Cyberpunk 2077 aims to be the defining RPG to kick off the next generation of consoles. CD Projekt Red has some high ambitions, aiming to make every side quest feel like a full story while populating Night City with extremely reactive NPCs.
However, it is Cyberpunk 2077’s Lifepath system which could give the game an edge over the competition. Different character origins have a long history in RPGs and are prominently centered in successful mainstream titles like BioWare’s Dragon Age: Origins. Cyberpunk, however, needs to improve on the formula in one key way if CD Projekt Red wants to deliver a genuinely next-generation experience.
Dragon Age: Origins has the player pick from one of six backstories and starting quests: Human Noble, City Elf, Dalish Elf, Circle Mage, Dwarf Commoner, or Dwarf Noble. These origins give the player unique first acts explaining why they join the Grey Wardens. For example, the City Elf sees the player on their wedding day when a local lord declares the right of prima nocta, while the Dwarf Noble player sees their family succumb to political infighting and murder.
Not only that, but each of the different origins has a character who later returns in the game. In the case of a Circle Mage, it is Jowan, the player character’s classmate who got into blood magic, and who they later find imprisoned in Redcliffe’s dungeon. For the Human Noble, the player once again comes face to face with the aristocrat who had their family murdered.
Some origins better integrate their stakes and characters into the main quests, particularly the Human and Dwarf Noble origins, both of which naturally tie into big political decisions later on. The Human Noble can even become king or queen if they play their cards correctly, an ending which is off limits to Grey Wardens of different origins.
However, overall the origins of the Warden in Dragon Age do not affect very much of the story. Instead, they offer a breadth of different roleplaying opportunities at the beginning that are designed to encourage the player to find their own character in an otherwise blank slate protagonist.
Cyberpunk 2077 may improve upon the player character origins formula seen in older RPGs. Unlike Dragon Age: Origins, Cyberpunk 2077 limits its sights on just 3 possible player origins – called Lifepaths – in the game. If CD Projekt Red takes advantage of this and is able to pull off its stated goals, then Cyberpunk could see far greater integration of the players’ Lifepath choice into the rest of the games’ story.
The Corporate Lifepath will see Cyberpunk’s player character V as an agent of the Arasaka megacorporation, The Street Kid Lifepath starts V out in a bar with a broken nose and an due tab, and the Nomad starts in the Badlands outside Night City. All of these paths will likely lead to V taking a job for Jackie Welles, one mission in the main quest confirmed so far.
However, if CD Projekt Red can make each of these Lifepaths have a very different impact on the story after the first act, Cyberpunk 2077 could have far greater replay value than older RPGs where the origins primarily affect the beginning of the game alone without major repercussions once the origins converge. It is also possible, however, that by making the player character’s story more specific, the studio will inadvertently limit roleplaying opportunities, especially with a voiced V. If CD Projekt Red can find the right balance and make these choices have a longer, more profound impact, Cyberpunk could feel like a truly next-generation RPG.
Cyberpunk 2077 launches on November 19 for PC, PS4, and Xbox One. Stadia, PS5, and Xbox Series X versions are planned to release in 2021.
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