Cyberpunk 2077 quest director says complaints on linear story were 'justified'
Pawel Sasko believes Cyberpunk 2077's story has sections where it's insanely non-linear, but that it also has points that are fair to say didn't live up to expectations.
Cyberpunk 2077 was criticized rightfully for a lot of reasons, but one topic that players and critics have debated is the story. Many believed it was too linear compared to other CD Projekt RED games and it seems one of the game’s directors is inclined to agree. Paweł Sasko recently hosted a stream in which he did some Q&A about Cyberpunk 2077. When the topic of linear story in the game came up, rather than balk at it, Sasko stated he believed players were justified in their critique.
Sasko’s commentary on Cyberpunk 2077’s story and its perceived linearity were spotted by PCGamesN. The Cyberpunk 2077 quest director shared thoughts on the matter during a recent livestream. When asked what he thought of the complaint, Paweł Sasko stated that he felt players were in their right to complain, even if he doesn’t entirely agree with the sentiment.
“Players expected more,” Sasko said. “They expected more because of how The Witcher 3 is built, and I think that Cyberpunk has an insane amount of non-linearity, but I think expectations were higher.”
Source: CD Projekt RED
Sasko goes on to explain what he means by an 'insane degree of non-linearity,' as well as adding that it was not well presented and could have easily been missed.
“The expectations were specifically regarding big branches [in the narrative],” Sasko continued. “And again there are a bunch of big branches in Cyberpunk… but you are thinking about branches in a different manner… I think smaller branches were not satisfactory enough.”
One such matter regards Takamura, a fan-favorite character in Cyberpunk 2077. Sasko said that Takamura’s fate could have huge impacts on the game’s story, but most wouldn’t know it because they liked him so much that letting him die became somewhat of a non-choice.
“In players' minds, it became linear,” Sasko concluded. “I think it's fine. I think it could have been better, honestly. And we do know how to make it better. And I would expect more from us, from myself, and from us as a studio.”
Cyberpunk 2077 has gone through the ringer to be where it is now after a disastrous launch. It improved and got new life on the back of the Cyberpunk: Edgerunners animated series on Netflix. It’s recovery was undeniable and it went on to become Shacknews’ Most Improved Game of 2022. The story may have left folks wanting, but at least it’s more than playable now, and with the Phantom Liberty DLC on the way in 2023, there will certainly be more to see. Stay tuned as we await further details later this year.
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replyTJ Denzer posted a new article, Cyberpunk 2077 quest director says complaints on linear story were 'justified'
