The Swap 2 is right here, together with the primary wave of launch titles. Cyberpunk 2077: Final Version is a giant shock — partly as a result of so little was recognized concerning the Swap 2’s {hardware}. It’s a significant second to see a large-scale, graphics-intensive recreation introduced (although perhaps it shouldn’t be such a shock, given The Witcher 3 made it to the unique Swap). Now that it’s out, it’s time to jack in and survive Night time Metropolis.
You play as V, a personality whose origin story you select — shaping how they meet their partner-in-crime and greatest buddy, Jackie, and the way they arrive to name Night time Metropolis residence. After a heist goes improper, you find yourself with Keanu Reeves in your head, enjoying Johnny Silverhand — a long-dead rocker and terrorist. You’re in bother with some very highly effective folks, and also you’ve received a rogue consciousness making an attempt to overwrite your personal. Welcome to Cyberpunk!
This (principally) first-person shooter/RPG provides you a wide range of strategies to carve your approach via the Metropolis. V lives in a world stuffed with weapons, a wide range of firearms and melee weapons. Though a bullet or blade isn’t the one strategy to survive. Utilizing Netrunning talents, you may hack into close by digital objects or enemies to distract or injure, particularly helpful if you happen to want a extra stealthy method. As you degree up you get factors to place in the direction of perks and attributes, whether or not it’s constructing a V who can rip a locked door off its hinges or to hack via with technical ability. Cyberpunk is forgiving with the way you construct your V, permitting you to reset and redistribute your factors everytime you need.
I favored the aid of not having to fret I used to be making a ‘dangerous construct’, whereas additionally having the ability to readjust to completely different circumstances. Accompanied along with your cybernetic enhancements there are such a lot of choices and methods to actually amp up the way you method the sport. Personally, I’m a sucker for traversal enhancements, give me double leap, air dashing, or something that provides some verticality to the world. Relying on the place you spend your factors in addition to relying in your chosen origin story, you may usually have some additional dialogue choices which assist flesh out the characters and acknowledge the place your V began.
I really feel I ought to give a heads up, despite the fact that I do hope in spite of everything these years it’s much less of a shock, Cyberpunk 2077 just isn’t a recreation for teenagers. Though the sport doesn’t conceal its extra grownup nature, between the sport’s age classification, fairly seen intercourse and violence on show on prime of being made by the developer who’s greatest recognized for The Witcher sequence. When you’ve not delved into the promoting and all that, simply know that Night time Metropolis earns the R18+ score. Its depictions of violence in its completely different varieties might be confronting if you happen to’re not ready for them, and even then I daresay it should make folks really feel uncomfortable.
On prime of the principle recreation, included right here is The Phantom Liberty – the growth the place V finds themselves working with the Federal Intelligence Company following an assassination try on the President. On prime of Johnny Silverhand/Keanu, you’re additionally now coping with Agent Solomon Reed (portrayed by Idris Elba). Whereas each the principle and growth’s story gained’t set the world on fireplace, they’re nonetheless entertaining and stuffed with cool moments. The Cyberpunk setting is made for themes taking over the Company overlords and a little bit of cyber espionage, whereas individuals are simply making an attempt to make a residing or need to be bigger than life in an unforgiving and uncaring world.
Cyberpunk’s story is as concerned or brisk as you need it to be. If you wish to simply observe the principle story threads, you may principally dash in the direction of the end line. It will be doing your self a giant disservice nevertheless it’s an choice. There’s lots to do round Night time Metropolis that builds on the world and the characters that inhabit the Metropolis and its environment. Additionally, in order for you the enjoyable upgrades for fight and traversal you’ll want the Eddies (money) to improve. There’s loads of regular aspect stuff to do like racing, brawling for Eddies, arcade video games and a few bounty looking, if you wish to wring each second of outing of the sport.
Together with the brand new Swap 2 comes new strategies of management in order for you some choices outdoors of the same old controller settings. Gyroscope mode is strictly what you’d count on, which is nice information for gyro management gamers. I don’t usually want gyro for aiming in video games, nonetheless, Cyberpunk received me on board.
Movement sample controls really feel like Wii movement controls, utilizing movement gestures alongside gyro aiming. It labored properly sufficient, even once I awkwardly stumbled into deciding on the mode in coaching and needed to prop up the hand held display screen and handle the controls. The management scheme jogged my memory of Pink Metal on the Wii, with the difficulties round correct movement controls nonetheless current in 2025. It’s cool that there are a number of methods to regulate the sport to go well with what you like, nonetheless, Movement Patterns Controls battle to be greater than a novelty.
The brand new Pleasure-Con 2 with its inbuilt mouse controls are included as an choice right here and offers you a extra PC-like expertise. When you don’t really feel the opposite management strategies do the job for velocity and accuracy then mouse management ought to have you ever lined. Given that you just nonetheless want to make use of the mouse-orientated Pleasure Con’s buttons too, it’s not fairly so simple as level and clicking ought to it’s worthwhile to do something greater than shoot. There’s additionally Contact management, though that is extra for interfaces and the menu. It’s a pleasant contact if you happen to’re in handheld mode for navigating the map or simply getting across the menus rapidly.
Now for the principle motive, quite a bit will likely be wanting on the Cyberpunk critiques for – how does it run on the Swap 2? As we’re coming into a brand new period of Nintendo {hardware}, there may be nonetheless going to be a must mood expectations. When you’re going to carry this (or the Swap 2) as much as a high-end PC, the Xbox Collection X, or PS5 then you definately’re in for a few years of disappointment proper out of the gate. As for Cyberpunk 2077 on the Swap 2 in handheld or docked, it seems nice. It’s no peak of visible constancy, nevertheless it does a very good job contemplating the sport’s bumpy historical past and less-than-ideal legacy on older platforms.
One space many individuals will likely be interested by is the framerate. The sport runs at 30 to 40fps, relying on whether or not you’re enjoying docked or handheld, and whether or not it’s set to Efficiency or High quality mode. For probably the most half, the framerate holds up properly, and the sport stays constantly playable—any dips have by no means impacted gameplay in a significant approach. Some areas do see extra noticeable drops, relying on the situation. Fight and driving sequences can often present indicators of pressure, however total, the efficiency is spectacular—particularly contemplating this isn’t operating on a PS5 or Collection X.
On the visible aspect, if something stands out, it’s the same old type of buginess you’d count on throughout any model—largely because of the sheer scale of the world and the complexity of its methods. Shadows would possibly pop out and in, hair can clip via clothes, and a few NPCs often behave oddly. Whereas you’ll discover these quirks, they don’t detract from the general expertise.
Even at a decrease decision in handheld mode, the sport seems spectacular. Cyberpunk‘s world is visually wealthy, from the overcrowded, neon-drenched streets of Night time Metropolis to the huge, open stretches of the Badlands on its outskirts. The growth provides much more, introducing the walled-off district of Dogtown to an already densely packed world.
I did expertise the sport crashing a couple of occasions in a single part, which was unlucky. It will have been way more irritating if the autosave system hadn’t prevented me from shedding various minutes of progress. Don’t get me improper—it’s nonetheless fairly irritating.
Total, Cyberpunk 2077 seems and runs properly, and the Final Version is a stable demonstration of what the Swap 2 can deal with. As builders turn into extra acquainted with the {hardware}, I can think about they’ll have the ability to push it even additional. With Cyberpunk and different attention-grabbing ports on the best way, it’s off to a promising begin. The one draw back round launch was the announcement of an upcoming 2.3 patch. At this level, we don’t know the way it will have an effect on the sport’s stability or efficiency. Nonetheless, the truth that it’s being held again till it’s prepared suggests there’ll be a variety of enhancements, additions, and changes to the sport total.
Cyberpunk 2077: Final Version is the end result of years of exhausting work to beat the sport’s tough launch again in 2020. Swap 2 house owners now get to benefit from the outcomes of that effort, bundled up and able to play wherever — or, after all, on the TV. When you haven’t had the possibility to expertise this huge open-world RPG but, there’s no higher time than now.
Ranking: 4/5