All thanks to the recent reveal of Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2, my hyper-fixation with CDPR's dystopian RPG has returned. I'm eager to return to an existing playthrough and commit to a rewatch of the first season I've been putting off for nearly half a decade. But I've also been thinking about the future of this universe and how it could be built upon with not only long-awaited sequels, but series, anime, and even spin-offs that don't even exist yet.
Similar to the ill-fated experiment of League of Legends to create smaller games within the MOBA universe, such as Mageseeker, Ruined King and Convergence; what if Cyberpunk went and experimented with a bunch of different genres too? This will likely never happen in real life, but I can already imagine how Cyberpunk 2077 could work as a nuanced visual novel or old fashioned point and click adventure, a pixel art arcade shooter or even a life sim on the outskirts of Night City, all about trying to make a living.
Some of these spin-offs were huge successes for Riot, so this article is more of a dream than a requirement for my theoretical farm sim to come to life.
Living the nomadic life
This is how I envision my fully believable Cyberpunk 2077 farming life sim. You are a nomad, much like Panam or V if she chooses such a life path, and you begin each playthrough learning that the previous leader of your clan has passed away, and as his immediate heir, you have been entrusted to lead the clan forward into a new era. Much like Stardew Valley, you create a character, choose one of several starting biomes surrounding Night City, and begin learning how to live off the land.
Nuclear war, climate change, and countless other environmental factors have turned much of the land around Night City into a dry desert, but perhaps some areas have been given a generous helping of fortified fertilizer or somehow spared from devastation. What land you decide to go with and how much is actually available for farming will change exactly how you make money and whether you rely on farming, fishing or resort to much more dangerous livelihoods.
Instead of casting spells in dungeons, you'll be organizing raids against nearby shelters or even taking risky ventures into Night City to complete quests in exchange for valuable resources that can help grow your home.
Perhaps you will need to recruit ripperdocs, netrunners and other valuable members to your city as well, and even develop key relationships with them. I love how games like Stardew or Coral Island have countless systems that all complement each other, and I'd love for that to be the case here.
A stranger in a strange land
But you're also a Nomad, so instead of choosing from a single plot and sticking with it throughout the game, you might jump between them with each season and then have access to new game mechanics and strategies that weren't there before. This will not only shake up the environment, but also reveal new mechanics for each cycle. It's Nomad's choice to keep moving and never settle, but that doesn't mean there isn't a way to create short places where you belong wherever you end up.
Despite how destroyed and tragic the world of Cyberpunk 2077 is, the most beautiful parts of both that game and Edgerunners are when characters learn that love, hope, and living a life that isn't crushed under the heavy boot of capitalism is well worth fighting for. As a nomad, you are committed to this lifestyle and not being controlled by corporations, even if this makes the daily act of survival harder than it ever needs to be.
A farming life sim where you're just another tribe leader trying to get by has plenty of potential for not only compelling gameplay, but stories and characters that rival the epic RPG. I'm busy thinking about the different types of farming techniques, dungeon designs, and distinct personalities I might encounter during this imaginary experience, and each one impresses me. Hell, if you want to do something like this, please contact me.
Cyberpunk 2077
- Released
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December 10, 2020
- ESRB
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M for mature: blood and gore, intense violence, nudity, strong language, strong sexual content, use of drugs and alcohol
