In Cyberpunk 2077, players will have the ability to enhance their bodies with cybernetic upgrades that will change the way they play. The game calls these upgrades Cyberware and CD Projekt Red detailed how they work in a recent Cyberpunk 2077 livestream.
Cyberpunk 2077 will have a ton of different upgrade options that begin in the character builder at the start of the game and then continue to pile on in different ways as it progresses. The game has a standard RPG-style skill system that lets players choose core characteristics, then add skills to those characteristics, and then add perks on top of the skills. This applies to things like strength and athletics, which players can choose to upgrade and then supplement using the perks.
On top of these core systems, the game also features a system called Cyberware. In the world of Cyberpunk, people augment their bodies with cybernetic technologies in order to enhance their performance. For example, someone might replace their legs with a kind of robotic leg that gives them some new ability to better traverse Cyberpunk 2077’s hyper-realistic city.
In the game, the player has many opportunities to install these Cyberware enhancements in order to customize their character in the way they want. In the video, the team uses the leg example, saying that a player might choose to install new legs that allow their character to double-jump. On top of that, these new body parts have slots that players can use to upgrade them further. For example, once players have the double jump, perhaps they can then upgrade their legs to make the jump more silent for stealth missions.
The Cyberware upgrades in Cyberpunk 2077 will work similarly to an armor system in a standard RPG. Players will have a menu where, instead of equipping different kinds of armor to different body parts, they will equip and upgrade actual cybernetic body parts.
Players will have the opportunity to find new Cyberware in many different places. They can get core pieces installed at Ripper Docs who specialize in cybernetic technology. But players can also find supplemental upgrades as they adventure and progress in the world.
Cyberware upgrades require a big commitment from the player, so the team has developed a system in Cyberpunk 2077 that allows players to try out an upgrade before they decide to commit to it. Players can find shards which they can slot in to temporarily receive a new upgrade before they install it permanently.
CD Projekt Red has put a lot of effort into stacking systems on systems in order to allow players to create exactly the kind of character they want. Characters in Cyberpunk 2077 won’t only defy gender, but will defy humanity itself. Hopefully the team has found a way to effectively communicate all of these systems without overwhelming the player.
Cyberpunk 2077 releases April 16 on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
