Cyberpunk 2077 is a game about following the yellow line

Cyberpunk 2077 is out for PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Stadia this week, and that means you’ll finally get a chance to explore its big-budget, vast open world. But when you do, you may find that the game feels less open than you might expect. And that’s because this is a game about following specific directions.

I like Cyberpunk 2077. It’s a well-made crime thriller with some really cool setpieces. But don’t come into the game thinking that you’re going to have a say in how those quests work. Almost everyone is going to play through the same missions in the same ways. This means following a yellow dotted line on your minimap to the next waypoint, doing whatever the game needs, and then following the line again.

That’s not to say Cyberpunk has no variation. It does. But all of that comes from your character build, so again it’s not really about creativity. If you have someone who is good with guns, then run up to people and shoot them. If you are good at hacking, then stay behind cover and send daemons/viruses at them. But whether you’re a bruiser or a robowizard, your experience isn’t going to end up that different from mine.

To be clear, this doesn’t make the game bad. These missions are well-designed. Above everything else, they are fun. It’s cool to take out snipers while a companion tries to sneak into a heavily armored parade float. But I just don’t feel an especially deep connection to it because the game is feeding it to me.

You can see example of what I’m talking about in the video above. And if you want a more elaborate take on the game, read my full review.