Summary
The long journey ofCyberpunk 2077capped its third-act redemption arc on a high note in Phantom Liberty, paired with the release of its sweeping 2.0 overhaul update, bringing the game in line with fans' initial 2020 expectations for the title. CD Projekt Red’s latest labor of love harkens to the high watermark set by Heart of Stone and Blood and Wine,Witcher 3’s two prominent expansions. In some regards,Cyberpunk 2077’s sole paid DLC raises the bar on that set standard, though in others, it falls a tad short.
Confirmed to mark the end of new content forCyberpunk 2077, it is clear that CD Projekt Red poured all it had into making Phantom Liberty a proper sendoff, now that the studio is full steam ahead on the development of its codenamed sequel,Project Orion, as well as a spate of newWitchertitles. The well-paced spy-thriller story hit all the classic tropes of the genre with panache while fitting naturally within V’s ticking time bomb motivation. Dogtown’s densely packed, run-down urban sprawl is an inspired design, and the icing on the cake, the 2.0 update, makes meaningful improvements to almost every aspect ofCyberpunk 2077.
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CD Projekt Red is No Stranger to World-Class DLCs
It should be no surprise to longtime fans of CD Projekt Red that Phantom Liberty is such a success. The studio has been among the best at putting post-launch finishing touches on its games going back toWitcher 2: Assassins of Kings' Enhanced Edition.Witcher 3upped the ante, receiving a staggering amount of piecemeal content in the wake of its release, all for free, which culminated in two impeccable paid expansions.
Heart of Stone introduced one of the series' most enthralling storylines, elevated by one of gaming’s most memorable antagonists in Gaunter O’Dimm.Blood and Wine added the breathtaking capital of Toussaint, Beauclair, with all its fairy tale grandeur and Arthurian architecture quickly becoming a fan-favorite destination in the world ofThe Witcher.
In terms of time-to-completion, the combined efforts ofWitcher 3’s pair of expansions clock in at roughly 25 hours. There is a wealth of side content to pad that length and the inclusion of the Runewright, Mutation, and Armor Dyeing systems reshapedthe way players built their Geralt. While the writing of Blood and Wine was considered slightly less engaging than Heart of Stone, both complimentedWitcher 3’s overarching plot, and the former gave players a cathartic series of new endings depending on their choices throughout the game.
Expansions Boil Down to Additions and Improvements
By comparison, Phantom Liberty could go toe-to-toe with either ofWitcher 3’s expansions in terms of added content, but not both, and given that this isCyberpunk 2077’s lone large-scale DLC, the overall package ofWitcher 3’s post-launch support outshines CD Projekt Red’s newest IP. The lack of quantity is a shame because the quality ison par with the very bestCyberpunk 2077has to offer. The quest structure and pacing, the complexities of the new characters and nuanced moral choices they present the player with, and the spectacle and set pieces all shine in Phantom Liberty.
Between Beauclair and Dogtown, the debate over which was a better zone will rage for years. Blood and Wine’s vast capital city and verdant surrounding lands were a brilliant contrast from Novigrad and Skellige, rejuvenating players that might have otherwise been on the verge of open-world burnout.Cyberpunk 2077’s Dogtowndoes not have the same advantage, designed more as an extension of Night City than a brand-new biome. Regardless, it maintains a unique charm and its gun-running warlord-overseen motif wears well on its dilapidated street corners.
The care and attention to detail are apparent from the moment the player smuggles their way in for the first time. Waltzing down the initial thoroughfare highlights how muchCD Projekt Redhas honed in on immersive and believable city living.
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The Witcher 3 Expansions Are Just a Facet of Its Legacy, Phantom Liberty Might Have Saved Cyberpunk 2077’s
As far as introducing new characters, it is impossible to top Gaunter O’Dimm and Regis fromWitcher 3, with all the depths of their desires and purple prose of their dialog.Phantom Liberty’s cast included some endearing figures, especially Reed and Songbird, as their wants and duplicitous natures unfold over the course of the story. While V plunges into a dark abyss of double and triple-crossed espionage, though, characters like Alex and even President Myers seem to get lost a bit in the shuffle.
Not to say they were entirely shallow, but as the plot ramps up, their roles get cast to the wayside. Anna Henrietta had a similar turn in Blood and Wine; not marginalized, but arguably underutilized the same way the NUS President was. It is also difficult to assess and compare expansions for games without going into their respective foundations, even if post-launch considerations are truly all that matter forCyberpunk 2077at the moment.
GivenCyberpunk 2077’s tumultuous launch, it seems only fair to give the nod toWitcher 3as having the better overall structure to build upon. Having two full-scale expansions is also a considerable boon, though nothing duringWitcher 3’s tenure came close to the drastic renovation that the 2.0 update had onCyberpunk 2077.If the most important metric for an expansion is how much better it made the base game, and if the 2.0 update is considered part and parcel with Phantom Liberty to be judged as a singular entity, there is no question that it represents a moresignificant bolstering toCyberpunk 2077than Blood and Wine and Heart of Stone ever were forWitcher 3.
Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Libertyis available for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.
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