Project Orion: One Narrative Feature of Cyberpunk 2077 Should Be Avoided

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Project Orion: One Narrative Feature of Cyberpunk 2077 Should Be Avoided

As someone who has spent countless hours immersed in the gritty, neon-lit streets of Night City, I can confidently say that the narrative of Cyberpunk 2077 stands tall among the greats. The world-building, character development, and unpredictable plot twists make it a captivating, blockbuster storytelling experience that surpasses even the high bar set by CD Projekt Red’s Witcher series.

Among all its pros and cons, what’s most likely to endure over time in Cyberpunk 2077 is its narrative. The intricate world-building, captivating character development, and unforeseeable plot of Cyberpunk 2077 create an immersive, blockbuster storytelling experience that often exceeds the high standards set by CD Projekt Red following the Witcher series. Fingers crossed that Project Orion, the upcoming sequel to Cyberpunk, will maintain this level of quality narrative.

Major spoilers ahead for
Cyberpunk 2077
.

In Cyberpunk 2077, the story begins with a powerful emotional blow. As you get to know Jackie Welles, a carefree mercenary from Heywood who conceals depth, you set out on a daring task to obtain a mysterious artifact from Yorinobu Arasaka, the reckless heir of megacorp leader Saburo Arasaka. Unsurprisingly, the operation goes awry, and Jackie sadly perishes during the getaway. This scene effectively showcases the ruthless environment of Night City, but it’s slightly less impactful due to a creative choice that negatively influences the game’s pace, particularly in the early hours.

Project Orion’s Intro Shouldn’t Have a Time Skip Like Cyberpunk 2077’s

V’s Early Criminal Life Is Detailed In a Short Montage

Initially, the early scenes in Cyberpunk are marked by an underdeveloped lifepath aspect, yet beyond a particular stage, the prologue takes on a more uniform structure. A series of events unfolds that alter V’s routine existence, leading to the development of their friendship with Jackie and their progression through Night City’s criminal underbelly. This narrative technique effectively communicates how V acquired their distinctive apartment and why they are already connected with various fixers, but it fails to evoke strong emotions.

In a fair assessment, the game Cyberpunk 2077 faced an enormous challenge in introducing its rendition of Night City and immersing players into a fresh universe filled with vital characters. Streamlining the introduction of various fixers, factions, and characters might have been necessary to make this a smoother experience, but hurrying through such an extensive presentation of key aspects in the game, like the major fixers and the Jackie-V connection, can give the intro a sense of haste. This hasty feel could be due to issues with the lifepath system, which necessitated CD Projekt Red to create a universal prologue, or it might have been a creative misstep. In any case, Project Orion should learn from history and ensure it doesn’t repeat this issue in future endeavors.

The Case for Project Orion’s Intro to Take Its Time

It’s unclear if Project Orion will unfold in Night City or another location, but it seems likely that it may introduce a new main character within the Cyberpunk universe. Given that V’s story concludes rather definitively in Cyberpunk 2077, there isn’t much scope left for further adventures starring them. If Project Orion marks the arrival of V’s successor, it would be wise to slow down at the beginning, allowing players to become more immersed and connected to the game world and the new protagonist’s journey in a natural and thorough manner.

To avoid montages at the beginning, it’s best to introduce characters like friends, enemies, or acquaintances of the protagonist gradually and organically in Project Orion. This allows the player to become familiar with them as the protagonist does, either through dialogue or traditional cutscenes. By doing so, the game can create a more powerful emotional narrative, enhancing its character-and world-building, which was already strong in its predecessor, by improving presentation and pacing effectively.

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2024-10-10 23:34