When you play Cyberpunk 2077, you won’t ever see a game over screen, unless your character dies. That’s what Quest Designer Philipp Weber said in a Gamestar-Podcast. No matter what a player does during a mission, as long as they stay alive, they won’t get a critical fail.
According to Weber, the team had one question above all others when designing quests;
What is the stupidest thing that the player could do?
By considering this while designing quests, CD Projekt Red had to think about all manner of outcomes, even if they weren’t logical. CD Projekt Red believes that role-playing should mean just that and the game should be able to adjust for any eventuality.
Cyberpunk 2077
One situation discussed is that a player could decide, in the middle of following a target, to instead, go and eat a burger and leave the target to their own devices. This target may end up getting killed or disappearing, however, the game and story will continue and will take these events into account.
From what Weber has said, it doesn’t sound like players will be able to break the main quest. Instead, Cyberpunk 2077’s narrative will evolve and be shaped by the actions or inactions of the player.
This is in stark contrast to Red Dead Redemption 2 which was criticised for its tightly scripted missions and the ease with which a player can see a game-over screen during missions. For all the openness and freedom of Red Dead Redemption 2, it was odd that the mission design was rigid.
Thankfully, CD Projekt Red has gone down another path with Cyberpunk 2077 and will give players true freedom. Whether that means being the best mercenary you can be, a lazy bum or totally corrupt, Cyberpunk 2077 will (hopefully) give you the ability to do so.
We can’t wait to see more from the game and are looking forward to E3 2019.
