Cyberpunk 2077 has continued gaming’s love affair with the cyberpunk aesthetic, with the medium’s infatuation with the style stretching all the way back to 1988’s Snatcher. Several games, however, appear to rival the upcoming title’s mastery of its source material, ranging from first-person shooters to seminal action RPGs. With Cyberpunk 2077’s groundbreaking gameplay reveal still fresh in the mind, here are six games that nail the aesthetic.
Cyberpunk Games CD Projekt RED Probably Used as Homework
VA-11 HALL-A
You know the one place that consistently looks incredible in futuristic fiction? That’s right: bars. Whether it’s Blade Runner or Mass Effect, futuristic pubs and clubs are a tidy summation of the genre’s tropes and sensibilities. VA-11 HALL-A, from start to finish, takes place in a solitary future bar in Glitch City, never leaving the confines of its neon-glazed watering hole. Players assume the role of a bartender as they talk to a variety of different people, solving what is essentially a puzzle to work out which type of drink will push the narrative forward.
The characters always encompass a fascinating facet of dystopian fiction, with their stories and personalities subtly leaking out information about VA-11 HALL-A’s corporation-dominated future. The title’s cutesy 8-bit aesthetic serves as a contrast to its gritty stories. Whether the patrons of the bar are discussing the domination of nanomachines or the tyrannical police forces known as The White Knights, VA-11 HALL-A remains consistently embedded in the cyberpunk canon.
Cyberpunk Games CD Projekt RED Probably Used as Homework
NeoTokyo
It’s odd that one of the best cyberpunk titles out there is merely a Half-Life 2 conversion mod. Developed back in 2008, NeoTokyo is a Source-based online FPS. Aesthetically, the mod incorporates cyberpunk tropes into present-day architecture, offering an odd blend between recognizable locales and futurism. The mod borrows heavily from 1995’s seminal anime Ghost in the Shell, with backdrops inspired by traditional Japanese cities.
The greatest part of NeoTokyo, however, is the soundtrack, created by Ed Harrison. Much like the game, the OST blends gritty future sounds with traditional instrumentation. The mod’s music is the finishing touch on an underrated gem, underappreciated due to its existence as a mod. NeoTokyo shines as its future feels like a distinct possibility.
Cyberpunk Games CD Projekt RED Probably Used as Homework
Shadowrun Returns
Tactical role-playing games lend themselves well to cyberpunk design, yet none have come close to 2013’s Shadowrun Returns. Based on the tabletop RPG Shadowrun, the series incorporates Tolkien-esque tropes into the future, allowing for new takes on those well-worn racial politics. Shadowrun Returns, however, focuses heavily on the criminal undergrowth found in the gutters and alleyways of the universe’s urban sprawls,
Players assume the role of a shadowrunner – essentially an elite, professional criminal – as they encounter a myriad of cyberpunk-enthused crime and gangs. To give away more would be spoilers, but Shadowrun nails the vibe by how it unabashedly faces the darkest parts of the future.
Cyberpunk Games CD Projekt RED Probably Used as Homework
RUINER
Channeling the adrenaline-pumping and maximalist design of Hotline Miami, Devolver Digital’s RUINER is a violent and visceral take on the future not seen since Judge Dredd. RUINER, despite its moments to unwind in a snowy urban block between missions, never seems to take a breath, introducing players to an industry-focused and dirty take on cyberpunk. Much of RUINER’s inhabitants are utilizing biotechnology in some way, with robotic limbs and visors being the norm.
What essentially boils down to a revenge tale, the title’s usage of neon, biotechnology, advanced weaponry, and general ignorance of pacing embeds it strongly in the dark side of the aesthetic. By the end of RUINER, players will either be sick to death of cyberpunk or will be eagerly awaiting our own petroleum-fueled and neon-overdosed destiny.
Cyberpunk Games CD Projekt RED Probably Used as Homework
Observer
Cyberpunk doesn’t really function without some sort of nod or affirmation of the genre’s inherent horror. Observer does more than just nod towards the scary parts of the aesthetic, instead choosing to embed itself totally in the horror genre. Players, assuming the role of detective Daniel, inhabit Poland in the year 2084, following a digital plague known as the nanophage. This nanophage results in many deaths and an epidemic of social problems, including rampant drug use and crime.
Following the assimilation of Poland into the dominance of private corporation, the police, Daniel included, are granted a new unit known as the Observers. The Observers maintain the right to hack a citizen’s mind for clues. A gritty tale of whodunit begins to occur, enveloping Daniel in the complex politics of reality, consciousness, and the boundaries of state and private enterprise. The game’s chilling end is perhaps one of gaming’s greatest meditation on cyberpunk, leaving the sub-genre as some kind of cautionary reality as opposed to something to even jokingly idealize.
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