Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty – Review

Cyberpunk 2077 went through some hard times on its initial launch but as time went on CDPR has shown its dedication to its beloved game by fixing game-breaking bugs and polishing to make the game playable on all required platforms. Three years after the launch, CDPR released its 2.0 Update which changed the game extensively and it felt like Cyberpunk 2077 has been completed. Additionally, CDPR released its first and last Expansion for Cyberpunk 2077, Phantom Liberty next week which is based on the 2.0 update providing the best experience to all mech runners in the Night City.

Phantom Liberty provides a new chapter in the main story of Cyberpunk 2077 including a new destructive city called Dogtown. V will get to meet new characters in the city as he deals with the disease in his mind which is gradually killing him. Apart from the story, the Expansion includes new iconic weapons, cars, cosmetics, side missions, gigs, and activities that greatly enhance the experience. This is our review of Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty.

Story

The Phantom Liberty Expansion is set in a new city called Dogtown located in the Pacifica district in the southern region of the map. The city is run by NUSA Colonel Kurt Hansen, a former Militech soldier. He has now become an Arms Dealer in Dogtown who runs his own gang named Barghest which also acts as a local police in Dogtown. The story revolves around V meeting a character named Songbird who is a Netrunner and gives surety of survival of V. V trusts Songbird and goes on a destructive rampage to meet the President and shortly after one of the main characters, Solomon Reed who is played by Idris Elba.

The early hours of the Phantom Liberty are full of exciting missions as the game does not let you slow down due to its pace. You will be fighting a gang, advanced Militech soldiers, and mechs until the pace is slowed down. Meeting new characters will get you into a situation of who to trust and who not which mainly shapes up the next point in the story leading to the ending of the main story.

The Phantom Liberty expansion does not bind players to get access to the Pacifica region to get into the Dogtown. Players can skip ahead to the Phantom Liberty story and explore the espionage directly which I personally liked as I have completed the main story before like many others.

Gameplay

Alongside the story of Phantom Liberty, it introduces players to a new skill tree called Relic Perk Tree. The Relic Perk Tree is mainly used to enhance the Relic in V’s head and unlock 9 different advanced skills for the character. Players will have to earn Relic Perk Points to unlock the skills that are gained by completing the main missions of Phantom Liberty or finding the Militech Data Terminals scattered around Dogtown City. The new skills massively increase combat experience as you get more functionality to your cyberarm weapons, locating vulnerabilities of the enemies, and the ability to exit through combat areas even while spotted. Overall, it greatly enhances the combat experience in the game and allows players to come up with even new builds for their playthrough.

There are several side missions and side gigs that will keep you accompanied while you wait for the main story to progress while in Dogtown. The side missions are filled with various rewards and items including the iconic weapons and cars. Apart from the missions and gigs, Phantom Liberty also has two different activities for the players to enjoy repeatedly. These are the Airdrops and Vehicle Contract Missions. Airdrop activity allows players to loot the cache filled with goodies that drop at a random location at a random time. Players can see the red smoke of the airdrop from a fair distance along can hear a distant sound that can lead them to the airdrop. The airdrop activity has random encounters that players will get to face but the original premise of the activity is to clear the area of the enemies and loot the goodies including Iconic Tier Weapons and components.

Vehicle Contract Mission activity will allow players to deliver certain vehicles spread around Dogtown to a certain merchant for rewards. This activity also has its little maneuvers that players will have to counter to deliver the vehicle safely. Completing this activity will also net players discounts on various cars that can be bought from vehicle vendors. Completing these new activities can certainly earn you new gear and items as well as refresh your mind from the original story.

Visuals and Audio

One of the huge differences that I experienced when I boot up and jump into the game is the visuals. They are far much better than 3 years ago when I played the released version of the game. The graphics and visuals have been drastically enhanced, and no it does not affect the performance of the game. In fact, it is quite the opposite and the game runs way smoother than when it was first released. New vibrant colors and advanced reflection technology surely reshape the Night City and I can say without a doubt that the Neon City in Starfield is nowhere near the Night City. The detailing in Night City and Dogtown is top-notch. Both of the cities match the vibe of its description and you surely experience the horrors of the people living in Dogtown who have been getting executed out in the street.

Another thing worth noting is the new radio stations, songs, and the voice acting of the characters both old and new. There are new radio stations that have been added to the game that players can enjoy listening to whenever they feel like going from one district to another. The voice acting of both new and old characters is excellent. The detailing and expression change on their faces as they talk are surely notable.

However, I did experience a few bugs here and there both in Dogtown while playing the Phantom Liberty Expansion and back in the Night City while doing the side gigs. As Cyberpunk 2077 is quite a big game, bugs are common but fortunately, nothing too serious or game-breaking bugs caught my attention in my playthrough.

Verdict – Score 10/10

I think CDPR has done an exceptional job with its game and made it an ultimate cyber game for players to enjoy. With the Update 2.0 and the Phantom Liberty Expansion, it surely feels like a completed game and I cannot recommend it enough to RPG enjoyers. It is an action-packed story story-enriched experience with future Militech technology in your hand.

Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty is now available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and Series S, and PC.