Project Orion Should Go All-in on One Overlooked Side of Cyberpunk 2077

Posted by By our-little-miss-is-home November 24, 2024 6 Views 6 Min Read
Project Orion Should Go All-in on One Overlooked Side of Cyberpunk 2077



Despite its initial shortcomings, CD Projekt Red did extremely well to turn things around for Cyberpunk 2077; the current state of the title is an extreme improvement over the controversial build that the game launched with. This more recent success has only been compounded by the launch of the title’s Phantom Liberty expansion, with other media such as the Cyberpunk: Edgerunners show also working well to create a huge amount of hype over whatever might come next for the franchise.




Despite the positive reception of Phantom Liberty, CDPR has confirmed that there will be no other major story expansions for Cyberpunk 2077, although fans still have a lot to look forward to with the series. Project Orion was announced in October 2022 as the working title for an official sequel to Cyberpunk 2077, with a more recent announcement in 2024 confirming the game to be in active development. Of course, it will be a difficult task for Orion to match and exceed the expectations set by 2077, but the improvement of side-content such as mini-games could play a big role in Orion expanding on its predecessor.

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New Mini-Games in Project Orion Could Improve Cyberpunk 2077’s Excellent Worldbuilding


One of the major criticisms that Cyberpunk 2077 faced around the time of its infamously problematic launch concerned the lack of immersion and substance behind its game world. This is something that CDPR clearly spent an immense amount of time changing, with the current state of 2077 now being lauded for the bustle and life that exists within Night City and its surrounding areas.

Despite its dystopian futuristic setting, the core locations of Cyberpunk 2077 do so well because they feel real and lived in, which acts as the perfect building block for the rest of the game to launch off of. This was mainly achieved through an increased polish to design and NPC behavior, however. There’s still a clear gap in the market in terms of adding actual utility and purpose to Cyberpunk‘s locations.

Apart from the side quests that at times offer seamless transitions between exploration and NPC interaction, Cyberpunk 2077 is essentially void of any mini-games that could have offered an even larger dynamic to the secondary content that Night City might offer. While there are things like a handful of arcade games that players can engage with, it seems like a missed opportunity that 2077 did not lean into the worldbuilding of the franchise even further via more grounded mini-games, especially given how this has worked so well in other CDPR franchises like The Witcher and its Gwent card game.


Mini-Games Could Smooth the Transition of Project Orion’s Rumored Changes

The flashy world of Cyberpunk is the perfect match for mini-games that make sense within the context of its locations. Brain Dances are one perfect example of a lore element that could be turned into dream-like combat and exploration scenarios with scoring systems and leaderboards. Other open-world franchises such as Like a Dragon have become renowned for the level of mini-game variety that is woven throughout its locations. While Project Orion should not become consumed by mini-games, featuring more of them is a sure-fire way to add even more spice and memorability to its different settings.

As a sequel, rumors and theories currently point towards Project Orion moving away from Night City as its major location, with some rumors even suggesting the Moon as one potential setting. More frequent mini-games could be a fantastic way to accommodate fans to these sweeping changes. The weird and wonderful locations of Cyberpunk can give way to a huge range of ridiculous and engaging pastimes and leisure opportunities, and Project Orion can attempt to one-up 2077 by showcasing this through a more comprehensive batch of mini-game content.


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