sadotterz

Literally everyone:

10th of December 2020, Cyberpunk 2077 is released. Instantly, it gains reputation as "a game that was unplayable on release". Disappointed players, disappointed fans, tons of negative reviews. A total disaster for CD Project Red.

That is, until in 2022 an anime airs. Cyberpunk 2077: Edgerunners. In contrast to the game, it becomes a positively received hit. Everyone is crying about Lucy, about David, their beautiful love story, the moon, and you can't escape "I Really Want to Stay at Your House".

And thanks to that... cyberpunk 2077 is entering a Renaissance. Cosplayers everywhere. People are giving the game a second chance. The game regains popularity, thanks to the beloved anime.

What is the secret behind Edgerunners' success... and why i'd gladly remove "punk" part of it's tittle?

First, let's make sure we are on the same page.

What is punk?

According to Cambridge dictionary; punk is "a culture popular among young people, especially in the late 1970s, involving opposition to authority expressed through shocking behaviour, clothes, and hair, and fast, loud music"

To deepen my understanding of punk culture, i asked @badnamemightchangel8r for some help.

They said that punk at it's core, is a rejection of mainstream popular culture, offering a rebellious, radical alternative. Punks express themselves by rejecting societal norms and standards through loud music, DIY fashion, rowdy attitudes, and anti-establishment politics. As much as punk politics are not a monolith, and vary based on the area, subgenre, and decade, the common thread that unites them are the aforementioned anti-establishment, anti-capitalism, mutual aid, and freedom of expression.

A genre with "punk" in it's name, should at least try to stay true to punk's core belief's, right?

Cyberpunk is...

Cyberpunk is a sub genre of science fiction. It is usually set in a dark future, in which technology is far more advanced, and an individual person means less and less. "Low life, high tech". The most popular author would be Philip K. Dick, whose most popular book would be Do androids dream of electric sheep? later adapted into the movie "Blade Runner". Other important works are Neuromancer, Ghost in the Shell and Akira.

In 1988, we receive the first edition of a table top rpg game, titled "Cyberpunk", now known as "Cyberpunk 2013". Later, we also received new editions like Cyberpunk 2020 (the sourcebook for which can be downloaded on steam if we bought our cyberpunk copy on that platform), or Cyberpunk RED - the prequel to Cyberpunk 2077 and the latest installment in the ttrpg series.

From this point, i'll be using the word "Cyberpunk" to refer to the universe from the ttrpg.

In the world of Cyberpunk, you, as a character (either in a ttrpg or the video game) are no one. Money is tight. You have to do crime to earn your living. Actually, dont even worry about the NCPD catching you. The prisons are full, they will probably just send another edgerunner after you. You risk your life just to survive in this world, where corporations took control over everything.

The main storyline from the video game, focuses on V - an edgerunner, and their relations with the megacorporation Arasaka. Well... it's more about how Arasaka destroyed their life. The game at it's core is against capitalism and consumerism. The ending in which we decide to cooperate with the corporation, is considered as "the worst" by the game's fandom.

So what about Cyberpunk:Edgerunners? [disclaimer - this section will contain spoilers for the anime]

The anime aired in 2022, maybe as a desperate call to save Cyberpunk's reputation. Cyberpunk:Edgerunners is a perfectly simple story. The main protagonist is an everyman, until his mother tragically dies. The plot is set in a beautiful, color filled world, with amazing, catchy music like "Who is ready for tomorrow" or "This fffire"

We quickly get invested in the story. We cheer for David Martinez when he meets his maniac pixie dream girl Lucy (full name Lucyna Kushinada, but Lucy is obviously easier to remember, market and pronounce for the average watcher), and we really hope that they will get to see the moon together.

We watch David as he changes himself. Through hard work, friends, and a sandevistan on his back, he finally becomes someone - an edgerunner. He gets addicted to getting more and more cybernetics. His friend, mentor, and boss goes cyberpsycho, and David takes his place.

In all of this, corporations are somewhere in the back, made unimportant. The main problem is David's addiction, the fact that he is actively destroying himself.

Corporations become important as a villain only after capturing his beloved Lucy. For which, David dies. A tragic and beautiful love story. Perfect for any viewer, no matter of your political stance, and who you are as a person. Even if you are here just for the vibes, well, enjoy. The beautifully saturated, sanitized world of dystopian cyberpunk is here.

The world of Cyberpunk:Edgerunners is carfully crafted to appeal to everyone. The story is easy to follow, to relate to and to understand. No wonder it became so popular so quickly.

It feels like it is afraid of being controversial again. In any form.

What happend next?

The game's sales skyrocketed. It was a matter of time for a second season and a manga to be annouced. We also got merch. Martinez's jacket, tshirts with the cyberpunk logo, hats, action figurines, plushies, socks, mugs, anything you could think of.

We received an oshee collab, with unique drink tastes, and a contest, to make best advertizing slogan. We received a fortnite collab, with V and Johnny available as skins, and in 2023 we received "Cyberpunk 2077: No Coincidence", a book written by Rafał Kosik, another piece of media set in the Cyberpunk universe.

Just like in the anime, the story is simple, and the book's characters are written to be relatable for the average reader, and sanitazed to not be controversial.

We have our main character Zor, who tvtropes calls "a badass normal street merc". Aya, a dancer who does not want to sell her body, has a disabled child but also is a virgin (a lot to unpack here). And yes, she is the protagonist's love interest. Albert, a stereotypical teen who spends "all his time on that god damn phone" whilst his awful mother tells him to take out the trash - she doesnt understand that he is in the middle of something important ("how dare she!"). There's Ron, a ripperdoc with six fingers. Borg, who quickly dies. And Milena, who is old, but you can't tell. She's also sex obssessed.

The characters are bunch of stereotypes, often negative ones. The story is bland. The world of cyberpunk is dumbed down and left unexplored. Nevertheless, a huge "Cyberpunk 2077" logo on the cover stays.

Unfortunately, while reading the book, not a single thing made me feel like i was experiencing a "punk" story.

So, just another cash grab.

The most memorable part of the game for me, was when Johnny Silverand explains to V why he wants to destroy Arasaka so much.

"V, I've declared war not because capitalism's a thorn in my side or outta nostalgia for an America gone by. This war's a people's war against a system that's spiralled outta our control. It's a war against the fuckin' forces of entropy, understand?"

With every new story from Cyberpunk 2077, that message becomes less and less important.

Consume our next media. Buy our next book. Watch our next show. Buy another figurine. We are getting further from the point, forgetting what makes these stories so good in the first place.

I love the game. I enjoyed the anime. I think both stories are good. It's just that maybe one of them forgot about the "punk" in "cyberpunk".

*reluctant sigh*

*scrolls back up*

We already got a leaked PEGI rating for this game a week ago, which basically confirms that Chloe Price will be returning (details under the read more):