When Cyberpunk 2077 originally came out in 2020, there was a lot of distrust thrown at CDProjekt Red, and for good reason. They had shown us all this beautiful world with endless possibilities, only to have most of our dreams shot down. The last generation of consoles struggled to get the game running despite claims that it worked fine. Even current-generation hardware had a ton of issues. However, over the course of the two years since its release, it has become a much more stable game, but the most significant problems of gameplay mechanics were still present.
I have not launched Cyberpunk 2077 since beating it back in 2020, and one more time, I heard it was fixed but didn’t spend much time on it. I believe this context is needed because, based on how well you know, Cyberpunk 2077 will determine what you think of Phantom Liberty and the changes to the core gameplay it brings with it.
In comes the DLC Phantom Liberty and its big 2.0 update to the base game as well. It brings not only minor changes to the game but does a good job of really elevating the game closer to what their original vision seemed to be. That comes with both good and bad changes. Before diving into the nitty-gritty, I think it is important to mention I played on Steam with an up-to-date graphics card and processor, so I have no idea how well these changes run on current-gen consoles.
Things are immediately different on start up, and Cyberpunk 2077 does something so few games do. It gives you the option right off the bat to start a fresh new game, which they recommend taking advantage of the suite of changes, or jumping right into where Phantom Liberty would land in the main story. So, with a short amount of time, I dove right into Phantom Liberty, which starts you out at level 15, being contacted by Songbird. From here, after a brief drive, we are introduced to the new area, “Dogtown,” and what Songbird brings to the table.
“The most significant change that Phantom Liberty brings to Cyberpunk 2077 is its massive update that takes core systems and changes them for a more streamlined experience.”
The overall story within the Phantom Liberty DLC is precisely what it sets out to be: a Mission Impossible spy thriller set in the world of Cyberpunk 2077. It does something the base game of Cyberpunk 2077 never did for me: it compelled me, with its story alone, to not only want to see it through to the end but need to see it through. While there are a few low points, they never stick around long enough to hamper the experience. Make no mistake: this is a very high-action spy thriller that, once its foot is on the gas, barely lets up.
Not only do they expand the story, in which there are two possible outcomes for the Phantom Liberty ending, but they also add a new ending to the base Cyberpunk 2077 ending. So, while I do think someone who is wholly new to the experience or never finished it originally will get more out of the update, there are some tweaks and additional endings that give returning players enough of a reason to come back around.
The most significant change that Phantom Liberty brings to Cyberpunk 2077 is its massive update that takes core systems and changes them for a more streamlined experience. They have completely revamped the skill trees and, for the most part, the skills themselves. Where the older skill trees relied on more percentage gains than anything else when upgrading skills, and this is still there; in the new update, there are actual new abilities you can learn that help you even further tune your V to play how you want. I particularly enjoyed the new stealth skills and how they made me completely change how I played the game.
“The overall story within the Phantom Liberty DLC is precisely what it sets out to be: a Mission Impossible spy thriller set in the world of Cyberpunk 2077.“
There were a few rough bugs still, one that wouldn’t trigger conversations during the opening mission. Then, the mission tracker would teleport a few feet back into an area I could get. I did have to uninstall and reinstall the game three times completely. But after that, I ran into virtually no issues. But it’s worth noting that there are still some rough bugs, but most of the minute-to-minute gameplay bugs have been ironed out.
On top of the revamped skill changes, they also added in car combat, which was something they called about early on, and it’s here for sure. I never use it much other than when it is required because it does handle a little awkwardly, but at least it’s finally here. They have also massively updated the way the police AI behaves. Now, as you gain higher wanted levels, they will begin to throw more and more at you until you get five stars, when it feels like an actual force trying to hunt you down.
The way they will swarm you and block streets off to funnel you into a death trap feels much more engaging than being able to hide around a corner for 30 seconds while they run around confused until they give up. I knew it was something special when I was driving away from my crime spree, and they disabled my vehicle by hacking right in front of a roadblock and then went on to absolutely destroy me. They have made Cyberpunk 2077 the fully immersive cyberpunk RPG they promised, and it fills me with joy.
Overall, Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty brings with it a host of changes to the base game that make the experience as a whole much more enjoyable. While I did have a few bugs that made me have to restart the DLC missions from the beginning roughly four times, the big 2.0 update has smoothed a lot of the roughness out. Bringing better skill trees, more options in combat, including car combat, and better tuned AI, specifically in the police system. Adding onto that a superb spy-thriller story that has us further living in V’s world, this is an easy recommendation for both new and returning fans.
