Review: ‘Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty’

Spy-Thriller in the neon of Night City.

Ellie Ross
24th October 2023
Image Source: X, @coalabr14
Cyberpunk 2077 has always had a fractured reputation following its release back in 2020 when it was pushed into the gaming landscape riddled with bugs, making it nigh on unplayable for many. Since then, we have witnessed CDPR’s three-year run of determination to redeem it following multiple patches and a considerably large investment to bring us to where we are now, the release of Phantom Liberty.

This has been one of the few expansions I have eagerly been awaiting since I first heard about its development and it has been well worth the wait. The mission starts compelling from the get-go when V is contacted by a mysterious netrunner named Songbird, who promises to help save our dying merc from the relic in exchange for one thing: rescuing the president of the NUSA whose aircraft is about to crash land in Dogtown.

Image: X, @coalabr14

Sounds simple, right? Not really. This area of Night City is controlled by a warlord named Kurt Hansen, who initially appears to want the president dead. A few surprising twists later, you become entangled in a dangerous web of high-stakes operations, with the endgame being life or death, and not just for V.

Phantom Liberty is a great extension of the base game and a superspy thriller we have all been waiting for.

Phantom Liberty is a great extension of the base game and a superspy thriller we have all been waiting for. Some points even have a futuristic James Bond feeling, like sneaking into a high society party and attempting to gain the trust of French twins’ mid-game of roulette while avoiding losing a boatload of eddies. You can’t help but love the tension.

Working alongside sleeper agent Solomon Reed (Idris Elba), a complex man who is loyal to a fault, also adds to the fun and of course, our favourite rocker boy Johnny Silverhand (Keanu Reeves) is by our side and ready to offer his unruly insight along the way.

Image: Flickr, @Zefirka_

The newly added gigs also feel more fleshed out compared to those in the base game. We all love it when an RPG contains missions that have us questioning the morality of our decisions, and Phantom Liberty does a good job of leaving us torn in the morally grey landscape of Dogtown. Ultimately, these choices have little impact however, the immersion is appreciated, nonetheless.

After playing this expansion its release has left me extremely hopeful about the future Cyberpunk content CDPR intends to give us.

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