Under the guise of Microsoft’s E3 showcase being hacked, we were treated to a brand new cinematic trailer for CD Projekt Red’s hotly anticipated Cyberpunk 2077. As the closing salvo of the briefing, it was a fitting conclusion to an above average offering from Microsoft.
The trailer provides a colorful insight into the tapestry of inhabitants, everyday violence, futuristic weaponry on offer in Night City, the presumed setting for Cyberpunk 2077. Ostensibly created using game engine footage, the trailer is a gritty affair, full of seemingly gratuitous violence, densely packed buildings sandwiched between neon lit billboards, a busy metropolis plagued by open-air criminality, and a strong punk esthetic. Topped off by a voice over of a possible in-game character, it hints at the draw of the city, a promise unfulfilled, a place of dreams. It feels distinctly Blade Runner
We encounter androids, punk cowboys, cyborg muay thai boxers, muscle cars, the over opulent wealthy of Night City, miniature robots, back country bumpkins with obnoxiously big guns, and flying car drive-by shootings to list a few. It feels like an assault on the senses between the rising intensity of the music, fast paced cuts, and so many details it’s hard to keep track of what is actually happening.
Unsurprisingly, Cyberpunk 2077 is shaping up to be quite the game, and if CD Projekt Red’s last effort, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, is anything to go by, then I expect it to be full of intrigue, a maelstrom of captivating side stories and subplots.
No word on a release date, but the trailer ends indicating a dedicated Cyberpunk 2077 website with a few select screenshots. We also spotted a blurb on CD Projekt Red’s YouTube description for the trailer: ‘You play as V, a hired gun on the rise, who just got their first serious contract. In a world of cyber-enhanced street warriors, tech-savvy netrunners and corporate life-hackers, today is your first step to becoming an urban legend.’
Cyberpunk 2077 will feature at the E3 conference proper this week so we can hopefully expect game play footage. Exciting times. Now to see if anything else can top this at E3?
