Cyberpunk 2077: CD Projekt Red Explains The Setting And Tone

Following private showings of a nearly hour-long Cyberpunk 2077 demo, CD Projekt Red has finally shown off the game to the public. There's still a lot to learn about the game, and now that you should have a better idea of what to expect, we're looking back at some of what we've learned about the game since its E3 unveiling.

Associate design director Kyle Rowley was among those to stop by GameSpot's E3 2018 stage show this year, where he shared more details about the tone and setting of the upcoming game. The trailer for Cyberpunk 2077 that the public was shown at E3 was set during the day because CD Projekt Red knew it could nail a nighttime, Blade Runner-style vibe. Some criticised the trailer for being oddly colorful, but that was the entire idea, Rowley said.

"We tried to build the cyberpunk atmosphere in daytime, because we know for a fact that we can create the moody atmospheric noir feeling that you get from Blade Runner," he said. "So for the trailer we really wanted to show how you could take the cyberpunk elements of this dystopian world and show it when the sun's out. It's not something you necessarily experience in traditional cyberpunk media, but that’s not to say we don't have those Blade Runner noir elements."

Rowley went on to say that Cyberpunk 2077 isn't set completely during the day; the game has a full day/night cycle.

"The story is very noir in how it works, the feeling, the missions and the different characters you interact with," he said. "It definitely has that noir vibe, so if anybody's worried that we're not going to have that Blade Runner noir feeling, it's definitely going to be there. The game has a full day-night cycle with weather systems so you'll definitely experience both daytime and nighttime. And, for sure, it's going to have that neon cityscape that people are really craving for."

Cyberpunk 2077 allows you to play as a male or female character named V, who is a hired gun in Night City. The location is the "most violent and dangerous metropolis of the corporate-ruled future." There will be a "robust" character creator tool that lets you select's your gender and character class, as well as "historical background." Everything you create and customise can "influence the shape of the game," for whatever that means.