Project Orion can't afford to abandon cyberpsychosis like Cyberpunk 2077 did

The world of Cyberpunk 2077 had one simple advantage from day one: It was based on Mike Pondsmith's rich, dark vision of the future. Pondsmith's unmistakable fingerprints, combined with CD Projekt Red's authentic writing, helped create Cyberpunk one of the decade's most compelling game worlds to unravel, even with the bugs.

It's this mature yet idiosyncratic world-building that he creates Cyberpunk 2077 it's such a joy to explore, especially as AAA games continue to trend towards toothless, by-the-numbers, designed-by-committee narratives meant to be as inoffensive as possible. Cyberpunk he's certainly not what you'd call “harmless” by any means: his world is mean, unforgiving, and, more often than not, cruel. Mature examples of this cruelty can be seen in the game's cyberpsychosis quest chain, in which V is tasked with neutralizing the Cyberpsychos scattered across Night City. At first glance, these encounters are essentially mini-boss, but there's actually quite a bit of narrative to mull over. It's a shame, then, that the game never realizes the full potential of these stories.

Project Orion may benefit from something promised by Cyberpunk 2077's Cyberpsycho missions

The flaws of Cyberpunk 2077's Cyberpsycho missions

CyberpunkCyberpsychosis side missions can be quite harrowing, as the player will soon discover that despite their violent nature, these “psychopaths” are actually victims most of the time. Text logs and other visual clues often reveal that the fiery rage of cyberpsychics is actually very terrifying to them: many are normal people, some use cybernetic enhancements to treat various medical conditions, while others suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder or other tertiary conditions exacerbated by the influence of their diseased machinery.

Regina Jones, the Fixer who tasks the player with dealing with these disorders, is aware of this and therefore asks V to eliminate the psychopaths non-lethally. Most empathic people would agree that this is the most desirable outcome, especially when it becomes clear that these individuals are sick rather than fundamentally amoral or sadistic. This presents the player with an interesting dilemma: eliminate enemies as efficiently as possible, even if that means killing them, or take the riskier, but less lethal approach, thus preserving V's integrity and ethics?

It's an interesting premise, but sadly it doesn't amount to much. Whether V kills a cyberpsychopath or lets him go, players will receive the same reward, with the only real difference being Regina's end-of-mission dialogue, which will scold or praise V depending on their actions. Ultimately, there are never any substantial consequences or rewards for V's choices in this quest chain, which feels like a huge missed opportunity, especially since these quests are one of the very few places where players can take advantage Cyberpunk 2077the myriad of non-lethal gameplay options; non-lethal play as a whole can end up feeling irrelevant.

How Project Orion Could Double Down on Cyberpunk 2077's Cyberpsychosis Mission Design

The background for writing Cyberpunk 2077Encounters with cyberpsychosis are consistently strong, which is why it's especially disappointing that they never amount to much. But Orion Project could build on this solid narrative foundation, providing similar missions or side activities built around cyberpsychosis, but with an actual reward or disadvantage based on the player's decisions.

Significant differences in the narrative of such a quest chain could be the ideal path. For example, perhaps the player character might encounter rehabilitated cyberpsychopaths who thank them for showing mercy. Alternatively, the family or friends of a slain cyberpsychopath might take revenge on the player character, affecting the game in unexpected ways. Through such an approach, Orion Project can continue to explore cyberpsychosis, deepening its sociological and philosophical themes while at the same time being more narratively engaging than its predecessor.