from the principle story, we’re tempted to say that it is best loved as a late-game journey. What’s extra, numerous tough boss fights and fight encounters recommend that it is best to come back outfitted; the recent setting of Dogtown feels prefer it’s constructed for gamers who know what they’re doing.

A brief name with a mysterious lady named Songbird is all it takes for V to get entangled. The preliminary hours see our beloved merc blast his or her means by a collection of linear missions, every of them pushing massive set items and surprisingly cinematic chaos. It is a barnstorming begin — just like the opening scenes of a great motion film — and as soon as it is over, you are free to discover Dogtown correct.

Basically minimize off from the remainder of Evening Metropolis, Dogtown is dominated by Barghest — former troopers who merely caught round following an deserted invasion of the bigger metropolis. Free from the regulation and unwilling to reply to the officers of its neighbour, Dogtown nearly feels post-apocalyptic exterior of a handful of areas that cater to the district’s elite. Given its lack of political positioning, it is also a spot the place Evening Metropolis’s key gamers seal their dirtiest offers — and that sort of stuff ties straight into the enlargement’s well-paced plot.

CDPR has dubbed Phantom Liberty a “spy thriller” and that description finally ends up being fairly correct. Past the explosive opening, the story slows issues down and steadily introduces a solid of intense characters. This consists of the grizzled Solomon Reed (performed by Idris Elba), who finally ends up stealing the present with a usually charismatic efficiency, filled with the sort of cynical swagger you’d anticipate from a semi-retired undercover agent.

Teaming up with Reed, V is tasked with digging under Dogtown’s dusty floor and uncovering the plans of its overlord, the intimidating Barghest commander Kurt Hansen. An online of intrigue and deception is rapidly spun between all the central characters, and there are moments of real ethical battle as V falls deeper and deeper into the rabbit gap. It is an usually gripping narrative, and the impressively diverse mission design holds up all through the enlargement’s 30-ish hour runtime.

That stated, there’s one particular part that feels a bit… misplaced. It is definitely inventive in idea, and fascinating in execution, however with out spoiling something, it sticks within the thoughts due to how basically completely different it’s in comparison with the remainder of Cyberpunk 2077. It maybe drags on only a little too lengthy, but it surely’s not sufficient to distract from in any other case engrossing storytelling. And sure, there is a brand new ending to V’s story that is unlocked by Phantom Liberty.

However if you wish to take a break from stated story — which does sort out some heavy themes at instances — you’ll be able to at all times take a tour of Dogtown. The hellhole is roughly the identical measurement as one in all Evening Metropolis’s different districts, but it surely’s densely filled with eye-catching landmarks and gameplay alternatives. There are a selection of strange facet quests to trace down, whereas dynamic occasions add some spice to exploration.

Arguably one thing that is lacking within the base sport, these countless dynamic occasions pop up on a frequent foundation, offering an non-obligatory goal. Airdrops are unique to Dogtown, and principally offer you an excuse to homicide a bunch of punks and seize the loot for your self. In the meantime, carjacking jobs are unlocked all through Evening Metropolis by way of a facet quest, with everybody’s favorite mullet-sporting fixer El Capitán asking you to klep a close-by car and drive it to a safehouse in a single piece.

Each actions inject some further life into Cyberpunk 2077’s world. The carjacking duties particularly can result in some brilliantly hectic automotive chases, which naturally highlight the automotive fight system that is a part of replace 2.0.

Shifting on to extra minor inclusions, Phantom Liberty boasts loads of crunchy new weapons and funky clothes gadgets. Contemporary autos are additionally up for grabs — some come outfitted with mounted armaments — and there is even a model new ability tree that takes benefit of the relic chip that is caught in V’s head. The tree does not have many branches, however it may possibly enormously improve the skills of your chosen cyberware, doubtlessly pushing your character construct to a complete new degree. All of this makes for a really rewarding DLC when it comes to V’s development.

Conclusion

Phantom Liberty is usually Cyberpunk 2077 at its best possible. A gripping narrative full with nice characters provides one other dimension to the open world RPG, whereas the principle mission and facet quest design stays prime notch all through. It is a great enlargement that delivers a really memorable expertise.