Summary

  • Cyberpunk 2077's controversial release and recent redemption overshadowed other great cyberpunk games, like Cloudpunk, that were released in the same year.
  • Cloudpunk's vibrant and grimy city of Nivalis matches the aesthetic of Night City in Cyberpunk 2077, and its well-written, interconnected scenarios resemble the game's best side quests.
  • While Cloudpunk lacks combat, its narrative and characters stand on par with Cyberpunk 2077, making it a worthy choice for fans craving more cyberpunk storytelling.

The cyberpunk genre has seen a massive surge in the popular zeitgeist in the past few years; and nowhere is this more apparent than in gaming. Tons of releases under its banner continue to come out, making it hard to keep track of how many there are, and of what quality. And no game more exemplifies this sentiment than Cyberpunk 2077. The controversy around its 2020 release, followed by its recent redemption with the Phantom Liberty DLC, embodies the very essence of cyberpunk itself.

As a result, Cyberpunk 2077 has overshadowed the conversation within and beyond the gaming industry whenever the term is mentioned. CD Projekt Red dominated the public eye, putting more attention and scrutiny than ever on the genre and gaming as a whole. Another unfortunate by-product of this fallout was some great titles slipping between the cracks. Cloudpunk was among the slew of cyberpunk games that were released in the same year as CP 2077.

Although similar in key ways, one difference fans should keep in mind is Cloudpunk has no combat.

RELATED: Best Games To Play If You Love Cyberpunk 2077

Cyberpunk 2077 Fans Should Play Cloudpunk

Cloudpunk & Cyberpunk 2077's Settings, Stories Are Built For Each Other

Any cyberpunk game worth its salt has to nail the aesthetics. Cloudpunk's vibrant and grimy city of Nivalis does so in an amazing voxel art style. It looks and feels like it could be part of Night City, even though it's visually the opposite of Cyberpunk 2077's ultra-realistic graphical ambitions. What's more impressive is how they are equally well-realized in their characters and world. Despite the difference in scale and design, Cloudpunk's setting is both internally consistent and would fit seamlessly if inserted into CP 2077.

Where they resemble each other most, though, are their narratives. Cloudpunk's entire story plays out like many of the greatest side quests in Cyberpunk 2077. It is a substantial series of incredibly well-written interconnected scenarios. Most importantly, like the best work in the genre, Cloudpunk offers insightful takes on its thematic foundations in the same manner CP 2077 did with its most engaging and emotional moments. Both games display the same effort in retaining the needed sense of humanity at their heart to balance their darker and more absurd dystopian depictions and achieve it.

Cloudpunk Is Essentially Cyberpunk 2077 DLC

CP 2077 was plagued with many issues, but even in some of its harshest criticisms, its story was often pointed to as a standout component. CDPR prides itself on the complexity and nuances of its arcs. Cloudpunk's cast can stand side by side with Cyberpunk 2077's most beloved and memorable characters. While Cloudpunk doesn't have players beating down psychopaths and PMCs with razor arms and laser rifles, it does have writing to rival it. ​​​​Rania's tale would fit right in with V's sordid adventures, and in many ways feels like it already does.

Along with fixing technical problems, Phantom Liberty delivered on the narrative front. Any fans craving more Cyberpunk 2077 content, especially in terms of stellar storytelling, owe it to themselves to give Cloudpunk a look. Even within the broader cyberpunk category, both stand out. Despite their surface disparities in presentation and style, Cloudpunk and CP 2077 are of equal quality in crafting cyberpunk stories and characters that truly resonate long after players have seen their conclusions.

Rating block community and brand ratings Image
Cyberpunk 2077 Tag Page Cover Art
6 /10

Cyberpunk 2077
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RPG
Action
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Systems
PlayStation-1 Xbox-1 super greyscale 8-bit logo PC-1
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Top Critic Avg: 76 /100 Critics Rec: 66%
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Released
December 10, 2020
ESRB
M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Nudity, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content, Use of Drugs and Alcohol
Developer(s)
CD Projekt Red
Publisher(s)
CD Projekt Red
Engine
REDengine 4
Cross-Platform Play
ps, xbox, pc
Cross Save
yes
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WHERE TO PLAY

SUBSCRIPTION
DIGITAL
PHYSICAL
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Genre(s)
RPG, Action
How Long To Beat
25 Hours
Metascore
75
PS Plus Availability
Extra & Premium