Early Cyberpunk 2077 reviews warn of ‘game-breaking’ bugs
Cyberpunk 2077 might be the most anticipated video game of all time. Reviewers urge players to temper their expectations and warn of some disruptive bugs that can affect your enjoyment of the game.
Nowadays, it’s no secret that video games tend to release in an unfinished state. Developers rely on the games-as-a-service model to release games as soon as possible and fix bugs after the fact.
Cyberpunk 2077, the upcoming RPG from CD Projekt Red, doesn’t seem to be an exception to this rule.
Early reviewers have called the game “unpolished,” with some calling the frequent bugs “game-breaking.” They’re warning fans to expect bugs when they first play the game – even after a day-one patch.
A brilliant RPG with troubling bugs
Almost all of the serious reviews of Cyberpunk 2077 praised the game’s RPG elements, combat, and emersion as some of the best they’ve seen in any game.
A good base doesn’t remove the potential for criticism. There are some early issues with Cyberpunk that reviewers experienced firsthand.
In his review, YouTuber YongYea began by discussing one thing that worries him about Cyberpunk and CD Projekt Red’s handling of early review copies. The reviewer stated that he wouldn’t be able to show his own gameplay until December 9, when the embargo is lifted, and the game releases in some regions.
“This really doesn’t sit well with me,” YongYea explained in his review. “This feels dishonest, as it feels like CD Projekt Red is trying to hide some of the buggy elements of the game that I would like to show you guys because I feel like it’s important to know – but I’m not allowed to until the day that the game launches in certain regions.”
The reviewer spent 28 minutes praising the game before launching into a seven-minute section dedicate to bugs and technical issues. He called the game “unpolished” in the state that he played it.
Some of the bugs that YongYea found include:
- Weapons floating in the air after combat
- First-person animation glitches
- NPC visual glitches
- AI combat issues
- Upper-body clothing disappearing on female characters
- Audio/Dialogue missing
- Inventory/Weapon stats missing
- Quest elements not loading
- Game crashing
(Topic starts at 27:39)
“These bugs happened consistently enough, disruptively enough, that I would say it definitely affects the experience,” YongYea said in his conclusion, admitting that Cyberpunk was still “one of the most memorable gaming experiences I’ve ever had.”
YongYea’s review appears to be a signifier of a trend. Almost all of the early reviews we’ve seen praise the RPG elements, plot, and combat of the game while criticizing the bugs that it has.
The word “unpolished” has come up more than once, which is probably why this game was delayed in the first place.
Laymen Gaming posted a review, calling the Cyberpunk bugs, “Some of the worst bugs I’ve ever experienced in a game, hands down.” He went on to say, “It feels like there is so much to be fixed here that it is game-breakingly bad.”
(Topic starts at 11:23)
The consensus on almost all of the reviews appears to be the same: it’s best to wait until some of the worst bugs are ironed-out before hopping into the game. At the same time, if you’re prepared for what could be a “buggy mess,” then you can still enjoy the depth, RPG elements, and more brilliant aspects that this game offers.
Based on the reviews we’ve seen, Cyberpunk 2077 looks to be one of those games that get mediocre feedback upon its release, only to receive an unending stream of praise in years to come.
If you’re among the first players to try the game, then the positivity of your experience will depend on your tolerance for bugs. By all accounts, a day-one patch won’t fix all of these issues.
