Summary
Now thatCyberpunk 2077has been forever changed with the 2.0 update and the Phantom Liberty DLC, there’s no better time to be aCyberpunkfan. The futuristic open-world game has quite a lot to offer players now with improved combat, armor, police systems, and more. To top it all off, Phantom Liberty adds an entire district of new content to Night City that takes players on a thrilling adventure as a secret agent.
While some parts of the DLC expansion may not be perfect,Phantom Liberty proves thatCyberpunk 2077has a bright future ahead. It tells a gripping story about truth, betrayal, and honor before duty that unfolds through its characters with ease. However, some players may find it a bit lacking in the areas it needs to truly put the “spy” in how the expansion calls itself a “spy-thriller” experience. This may have been whereCyberpunk 2077’s Braindances could have helped.
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What Cyberpunk 2077’s Braindances Bring to the Table
Cyberpunk 2077introduces a sort of virtual reality system that uses technology to record what a person sees, feels, hears, thinks, and experiences to the finest detail known as Braindances. While it’s common that these unique recordings are used to bring out fun emotional experiences, such as intimate moments with a partner in both staged and real situations, this technology has also been abused to catch traumatic moments on film for a quick buck, including and not limited to people’s deaths as one of the extremes.
These technologies are used quite a fair bit at the start ofCP2077as it not only helps players learn what they need to do for the infamous Konpeki Plaza heist but also serve an important role in one of the most heart-wrenching early-game quests to help find Evelyn Parker, a doll who ends up vanishing due to her malfunctioning cyberware, eventually being sold on the black market. The mystery tugs at players' heartstrings, and is the reason many fansdespise the ripperdoc known as Fingers.
Braindances are the very thing responsible forhelping V solve the mystery about what happened to Evelynthanks to an “editor mode” that can be used by Evelyn’s friend Judy. The editor allows players to rewind and replay the footage from a third-person perspective, and it can even record temperature changes and background audio clear as day. It serves as a great “detective mode” to help unravel mysteries, which is why it would fit in perfectly with Phantom Liberty’s spy aesthetic.
There’s plenty of room for mysteries, such as what’s really happening between Songbird and Kurt Hansen, that could have benefited from some sort of Braindance analysis sequence. On the other hand, though,Dogtown isn’t as well off as Night City is,and Braindances are considered a luxury item. This may be why this wasn’t an option in Phantom Liberty, but that gets even murkier when the fact that the FIA is involved is brought into the mix, and they could likely easily purchase the technology.
No matter what the reason CD Projekt Red had for leaving the investigative mechanic out of Phantom Liberty, it’s still sorely missed as what little spy-themed sections there are inCyberpunk 2077’s DLC may leave fans of espionage wanting more. What doesn’t help is that one side quest introduces a new drug called the “Deep Dive” that functions similarly but is only used sparingly throughout the expansion. At the very least, what the DLC lacks in spy work, it more than makes up for it with its compelling narrative and unique missions that definitely deliver on its thrills.
Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Libertyis available for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.
