Cyberpunk 2077: First impressions of the futuristic RPG
If Deus Ex and The Witcher 3 had a baby, it would look like this.

Cyberpunk (https://www.gog.com/game/cyberpunk_2077) is a title many gamers have been eagerly awaiting the past seven years, and now, it’s finally here. For the past three days I have been glued to my screen, staring in awe, at the beautiful world that is Night City. This article won’t be a review as much as it is a commentary on my first impressions – How can you review a game this large with only twenty hours play time? Fear not, no spoilers ahead!
Choosing to go in blind, ignoring trailers, leaks, articles, and review, I had no idea what to expect. Was Cyberpunk a Deus Ex clone? Will it play like Witcher 3, but with guns? Has CD Projekt decided to develop their own version of Grand Theft Auto? These are but a few questions which were in my mind as I booted up the game.

Entering Night City
Starting Cyberpunk 2077, I got to select my characters sex and appearance. Playing as V, I was presented with a large variety of customisation options. From head to toe, nearly nothing is off limits – It invites you to be as creative as you like. Finally, I selected one of three life paths, letting me play the game how I want right from the start. This freedom offered by Cyberpunk right from the start is a pleasant introduction to the world which follows.
For the next three hours the game held my hand as it introduced the plot, characters, setting, and mechanics. It felt like an interactive sightseeing expedition with tutorials sprinkled throughout. During these opening moments is where the game blew me away. Night City is alive, people flood footpaths, vehicles congest the road, something seems to always be happening.
The sheer size of the world and its inhabitants is something I’ve not seen in other games. I feel as if the developers put me in a sandbox and said, “have fun”. I can run, climb, and drive almost everywhere I please. The freedom given during character creation flows through to the game world. Cyberpunk is everything I wished Deus Ex was all those years ago.

The Visuals are Breathtaking
What makes the world of Cyberpunk 2077 even more impressive are its visuals. This is easily the best-looking game I have witnessed on PC, ever. It’s breathtaking (no pun intended). Facial expressions look lifelike. Weapons, vehicles, clothes, buildings – Everything makes me feel like I’m living in the year 2077.
From small to large, no details have been left out (other than some sad looking pizzas). Whether on foot or in car, the game does all it can to immerse you in Night City – This made me feel like I was part of the world, not just playing in it. It’s a sight to behold. My favourite part was how neon lights liven up the streets, reflecting against objects in the game world. The glow they emit looks spectacular at night.
As a result of these amazing visuals the performance is underwhelming. Amazingly my PC managed to handle running this game, but it was very taxing. With a 6 core CPU and a GTX 1070, I was hitting a peak of 45 frames per second. While not the most modern system, no other game has pushed my PC this hard – But looking at the game world, I’m not surprised why. A plus is that frame dips were non-existent.

Bugs, and Improvements
Since release there has been already been a patch which did improve performance slightly, along with some bug fixes. But only time will tell how much the game will improve. Looking at CD Projekt Red and the outstanding effort they put in the Witcher series, I’ve high hopes.
I really hope development doesn’t slow down as bugs have been numerous. Problematic saves, idle enemies, invisible vehicles, immersion is quickly broken when they occur. One mission had me unequip all my weapons. Upon doing this, the game autosaved and enemies began shooting at me in the next section. As you can guess, this wasn’t meant to happen. What was meant to be a leisurely stroll through a guarded area turned into me reloading an earlier save and trying again.
Regardless of these faults, they’re small in comparison to the amazing impression Cyberpunk has left on me. Right from the start I’ve been blown away at the effort the developers have put into the game. The foundation for a perfect game appears to be there, but it is being held back by performance issues and bugs in its current state.
Once completed, I will write a follow up article – An in depth review looking at all aspects of the game. At present, I have left out my experiences with crafting, cyberware, and purchasable vehicles – Mainly because I’ve no money in game to dive right in to these aspects. These will be discussed in the final review.

I hope that CD Projekt Red is going to improve the performance. The performance is atrocious right now.
It is very CPU dependant from my own experiences, and discussions I’ve had. There is also an issue if you run a Ryzen based system. It has a fix, but it’s user sided.
Totally agree with you,also for my personal experience cpu is overstressed in this game,and i had the same problem with gtav,rdr2 and star wars jedi fallen too,this said my cpu is very old (9 years old) but i’m lucky btw because i can run the game at 30fps stable that is enough for me to have fun… i not stop to play a game only because not do 60 i can have fun at 30 too.
It seems like a lot of the newer AAA titles require more cores. Guess we’ve got consoles to thank for that! Luckily this game is enjoyable at lower FPS. Glad you’re having fun with it 🙂
This game should have been delayed again. People basically paid full price for an early access.
While I agree with that for consoles, I’ve yet to experience any major bugs on PC that a reload couldn’t fix. It’s much better than The Witcher 3 launch. I believe the next patch is due to arrive this week 🙂
Stop pre-ordering games, can’t be said enough.
Ah, now I want this game even more! Although the performance thing scares me. I have a slightly inferior PC to what you said yours is (I’ve got a GTX 1060 6GB) so that 45 fps makes me cringe. I know someone with a 2070 and a top line CPU who can’t run it on ultra high graphics without significant fps drops so I knew it was coming but ouch; I may need to at least upgrade my CPU before purchasing.
Very happy to hear that character customization is as detailed as they promised, though! It’s the first big test for any RPG, and too many fall short there.
I’ve turned up my settings as I’d much rather have a nicer appearance in this sort of game than have higher FPS. A 1060 will be able to run the game, even with a quad core CPU (assuming it’s not too old). I suggest waiting for patches however, it’ll make your experience much more enjoyable.
I read the reviews and it’s a bit sad all the problems. Thanks for the nice review
I’ll be writing another once I’ve completed it. I suggest if you’ve a low end PC or you don’t like bugs/glitches to avoid buying til it’s all sorted.
TBH, the Appreciation and Boasting before its release is too much. They might be better off putting it off for a few days