Cyberpunk is a subgenre of science fiction in a dystopian futuristic setting that tends to focus on a "combination of lowlife and high tech", featuring futuristic technological and scientific achievements, such as artificial intelligence and cybernetics, juxtaposed with societal collapse, dystopia or decay.
While Cyberpunk has been used plenty in gaming, it has not gone mainstream until Cyberpunk 2077. In this article, Gurugamer is going to showcase the 4 games similar to Cyberpunk 2077 to play in 2023.
1. Cloudpunk
Cloudpunk is atmospheric as hell, and its beauty encapsulates you from the second you boot up the game and are greeted by the Vangelis-tier synths. From there, you drop into the city, Nivalis- a futuristic dystopian hellscape of a city, sardonically built above the clouds!... and apparently, the only city left. You're tasked with the less-than-desirable task of becoming Cloudpunk's new recruit, a delivery driver in the new city that never sleeps, and your packages will take you on some wild journeys through numerous distinct districts, from packed downtown areas to CEO towers to the abandoned, decrepit remnants of what the city was built on top of.
Cloudpunk is... an adventure game... that almost moreso plays like if Euro Truck Sim got a Blade Runner DLC. As a delivery driver, a whole lot of your gameplay consists of driving from Point A to Point B. You're free to explore, weave between megacorporate towers and dive down deep to coast right over the rising water of the flooded districts (these aren't abandoned, yet.) And you won't be alone! Cloudpunk has what feels like a huge cast of massively diverse characters, being that this is the last city on earth and all.
Without giving much away, there's a charismatic android detective straight out of vintage noir, gang members "defying the system" by building playgrounds for kids, a passenger who grows "too good for you" after he ports his consciousness into a... vacuum cleaner? Maybe a trash can- seriously, the list goes on. The characters have unique personalities, and spark up your deliveries and downtime through the night, even if you don't get to spend much time with most of em- guess that's the point though.
2. Ghostrunner
Long story short - Ghostrunner is quite amazing, but it's not a game for everyone, at least some people would enjoy it a lot more than others. It's a katana-sword melee combat game with tons of platforming/parkour. The technical part is very solid - visuals, sound/music and controls are amazing. All mechanics are fair to the player and almost perfectly polished. There are a lot of cool details like secrets and even talents/perks are implemented in a very creative way here.
The first few levels will have you still getting used to the controls, struggling a little to fight off the enemies, but once you get the basics down, it'll be a joyride for the first few levels. The game progressively gets harder, though. The higher you go, the harder it gets. Some of the encounters with even the normal enemies are seemingly difficult, and might take you multiple deaths to figure out. Maybe more. Some levels seemed like a cakewalk to me, while others took me tens of deaths to beat. It really forces you to implement all of the abilities you unlock if you want to make your life easier.
The difficulty of the game might be a turn-off for some, but it's that type of difficulty that will keep you coming back. Every time you die multiple times in a row, and feel like punching your desk, it makes you want to come back so you can finally finish that mission. It's so satisfying when you finally beat the encounter that you were stuck on, and same with the boss fights.
3. Detroit: Become Human
Detroit Become Human (DBH) is an interactive adventure set in a near-future Detroit, USA, where a worldwide tech breakthrough enabled the construction of advanced androids. Society was consequently transformed, with machines replacing humans in the most dangerous, tiring or menial tasks. Players impersonate three different androids: elder care specialist model Marcus, babysitter/housekeeper Kara and prototype investigation droid Connor. Their stories all begin in very diverse places and realities, but an escalating chain of events brings them all together in a complex web of choice and consequence.
There are multiple factors that make DBH a really solid title for this genre. The visuals are extremely detailed as every location, model and effect is rich and carefully made - in addition, the way each scene is portrayed by camera placing and effects makes the game feel like a proper movie, which is a big plus for the genre. Acting is as well on high standards, with quality voices and expressive characters that convey emotion significantly well.
Perhaps the greatest strength is however found in the choice system, which blends a reputation system with various secondary characters, with dozens of branching choices and secondary elements that, once found, can drastically alter how things can evolve from there. Unlike many other games like this, Detroit really succeeds in making choices meaningful and realistic. The storyline has several different endings, all three main characters can permanently die if you make the "wrong" choices, or fail certain quick-time sequences.
4. Deus Ex: Human Revolution
Deus Ex: Human Revolution is a cyberpunk, stealth, R.P.G. developed by Eidos Montreal and published by Square Enix. Set in the year 2027 you are Adam Jensen, an ex-S.W.A.T. specialist who has been handpicked to oversee the security of one of America's most experimental biotechnology firms, Sarif Industries, and it's your job to safeguard company secrets. However, things quickly take a turn for the worse when an elite black-ops team abruptly breaks in and kills the very scientists you were hired to protect thus changing everything you thought you knew about your job.
During the assault, Adam is not only critically injured but the woman that he loves is also killed in the process. Adam soon awakens to find that his life has been saved but at a tremendous cost as most of his body has been replaced with highly advanced cybernetics leaving Jensen to ponder the question..."Am I man or machine?". Determined to bring justice to those responsible for the attack on Sarif Industries... Jensen hits the pavement tracking down one clue after the next in his pursuit of the villains.
Aside from the excellent story, one of the best features of Deus Ex: Human Revolution is the fantastic gameplay that consists of a first person shooter with heavy R.P.G. elements. Fear not for just because this is a F.P.S., that does not limit how you proceed through this game. Instead of kicking down doors and running into every room with guns blazing one could choose the non-lethal stealth approach and actually go through the game from start to finish without killing a single person. Whether you decide to kill or not, the stealth aspect of this game alone is just incredible and is also where the gameplay of this title really shines.
Choosing just how to play the title, as there are always multiple paths to success, really is up to you. As a dedicated R.P.G., Jensen is awarded experience points as tasks are completed during the narrative which can be spent on a vast array of character augmentations and upgrades for your cybernetics that unlock a number of new abilities. Fighting prowess, hacking, stealth...these are just a few examples of the many skills that can be enhanced for Jensen. Ultimately, it's up to you to determine how you want your character to evolve based on how you want to play the game. Speaking of the narrative, always remember that choices are at play as you must face the consequences of your actions as one decides how the story unfolds for Jensen. There are many points in the title where you must make heavy decisions with far reaching implications so decide wisely.
5. Watch Dogs 2
Watch Dogs 2 is a gorgeous open world that's beautifully crafted, and personally, I think is more fleshed out and dynamic than GTA V. San Francisco is the new setting of the game, and it serves as one of the best open-world maps in any game I ever played. The city is just full of life and seems like every NPC in it walking the streets has a purpose. People are working out, walking dogs, doing martial arts at the park, they do yoga, they greet each other on the streets, and the list just goes on and on.
Gameplay-wise, it's a hacking and stealth game where you can hack and remotely manipulate electronic devices, vehicles, etc., including via security cameras and drones. The stealth mechanics and remote control capabilities really made it feasible for me to play in a nonconfrontational way, using cameras, drones, and environmental features to achieve my goals.
The messaging about corporate and governmental data abuse really resonated, and the writing and acting were well done.
6. Sleeping Dogs
Sleeping Dogs is an action-adventure game sets in Hong Kong. The player controls Wei Shen, a Chinese-American police officer who goes undercover and infiltrates the Sun On Yee Triad organization. Size-wise, Sleeping Dogs is smaller than GTA 5. There are a lot of tight spaces like alleyways and markets. The map overall serves as a backdrop for combat.
Sleeping Dogs has the same vehicle/gun as GTA 5, but its melee combat is much better.
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