The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt has gone down as one of the most influential open-world games of all time, universally lauded for its writing and quest design. And while The Witcher 3 established CD Projekt Red as a powerhouse, the long and winding road of Cyberpunk 2077’s development isn’t quite the same story.
But years after its disastrous launch, perhaps the most remarkable thing I’ve found about Cyberpunk’s transformation is that it’s arguably a better “role-playing” game than The Witcher 3, in terms of the quintessential idea that the genre stands for. And that largely comes down to two key factors: strong world design and a truly inspired take on the malleable choice-driven protagonist.
Minor spoilers for Cyberpunk 2077 ahead.
