After a notable delay and much anticipation,Cyberpunk 2077’s 2.3 update finally arrived on July 16, bringing with it a host of bug fixes, performance enhancements, new features, and even a smattering of fresh content. However, it wasn’t quite as significant as some may have hoped, particularly on the content front; update 2.3 was less revolutionary thanCyberpunk 2077’s previous big updates, and at least one widely requested feature was neglected.
Cyberpunk 2077Patch 2.3’s delaymay have exacerbated feelings of disappointment: since there was a longer window between announcement and release, audiences had more time to speculate and daydream about what it would bring.
This feature, of course, is New Game+, something that’s rather commonplace in the RPG genre, but absent fromCyberpunk 2077. The absence of NG+ has been rather befuddling, especially since CD Projekt Red’s other most famous game,The Witcher 3, has a NG+ option—it’s clearly not something that CDPR has no experience or interest in including. Speaking with DualShockers,Cyberpunk 2077’s lead quest designer Pawel Sasko offered an explanation for why NG+ is missing fromCyberpunk, saying that the feature would adulterate the game’s “construction,” and that the broader gameplay and narrative experience wouldn’t be as impactful in a New Game+ run. This is technically true, but it’s not a very satisfying or complete excuse.
Cyberpunk 2077’s 2.3 Patch Skipped New Game+, but a Future Patch Should Still Add It
New Game+ Would Be a Boon for Cyberpunk 2077
While Sasko’s explanation forNew Game+’s omission fromCyberpunkmakes sense, it lacks one important consideration: NG+ runs aren’t necessarily meant to gel with a game’s story, or the structure/pacing that a developer had in mind. Sasko told DualShockers that the point ofCyberpunk 2077is to become “a legend,” going from zero to hero over the course of so many hours. Indeed, this is an especially effective part ofCyberpunk’s story and campaign on a first playthrough, but why should it matter for a subsequent run?
Generally speaking, NG+ runs are about going buck-wild with a game’s mechanics, getting the chance to experience the single-player campaign at a much higher power level and “break” the game. As long as the game doesn’t literally break (for instance, by players using late-game abilities to bypass crucial moments or access blocked-off areas), New Game+ shouldn’t really be an issue. Anyone engaging with a NG+ mode will have, by definition, already beaten the game, so any changes to the story’s pacing would be of little consequence to them.
While there may be some technical hurdles involved in implementing NG+, they are probably not insurmountable, as evidenced by theCyberpunk 2077modsthat enable New Game+ without notable issues.
New Game+ Is a Bonus That Cyberpunk 2077 Should Receive Before Support Ends
New Game+ isn’t meant to be an integral part of most games, but rather an extra mode that bolsters replay value.Cyberpunk 2077’s initial releasewas almost five years ago, and thePhantom LibertyDLC is approaching its second birthday as well; dedicated players have already squeezed just about all the juice out of the game at this point, and what better way to reward that dedication than to give those players yet another way to engage with the game? New Game+ would be the best and most straightforward way to do that.
Worth noting is thatCyberpunk 2077already has featuresthat break the “construction” of the narrative, such as the Quick Start option that was included in the 2.0 patch, which lets players skip several hours into the game’s story. While this is convenient, it’s not too much of a stretch to say that most players would probably prefer NG+. At the very least, it’s hard to argue that NG+ would be more immersion-breaking.
