At the wheel of my car in Cyberpunk 2077, the real world vanishes. The disorders that overwhelm me are put aside and, suddenly, all I worry about is the road ahead. Sometimes I don’t even have an express destination in mind. I drive fairly; soaking myself in the neon-tinted perspectives of the city through my windshield. Then I relive missions and concerts that I have done many times before. Johnny Silverhand, Keanu Reeves’ abrasive rocker, helps me stay corporate all the time, helping me strangely. protect yourself from the loneliness that can be established. For a place full of danger, corruption, and violence, it may seem strange to say that I find it relaxing to get lost in Night City. But with nearly 700 hours behind me in CD Projekt Red’s RPG, I’ve come to the conclusion that V’s adventure is still strangely moving.
I have discovered the convenience in repetition. From time to time I rewatch the same shows, reread my favorite books, or play the same games over and over again. This is something I’ve been doing for as long as I can remember, and I know I’m not alone in this. There’s a sense of security that comes with knowing what to expect, and the familiarity that comes with revisiting a virtual world you know so well can also provide a sense of comfort or respite. Whether it’s an escape from everyday worries or a way to help you through a difficult time, there are certain games I return to.
The creation of the Cyberpunk 2077 metro: “From day one, we used NCART as a role-playing feature above all else”
Now, I’ll be the first to admit that I didn’t expect V’s action-packed adventure to be so heartwarming. After its difficult launch, I made the decision to wait for the PS5 Cyberpunk 2077 update, which nevertheless landed in early 2022. At that time, many parts of the world were still closed due to the pandemic, and I was still going through two years of isolation. With a more subtle nightlife to explore, I was immediately absorbed and As I walked the streets, I discovered exactly the place I needed. When I played it, I felt like I could breathe and I couldn’t drive enough. Even now, when I can go out again, I still find myself taking the wheel back just to ward off a bit on the tough days.
Racing games have been a primary source of tension relief, and I occasionally fall into a state of fluidity when running on tracks or traversing roads in any of the Forza Horizon entries. I didn’t expect Cyberpunk 2077’s open world to help me decompress in the same way. Sometimes, I even start the game with this express purpose, avoiding all the missions to take my time driving from one district to another. Listening to The Dirge or Body Heat radio, there’s nothing quite like walking at night (especially when it’s raining); The city lights up with animated advertisements and I feel like I’m being transported straight to the car.
Whenever I have the chance to sit in the passenger seat while Panam, Judy, Jackie, or Claire take the wheel, I never skip the ride. In fact, I enjoy each and every opportunity and appreciate the view from the window, just as I do on the subway those days. As V does it for a moment, I sink into the moment on my couch, next to them.
Perhaps most unexpectedly, Johnny Silverhand brings me a sense of camaraderie that is helping me far more than it has any right to. Let’s be honest, he’s not the nicest guy to begin with and his collaboration is completely forced after a major league attempt gone wrong. In fact, the first time I played Cyberpunk 2077, I actively tried to distance myself from it. I categorically refused to devote myself to or give him everything he wanted; Without knowing it, closing the end of the process. But the more he played in the following races, the more I opened myself up to his presence. Over time, I began to enjoy his company, and by doing some Silverhands quests in the final component of the game, I even got him through some lonely episodes in my own life.
That’s not to say I care as much as any of BioWare’s RPG companions, and I wouldn’t say it stole the center from me in the same way as, say, Parvati in The Outer Worlds or Karlach in Baldur’s Gate. But in places like Night City, where V is alone most of the time, Silverhand makes everything less lonely. He can be self-centered and challenging at times, but he accompanies you on each and every dangerous quest, gig, and side quest. Ultimately, since he’s in your head, you can’t escape him, but that means you’ll have someone with you, for better or worse.
The more hours I spend in Night City, the more I settle for it’s a position I want to return to, if only to get away from it all for a while. I’m sure I’ll certainly continue to get behind the wheel of Cyberpunk 2077 whenever I want to relax.
For more, find out why betting on Cyberpunk 2077 for the first time has one of our writers questioning everything he knew about what an RPG looks like.
I started writing for the gaming segment of a student-run online page when I was a student and continued writing about games in my spare time for several years in retail and transient jobs. I eventually completed a Masters in Magazine Journalism at Cardiff University and soon after landed my first official job in the industry as a content editor for Stuff magazine. After writing about all things tech and gaming, I did a brief stint as a freelancer before taking on my role as editor here at GamesRadar+. Now I can write articles, trailers, and reviews, and when I’m not doing that, you can find me lost in one of the Dragon Age or Mass Effect games, immersing myself in some other delicious indie game, or drinking too much. tea for my own good.
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