Summary
- Cyberpunk 2077's Phantom Liberty expansion introduces new limitations to the cybernetics system, making it more balanced and comparable to other cyberpunk games.
- The cyberware system in Cyberpunk 2077 now limits the amount of cyberware a character can have, with penalties for exceeding that limit.
- Games like Shadowrun Returns and Deus Ex also feature cybernetics systems, with each game having unique rules and restrictions. Shadowrun Returns connects upgrades to trans-humanist themes, while Deus Ex allows for more freeform upgrades through augmentations.
Cybernetics go hand in hand with the cyberpunk genre since the notion of people augmenting themselves and their body is common within these kinds of stories. Cyberpunk 2077 is no exception, having many people who replace vast parts of their body with mechanical limbs and organs that are functionally superior to what they had before, and the player can access many of these to gain new attacks or have improved stats.
Several cyberpunk RPGs function similarly, incorporating cybernetics into the upgrade system, albeit with each having unique rules. While Cyberpunk 2077 initially had few restrictions that held players back from becoming an all-powerful killing machine, the Phantom Liberty expansion will impose new limitations that will hopefully balance the game better. It's a simple change, but it helps make comparing Cyberpunk 2077's system to other games easier as it is no longer just a straight upgrade.
How Other Cyberpunk Games Handle Cybernetics
Cyberpunk 2077 is a unique title because it is the only prominent game to rework how its cybernetics function after launch, but it makes it worth comparing how both systems operated. The best explanation is that while they are similar, Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty will restrict how much cyberware can be in V at a time. While this limitation can be disabled, it will come at a severe cost since installing more than V can handle will impose debuffs.
Overhauling the cyberware system is one part of Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty's mission to finish rectifying mistakes from the game's original release, as it can help better balance the game's challenges. It also brings it more in line with other cyberpunk titles that have strict limitations behind cybernetics.
The closest comparison between Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty's cyberware and another game would have to be how they work in Shadowrun Returns, another title that adapts a tabletop RPG into a videogame but with the intent to have it play similarly to the source material. Also called cyberware, they come with the biggest costs as installing them reduces a stat called Essence.
Essence also functions differently from the Humanity stat found in the Cyberpunk tabletop game since it has more function within builds, namely with magical abilities. The class one picks in Shadowrun more or less determines how practical cyberware can be since while physical attackers like Street Samurai or tech-focused ones like Deckers and Riggers can kit themselves with augmentations to play into their class, Mages and Shamans will be negatively impacted the most since magical abilities become far weaker even with a couple of augmentations. It also makes playing a class like Physical Adept a bit trickier since it fuses Street Samurai and Mage into a physical attack class with spells, meaning one has to find a nice balance between having strong physical prowess and having spells be useful.
A notable cyberpunk RPG that has players augmented from the beginning is Deus Ex, with the protagonist Adam Jensen from the prequel games having eyes and limbs that were clearly replaced and JC Denton from the first title having far more subtle ones. Called augmentations in this series, they are convenient for explaining how both protagonists get notably stronger.
Later Deus Ex games are also arguably the most freeform with upgrades, seeing as the players gain enough Praxis Points during the game to complete most skill trees at a relaxed pace. Unlike Cyberpunk or Shadowrun where stats and perks are separated from cyberware, the perks gained from Deus Ex all originate from Jensen's augmentations.
Of all the video games with this kind of system, Shadowrun is arguably the most effective at connecting these potential upgrades with the trans-humanist themes often found in cyberpunk since it directly affects one's connection with the magic in that universe. Even if the drawbacks are less evident, hopefully, Cyberpunk 2077' s new system will functionally feel rewarding and allow players to help define their character.
Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty will come out September 26 for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.