Cyberpunk 2077 has finally arrived, and it’s been getting rave reviews from critics and players alike. CD Projekt Red’s most ambitious title besides The Witcher III seeks to reinvent the genre all over again for an entirely new generation of audiences who didn’t grow up with the cyberpunk mythos of yesteryear.
The game owes a debt of gratitude to multiple titles that came out many years ago, and the following is a list of the most iconic. These cyberpunk games helped elevate the storytelling, play mechanics and overall craft that would pave the way for Cyberpunk 2077 to bask in its newfound glory. Time to jack in and see how many you can remember.
Cyberpunk games had to crawl before they learned how to walk, and D/Generation was one of the first to experiment with the genre. The game focused largely on action platforming and a story centered around a courier making a delivery to his client while dodging floors full of escaped bioweapons.
In many ways, it would help set the tone of the cyberpunk games that would follow. In its most basic infancy, D/Generation also pointed the finger at the irresponsibility of corporations as humanity moves into the future, which would become a key ingredient in cyberpunk storytelling.
9 Syndicate
This isometric RTS title from Bullfrog Productions helped push cyberpunk gaming past the initial first half of the 1990s when the genre was beginning to pick up steam. It would also capitalize heavily on the traditional cyberpunk notion of corporations becoming more powerful than world governments.
The entire premise of the game is built on this motif as the player must elevate their corporation to global dominance by dealing with local police, as well as competition from rival syndicates. In contrast to the personalized experience of Cyberpunk 2077, this game was far more interested in presenting a detached eagle eye view of the genre.
8 Hell: A Cyberpunk Thriller
One of the most odd and quirky cyberpunk games ever to have been greenlit for release was undoubtedly Hell: A Cyberpunk Thriller. This point-and-click 3DO/DOS title took place in the year 2095 and mixed sci-fi cyberpunk elements with supernatural concepts of God and Hell.
It’s a bizarre mixture of story and plot elements made all the more crazy by the presence of veteran actors like Dennis Hopper, Stephanie Seymour and Grace Jones. If nothing else, it’s a cyberpunk experience unlike any other, even if it hasn’t aged particularly well over the years.
7 Beneath A Steel Sky
Revolution Software took a stab at cyberpunk way back in 1994 with Beneath A Steel Sky, and it ended up becoming a massive success that helped forge the genre forward. The point and click interface might seem dated by today’s standards, but it was enough for the game to maintain its legacy well into the 2010s.
The story is set in a typically dystopian future ravaged by eco-disasters and nuclear fallout. The character controls the protagonist Robert Foster, and by extension his sentient robot Joey as they seek to uncover a mysterious plot involving an all-powerful supercomputer, and its connection to Foster.
6 Blade Runner
Two Blade Runner video games were released, but the 1997 title is the one most fans remember. Based loosely on the iconic Ridley Scott classic, the game runs parallel with its incredible sci-fi story without intersecting it, thereby crafting an entirely separate narrative. In typical 1990s fashion, the game was point and click-based, which meant the focus was more on story and puzzle elements as opposed to action and exploration.
The game focused on Ray McCoy, a rookie Blade Runner framed for a civilian murder who is forced underground. There, he becomes familiar with replicants who are seeking to extend their lifespans in the same manner as Roy Batty from the film. The game features a total of thirteen different endings depending on gamer choices.
5 Rise Of The Dragon
Sierra On-Line co-developer Dynamix joined forces with the company in the 1990s to bring new third person adventure experiences to gamers, and Rise of the Dragon was undoubtedly one of the most ambitious. It took cyberpunk elements such as futuristic designer drugs and crafted a compelling narrative around them.
The player controls William ‘Blade’ Hunter, an ex-LAPD cop who has become a private detective. Blade is tasked with uncovering a massive drug cartel responsible for the death of the Mayor’s daughter via MTZ, a killer new drug that causes hideous mutations.
4 Snatcher
Veteran game developer Konami was one of the first gaming companies on the cyberpunk scene way back in 1988 with the seminal classic Snatcher. This graphic adventure game made huge inroads into the cyberpunk genre, paving the way for future titles that would eventually culminate with Cyberpunk 2077.
The anime visuals were a delivery vehicle for famed director Hideo Kojima’s vision for the game, which in turn was heavily influenced by films like Blade Runner. It also broke a lot of conventional rules by including blood, gore and sexual elements into the story to create a seedier future atmosphere.
3 System Shock
Cyberpunk went into space with 1994’s System Shock by LookingGlass Technologies. It quickly became a bonafide RPG classic thanks to its mixture of FPS gameplay, roleplaying mechanics and a clever spin on the traditional cyberpunk mythos that were dominating 1990s underground media.
The player is tasked with overriding the malevolent plans of an AI known as SHODAN which has reprogrammed a space station’s defenses and eradicated most of the crew by transforming them into cyborgs and mutants. It is one of the few cyberpunk games to make horror a main element of the story.
2 Shadowrun
Shadowrun was one of the most popular cyberpunk video games of the 1990s, based largely on the tabletop RPG game developed by FASA in 1989. It went above and beyond the typical future-noir sci-fi theme by incorporating elements of magic and fantasy into the mix, which blurred the proverbial genre lines.
The first Shadowrun title touched down on the SNES in 1993 before a sequel arrived on the Sega Genesis a year later. The franchise still holds water today thanks to a string of releases beginning with 2014’s Shadowrun Returns. Its impact on cyberpunk gaming cannot be overstated.
1 Deus Ex
Deus Ex is the closest cousin to Cyberpunk 2077 on the gaming market, and it is the title upon which the latter will be judged against. After all, Deus Ex did more to elevate cyberpunk gaming in the new millennium than any other title, thanks to its gritty tone, a focus on humanoid augmentations, and a heaping truckload of dystopian future conspiracy theories.
The RPG elements played a vital role in making Deus Ex the smash hit that it was. Hacking, espionage and stealth played vital roles in navigating the game’s many diverse missions, and the branching paths allowed players to complete tasks the way they wanted. This unprecedented level of freedom helped inspire games like Cyberpunk 2077 in ways gamers haven’t truly realized just yet.
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