Cyberpunk 2077 got a very positive rating on the Steam platform that sells digital copies of games for PCs. The expansion, titled Phantom Liberty, is CD Projekt’s first significant game premiere since the bug-ridden launch of the flagship game in December 2020.
The acclaimed Polish video game developer had a lot riding on the success of its long-delayed and much-hyped title, which aspired to surpass the popularity of The Witcher saga. However, the open-world RPG suffered numerous bugs and gameplay issues that tarnished its reputation and delayed its release. The overwhelming hype for the game set gamers up for disappointment, and the resulting negative reviews on the first day of its release left CD Projekt Red struggling to regain their trust.
But over the years, the studio rolled out updates and fixes that slowly transformed the game into what many consider one of the best games of the current generation. Last year’s Edgerunners update was particularly well received for correcting several significant annoyances in the base game, such as the excessive dildos that could be looted from every corner of Night City.
Phantom Liberty might be the last push that Cyberpunk 2077 needs to get back on track in the eyes of gamers. The expansion is a fitting send-off for V and the city of Night City, even if its branching narrative structure sometimes stumbles.
In a review, GameSpot wrote that the Phantom Liberty expansion is “Cyberpunk 2077 at its best”. The expansion was the final project developed on CD Projekt’s technology RED Engine, with the company moving to external Unreal Engine for its upcoming developments, including the Cyberpunk sequel.
“Phantom Liberty takes the lessons from the original release and focuses on the parts that matter most to deliver a thrilling and impactful experience,” GameSpot’s review said. “The story is compelling, the combat is enthralling, and the characters are a joy to be around.”
Reuters notes that based on 1,067 user reviews, Phantom Liberty received a very positive rating on Steam. But it’s important to note that this is only true if users have their Steam settings set up to exclude “off-topic” reviews, which are considered a form of review bombing. Otherwise, the score would be lower.
The expansion begins with the President of NUS crash landing in Dogtown, a self-governed district of Night City, and you get hired to her Secret Service detail to rescue her. The campaign then zeroes in on how the world’s institutions fail everyone but the few at the top, with some genuinely shocking betrayals and decisions to make along the way.
The 1.7 GB Phantom Liberty adds many new areas to explore in the city but is still relatively small compared to the massive size of the base game’s world. It’s disappointing that the new areas are all fairly linear, but it’s a minor quibble overall.
