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Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty

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Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty
Developer(s)CD Projekt RED
Publisher(s)CD Projekt
Director(s)Gabriel Amantangelo
Programmer(s)Kacper Kościeński
Artist(s)
  • Paweł Mielniczuk
  • Jakub Knapik
Writer(s)Tomasz Marchewka
Composer(s)
  • P.T. Adamczyk
  • Jacek Paciorkowski
SeriesCyberpunk
EngineREDengine 4
Platform(s)
Release26 September 2023
Genre(s)Action role-playing
Mode(s)Single-player

Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty (Polish: Cyberpunk 2077: Widmo Wolności) is a 2023 expansion pack for the 2020 video game Cyberpunk 2077 developed by CD Projekt RED. The expansion introduces a new district to the game's open world, as well as a new quest line. Set in a dystopian cyberpunk universe, the player assumes the role of V, a mercenary who must rescue the President of the New United States whose aircraft has crashed in the lawless district of Dogtown. It was released for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and Windows in September 2023. The expansion received critical acclaim and has sold more than 5 million copies since release.

Gameplay

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Cyberpunk 2077 is an action role-playing video game played from a first-person perspective. The story of the Phantom Liberty expansion is set in a new district named "Dogtown", which has its own unique characters, quests and gigs.[1] Phantom Liberty introduces a new Relic skill tree with nine abilities. To unlock new Relic skills, players must progress the story of Phantom Liberty, or access restricted data terminals found in Dogtown.[2] The DLC also raises the level cap to 60, and adds new weapons and vehicles into the game. New quickhacks are also added to the game, allowing players to perform actions such as air dashing, seeing through walls, or changing V's appearance on the fly.[3] Vehicular combat is also added, allowing players to drive cars armed with missile launchers and machine guns.[1] Depending on player's decision, a new ending for the base game will be unlocked.[4]

Synopsis

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See also: Cyberpunk 2077 § Plot

Setting and characters

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Cyberpunk 2077 takes place in Night City, an American megacity in the Free State of North California, controlled by corporations and unassailed by the laws of both country and state. Players take on the role of Vincent / Valerie, also known as "V" (Gavin Drea / Cherami Leigh), a mercenary who was killed, then revived by an experimental Arasaka biochip called "the Relic", and ends up with a digitized engram of legendary rock star Johnny Silverhand (Keanu Reeves) existing within their mind. Together, V and Johnny search for a way to prevent the Relic from killing the former and replacing their mind with Johnny's.

In addition to some of the characters from the main story, the Phantom Liberty expansion features additional appearances by the following characters: Song "Songbird" So Mi (Minji Chang), a netrunner working for the New United States of America (NUSA) Government; Solomon "Sol" Reed (Idris Elba), a Federal Intelligence Agency (FIA) operative who works for the NUSA Government as a sleeper agent; Rosalind Myers (Kay Bess), the President of the NUSA; Alena "Alex" Xenakis (Yvonne Senat Jones), Reed's former FIA partner who went undercover in the Dogtown district of Night City as a bartender; and Kurt Hansen (Eliah Mountjoy), leader of the Barghest militia who controls Dogtown.

Plot

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Following a venture into the Pacifica district of Night City, the mercenary V is contacted by Song "Songbird" So Mi, the aide of NUSA President Rosalind Myers. She explains that their aircraft has been hacked and is about to crash in the lawless district of Dogtown, ruled by warlord Kurt Hansen. Songbird asks V to help rescue Myers in return for her assistance in preventing the Relic from destroying V's brain. V saves Myers and escorts her to a safehouse, but they lose contact with Songbird on the way.

With Songbird missing in action, Myers asks V to contact Solomon "Sol" Reed, a NUSA sleeper agent, for help. Reed successfully extracts Myers from Dogtown, after which Myers gives V and Reed a new task: rescue Songbird. Reed enlists the aid of fellow agent Alena "Alex" Xenakis and netrunner Slider in order to locate Songbird. Slider reestablishes contact with Songbird and is shocked to learn that she has been using the Blackwall, the firewall that protects the world from rogue AIs, to contact V. Songbird tells V she has been captured by Kurt, while Slider is killed when the Blackwall overwhelms him.

Reed reveals that Songbird has been probing the Blackwall under Myers' orders, which is prohibited by international law. V and Reed infiltrate a party held by Kurt and meet Songbird, who explains that her mind is being corrupted by the Blackwall, and a device in Kurt's possession called the Neural Matrix can cure both her and V's conditions. She sets up a plan to steal the matrix from Kurt and escape, while Reed and V deduce that Songbird orchestrated the plane crash as part of a deal with Kurt, which she later confirms. Reed resolves to rescue Songbird anyway, giving V a device that will knock her unconscious. Meanwhile, Songbird contacts V separately, asking V's help to escape from both Kurt and the NUSA. V, along with Alex, again infiltrates Kurt's headquarters and is then faced with a choice: help Songbird escape, or betray her so that Reed can take her into custody.

If V helps Songbird, Alex kills Kurt while V and Songbird flee, now fugitives hunted by the NUSA. Songbird enlists V to escape to the Moon via Night City's spaceport, but the NUSA, under Myers' personal direction, attacks the spaceport. V and Songbird fend them off, but Songbird is severely weakened after being forced to use her Blackwall powers in the process. Songbird admits to V that the matrix can only be used once, and that she had intended to betray V by using the cure on herself. V is left with the decision to surrender Songbird into Reed's custody, or kill Reed in a standoff and assist Songbird's escape to the Moon.

If V betrays Songbird, she immediately realizes V's deception. Songbird uses her Blackwall powers to flee, falling into cyberpsychosis, while Kurt kills Alex before being killed by V, or other causes if not confronted. The escaping Songbird is captured by MaxTac, who had responded to the cyberpsycho alert. Reed and V attack the convoy holding Songbird, but she flees again to Cynosure, an old Militech bunker facility, in order to connect to the Blackwall. While evading a Militech machine sent after them by Songbird, V learns about her tragic past: she was forcibly augmented by Myers to use as a link between the Blackwall and the real world. By the time V catches up, Songbird is already succumbing to the Blackwall's effects. Depending on V's choices, they either euthanize Songbird at her request to prevent her from falling into NUSA custody, or hand her over to Reed, who promises to help her.

If Songbird is taken into custody, a new ending to the game is unlocked. Myers congratulates V for completing their mission and Reed informs them that the matrix can be used to cure V. If V accepts, NUSA surgeons successfully remove the Relic from V's brain, but the surgery fully deletes Johnny Silverhand's engram, puts V in a two-year coma (during which most of V's friends move on), and causes irreparable damage to V's brain that renders them unable to use combat implants. Reed has taken a desk job at NUSA but has no further updates on Songbird, who he presumes is still working for Myers. Unable to return to their old life as a mercenary, V is forced to accept that they must live quietly as a regular civilian from now on, with Reed and V's friends Viktor "Vik" Vector and Misty helping them. If Songbird is sent to the moon or euthanized, V continues looking for a cure through other avenues.

Development

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Development of Phantom Liberty cost more than $60 million.[5] On 6 September 2022, CD Projekt Red confirmed that Phantom Liberty, would be released for PC, Xbox Series X/S, and PlayStation 5 in 2023. It is the only planned expansion for the game, with Reeves reprising his role of Johnny Silverhand.[6] On 16 November 2022, it was confirmed that Phantom Liberty will be a paid expansion pack, akin to Witcher 3 expansions Blood and Wine and Hearts of Stone.[7] A trailer for Phantom Liberty was released during The Game Awards 2022 which revealed Idris Elba had joined the project.[8] A release date of 26 September 2023 for the Phantom Liberty expansion was revealed during the 2023 Xbox showcase as part of the Summer Game Fest.[9] Pre-orders of Phantom Liberty grant the player a bonus in-game vehicle.[10] Ahead of the release of Phantom Liberty, CD Projekt released a major title update titled Update 2.0 on 21 September for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and S, which introduces the features that were announced alongside Phantom Liberty.[11] In December 2023, CD Projekt RED released Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition, which bundles Phantom Liberty and the base game together. Phantom Liberty was designed to be the sole expansion for Cyberpunk 2077.[12]

For the development of Phantom Liberty, the team was inspired by spy thriller. Dogtown is described to be a "rougher area" ruled by a militia leader, and a place where "unsavory characters escape to" because the corporations and the police are denied entry. The area, therefore, was designed to be "oppressive".[13] Speaking about the game's story, senior writer Magda Zych added that Phantom Liberty's narrative supplemented the base game's themes by "extending them to politicians at higher levels and to state agencies".[14] Idris Elba joined the project fairly early during its development.[15] He portrayed Solomon Reed, a spy for the NUSA. Elba described him as the player character's "guide, or protector in some cases", but they do not know if he is fully trustworthy. Elba, who had a side-career as a DJ, picked music for the in-game's radio station as well as creating three unique tracks for the expansion.[16] P.T. Adamczyk and Jacek Paciorkowski composed the score.[17] Dawid Podsiadło created the theme song for the game.[18]

Reception

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Phantom Liberty received "generally positive" from critics, according to review aggregator website Metacritic.[19][20][21]

Ted Litchfield from PC Gamer described Phantom Liberty as "a tense spy thriller" filled with "gruesome" choices, and "a thrilling capstone for Cyberpunk 2077's 3-year redemption arc".[27] Wesley LeBlanc from Game Informer praised Phantom Liberty, along with the 2.0 update, as a "culmination" of work CD Projekt spent on reworking Cyberpunk 2077 following its initial launch in 2020. He liked the new ending, and praised the gameplay improvements which made stealth gameplay enjoyable.[23] Writing for GameSpot, Michael Higham gave the game a perfect score, giving strong praise to the game's story, side content and characters. He concluded his review by saying that "Phantom Liberty is Cyberpunk 2077 at its best", and praised it for respecting genre traditions and delivering a story that is "cruel, sobering, and bittersweet".[24]

Sales

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As of October 2023, Phantom Liberty has sold 3 million units in a week after release.[28] By November 2023, Phantom Liberty had sold 4.3 million units.[29] In January 2024, CD Projekt Red announced that the expansion had sold over 5 million units.[30]

Accolades

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Award nominations for Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty
Year Award Category Result
2023 Golden Joystick Awards 2023[31] Best Game Expansion Won
Best Trailer Won
The Game Awards 2023[32] Best Narrative Nominated
Best Performance (Idris Elba as Solomon Reed) Nominated
Best Ongoing Game Won
Player's Voice Nominated
2024 New York Game Awards[33][34] Big Apple Award for Game of the Year Nominated
Herman Melville Award for Best Writing in a Game Nominated
Statue of Liberty Award for Best World Nominated
Great White Way Award for Best Acting in a Game (Idris Elba as Solomon Reed) Nominated
NYC GWB Award for Best DLC Won
27th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards[35] Role-Playing Game of the Year Nominated
22nd Visual Effects Society Awards[36] Outstanding Visual Effects in a Real-Time Project Nominated
24th Game Developers Choice Awards[37] Best Narrative Honorable mention
Best Technology Honorable mention
20th British Academy Games Awards[38] Evolving Game Won
EE Game of the Year Nominated

References

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  1. ^ a b Fenlon, Wes (September 22, 2023). "Cyberpunk 2077 2.0 vs Phantom Liberty: What changes to expect from each update". PC Gamer. Retrieved December 9, 2023.
  2. ^ Orr, Jessica (September 28, 2023). "Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty Relic Point locations for Relic skill tree". Eurogamer. Retrieved December 9, 2023.
  3. ^ Livingston, Christopher (June 14, 2023). "Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty adds cyberware that lets you air-dash, see through walls, and 'change your appearance to lose the heat'". PC Gamer. Retrieved December 9, 2023.
  4. ^ Martin, Sean (September 28, 2023). "How to unlock the new Cyberpunk 2077 ending in Phantom Liberty". PC Gamer. Retrieved December 9, 2023.
  5. ^ McEvoy, Sophie (October 6, 2023). "CD Projekt spent over $120m to save Cyberpunk 2077". GamesIndustry.biz. Retrieved October 6, 2023.
  6. ^ Egan, Toussaint (September 7, 2022). "Phantom Liberty is the 'only planned expansion' for Cyberpunk 2077". Polygon. Archived from the original on September 7, 2022. Retrieved September 7, 2022.
  7. ^ Jones, Ali (November 16, 2022). "Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty will be a paid expansion". GamesRadar. Archived from the original on November 16, 2022. Retrieved November 16, 2022.
  8. ^ The Game Awards [@TheGameAwards] (December 8, 2022). "We pledge our allegiance to the New United States of America… this is Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty! @Cyberpunkgame #TheGameAwards" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  9. ^ S. Good, Owen (June 11, 2023). "Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty gets a launch date at the Xbox Showcase". Polygon. Retrieved June 12, 2023.
  10. ^ "Phantom Liberty Release Date and Pre-Order Details". Vulkk. June 11, 2023. Retrieved June 26, 2023.
  11. ^ Wales, Matt (September 14, 2023). "Cyberpunk 2077's major 2.0 update arrives next week". Eurogamer.
  12. ^ "Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition Premieres This Year". November 21, 2023. Retrieved November 23, 2023.
  13. ^ Bailey, Kat (August 26, 2023). "Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty Interview: The Most Important Improvements, Making Dogtown, and More". IGN. Retrieved December 9, 2023.
  14. ^ Parijat, Shubhankar (November 27, 2023). "The Big Interview – CDPR on Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty's Development, Update 2.0, Cyberpunk's Future, and More". Gaming Bolt. Retrieved December 9, 2023.
  15. ^ Shepard, Kenneth (June 12, 2023). "Cyberpunk 2077 Devs Wrote Idris Elba's Phantom Liberty Role Just For Him". Kotaku. Retrieved December 9, 2023.
  16. ^ Skrebels, Joe (September 14, 2023). "Idris Elba Interview – How Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty Attracted Another Hollywood Superstar". Xbox Wire. Retrieved December 9, 2023.
  17. ^ "Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty Original Score Available Everywhere Now". Milan Records. September 14, 2023. Retrieved December 31, 2023.
  18. ^ Yin-Poole, Wesley (October 27, 2023). "How The Team Behind Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty's Score Created A Spy-Thriller Soundtrack". Game Informer. Archived from the original on October 27, 2023. Retrieved December 9, 2023.
  19. ^ a b "Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty (PC)". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
  20. ^ a b "Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty (PlayStation 5)". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
  21. ^ a b "Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty (Xbox Series X)". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
  22. ^ Van Allen, Eric (September 20, 2023). "Review: Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty". Destructoid. Retrieved September 25, 2023.
  23. ^ a b LeBlanc, Wesley (September 20, 2023). "Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty Review". Game Informer. Archived from the original on September 21, 2023. Retrieved September 24, 2023.
  24. ^ a b Higham, Michael (September 20, 2023). "Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty Review - The Songbird Sings". GameSpot. Retrieved September 24, 2023.
  25. ^ Loveridge, Sam (September 20, 2023). "Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty review: "The culmination of CD Projekt Red's efforts"". GamesRadar+. Retrieved September 24, 2023.
  26. ^ Kim, Matt (September 20, 2023). "Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty Review". IGN. Retrieved September 24, 2023.
  27. ^ a b Litchfield, Ted (September 20, 2023). "Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty review". PC Gamer. Retrieved September 24, 2023.
  28. ^ Ivan, Tom (October 5, 2023). "Cyberpunk 2077 clears 25m sales and Phantom Liberty hits 3m in its first week". Video Games Chronicle. Retrieved October 5, 2023.
  29. ^ Ivan, Tom (November 28, 2023). "CD Projekt says Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty has topped 4.3 million sales". Video Games Chronicle. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
  30. ^ Romano, Sal (January 4, 2024). "Cyberpunk 2077 expansion 'Phantom Liberty' sales top five million". Gematsu. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
  31. ^ Batchelor, James (November 13, 2023). "Larian Studios and Baldur's Gate 3 sweep Golden Joystick Awards". Gameindustry.biz. Retrieved December 9, 2023.
  32. ^ Spangler, Todd (November 13, 2023). "The Game Awards 2023 Nominations: Alan Wake 2, Baldur's Gate 3 Lead the Pack With Eight Noms Each (Full List)". Variety. Retrieved November 18, 2023.
  33. ^ Kerr, Chris (January 4, 2024). "Alan Wake II and Baldur's Gate 3 lead 2024 New York Game Awards nominees". Game Developer. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
  34. ^ McEvoy, Sophie (January 24, 2024). "Baldur's Gate 3 wins big at New York Game Awards 2024". Games Industry.biz.
  35. ^ "2024 Awards Category Details Role-Playing Game of the Year". interactive.org. Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Retrieved February 16, 2024.
  36. ^ Giardina, Carolyn (January 16, 2024). "'The Creator' Leads Visual Effects Society Feature Competition With 7 Nominations". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
  37. ^ Sinclair, Brendan (January 16, 2024). "Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Baldur's Gate 3 top GDC Award nominations". GamesIndustry.biz. Archived from the original on January 16, 2024.
  38. ^ Stewart, Marcus (March 7, 2024). "Here Are The Nominees For The 20th Annual BAFTA Games Awards". Game Informer. Archived from the original on March 7, 2024.
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