Cyberpunk 2077feels like a completely different game in its current state compared to its launch, coming much closer to, and even surpassing, its ambitious promises in some ways. From massively improved performance to overhauls of several gameplay elements,Cyberpunk 2077has more than redeemed itself in my eyes. Even with plenty of exciting updates and a DLC expansion expanding the story, there are still more than a few things I want to see enhanced inCyberpunk 2077’s official sequel.
While it will be a long time before it’s ready to release,Cyberpunk’ssequel finally started its pre-production cycle just a few days ago, sparking conversation about what features the sequel could introduce. Of course, the biggest thing I want to see inCyberpunk’s sequel is a smooth launch, but CD Projekt Red has made it clear that it wants toavoidCyberpunk 2077’s mistakes. Regardless of how far off the launch may be, there is plenty of time to expand the more lackluster elements ofCyberpunk 2077.
Fleshing Out Life Paths With More Meaningful Effects
Offering Significantly More Roleplay Potential
One of the most disappointing aspects ofCyberpunk 2077right off the bat was how lackluster the life paths ended up being, especially with how important they seemed during the marketing leading up toCyberpunk 2077. While there are still a few neat dialogue and story options available across Night City, the system feels like a far cry from the potential that each life path could have offered.
V goes from talking like a professional Corpo to a regular street kid in the same conversation.
The Corpo storyline in particular feels much more out of place than the other two options, as V goes from talking like a professional Corpo to a regular street kid in the same conversation. This can be one of the more interesting paths for the character to take, so the discrepancy here is particularly rough. IfCyberpunk 2077’s sequel wants to take the series to greater heights,fully fleshing out its life paths with meaningful effects and story differences extending long past the intro would be a great start.
Significantly Overhauling Cyberpunk 2077’s Driving Mechanics
Putting The Sequel On Par With GTA V’s Vehicles
AlthoughCyberpunk 2077has received several updates to expand andstreamline the driving experiencein Night City, it’s still a far cry from what I expected for such a massive game.The issues withCyberpunk’s driving being floaty and difficult to manage are made even more apparent compared to theGrand Theft Autoseries, which has excelled in fast-paced driving maneuvers and physics-based action.
While I don’t expectCyberpunk 2077’s sequel to suddenly achieve the same tier of driving as games that have a much greater focus on vehicles, beingable to quickly weave through traffic and control vehicles with ease feels like it should be an easy task for cybernetically enhanced individuals. Combined with its gorgeous vehicle designs, I desperately hope the sequel finds a way to make driving even more fun to play.
Additional Morality Systems For More Player Freedom
Letting You Embrace The Dark Side Of Cyberpunk 2077’s Setting
Despite having plenty of choices to make throughoutCyberpunk 2077’s story, there are very few options toexperience an actually evil playthrough. Given that V is a set character in the world ofCyberpunk 2077rather than a traditional RPG protagonist,the restrictive choices do make sense, but it still feels like a missed opportunity.
Staying true to the tabletop origins of the series,I would love for the protagonist ofCyberpunk’s sequel to allow even more customization for its protagonist, both visually and through meaningful player choices. There’s no shortage of systems thatCyberpunkcould use as inspiration for questionable morality-based choices, and evenRed Dead Redemption 2and its bounty mechanics would be a great place to start for exploring the concept.
More Cyberpsychosis Mechanics For The Player Character
An Underused Feature For Such A Lore-Heavy Feature
One of the aspects that makes V inCyberpunk 2077such a powerful protagonist is their near-complete immunity from Cyberpsychosis, likely resulting from sharing a body with their relic companion. Given that a sequel is more than likely to feature an entirely new protagonist and storyline, it presentsthe perfect chance to expand upon the concept of cyberpsychosis and its consequences.
Explored as a central theme in both the game and the anime adaptation, Cyberpsychosis is deeply ingrained into the lore ofCyberpunk 2077,offering a great way to balance the overuse of cybernetic enhancements in the late game.Similar to the fury mode that can result in using the perk expanding your cyberware past its limits, it would be interesting to see more mechanics like this explored with even greater risk vs reward style choices to be made.
Greatly Expanding The Available Romance Options
A Disappointing Selection For Potential Relationships
While it’s not exactly the biggest selling point ofCyberpunk 2077’s offerings, romance is one of the many ways the futuristic setting stands apart from similar games in the genre, adding a layer of emotional connectivity to the series. Unfortunately,the available options for long-term romance inCyberpunk 2077are incredibly slim, especially given certain gender restrictions.
Adding more major romances toCyberpunk 2077’s sequel would be a challenging task, buteven a couple more options or shorter romances could add significantly more replayability and immersion. Another problem withCyberpunk’s relationship system is that characters start getting stale after finishing their story, which could benefit from procedurally generated interactions.
Making Netrunning Feel More Rewarding Outside Of Combat
More Mini-Games Could Breathe Life Into Netrunner Playthroughs
Netrunning is, by far, one of the unique features available inCyberpunk 2077, with other games featuring few contenders for similar ways to tackle combat. While there are few things more satisfying than entering a room and having every enemy instantly flatline or even turn on each other, the combat can still get stale over time.
One of the waysCyberpunk 2077’s sequel could overcome its Netrunning issues is by adding more dynamic ways of hacking environmental objects in real time, much like how theWatch Dogsfranchise functions. From hacking streetlights to disrupting police chases or controlling drones to gain intel and cash from enemies,Netrunning has plenty of untapped potential to create more engaging gameplay or minigames to enrich the overallCyberpunkexperience.
More Immersive Crowds & NPC Reactions
Making The Gorgeous World Of Night City Feel Even More Alive
At a glance,Cyberpunk 2077’s world feels incredibly alive and dripping with personality, butthe illusion of a lifelike world can quickly fade when starting combat or committing other aggressive actions around NPCs.On top of having rather generic reactions to player actions,Cyberpunk 2077also suffers from repetitive movement patterns and background activity, which could drastically benefit from more context-basedresponses and action routes.
Thankfully,Cyberpunk 2077’s sequel has already noted its intent to create some of"the most realistic and reactive crowd systems in any game to date", according to a job listing from February, as noted byVideo Game Chronicle. While these statements did spark worries aboutrepeating the same mistakesof the overly lofty ambitions that led toCyberpunk 2077’s disastrous launch, I have more confidence that the sequel will try to avoid a repeat of the situation.
Joinable Factions Similar To The Fallout Series
Playing Into The Outcome Of An Expansive Corp War
Another fantastic aspect ofCyberpunk 2077is the variety of factions that make up its world-building, from independent organizations like the Trauma Team to massive Corps fighting for control over massive territories. AlthoughCyberpunk 2077does explore these concepts to some degree, it only scratches the surface of what each faction could offer for the series.
With V’s storyline involving Arasaka out of the way,Cyberpunk 2077’s sequel could go all in on exploring its already established factions to a greater extent, making them a central part of the story from start to finish. The first series that comes to mind for comparison is easily theFalloutfranchise, as I would love to have similar systems in place, or allying or becoming vilified by certain factions orincredibly unique gangsas you navigate your way through the world and storylines, with even more game-changing choices to make.
Incorporating More In-Depth Weapon Customization
Expanding The Fairly Limited Systems Of Cyberpunk 2077
One of the standout offerings ofCyberpunk 2077is its exceptional gunplay, which could be taken to even greater heights through the use of an in-depth weapons bench. While part of the joy of a game likeCyberpunk 2077is expanding your arsenal and exchanging weapons for even more powerful upgrades,I can’t help but wish weapon customization could be explored in greater depth with the upcoming sequel.
While an overly complicated gun bench system could significantly reduce the variety of weapons to play with,even simple visual customization through skins, scopes, or basic attachments could offer an even more satisfying gunplay experience. An expanded weapon customization system could also incorporate its own perks to make it a valid playstyle on top of the current offerings, tying in to the crafting and resource mechanics already in place inCyberpunk 2077.
Even More Transportation Variety And Movement Options
Simple Additions Could Greatly Diversify Traversing Night City
When talking about missed opportunities inCyberpunk 2077, one of the first that comes to mind is the lack of traversal options available. While the selection of vehicles has some satisfying options to choose from,not having any form of flying vehicle or public transport is a confusing choice for the dystopian sci-fi setting.
Thankfully,some dedicated fans have already started filling the gaps with their own mods, letting you take your vehicle to the skies in style. Whether in the form of alternate fast travel, scripted flying segments with AVs, or even character movement options like wallrunning,Cyberpunk 2077’s sequel has plenty of room for improvement.
