Netflix’s Cyberpunk: Edgerunners Made Me Decide To Play Cyberpunk 2077
I remember when Cyberpunk 2077 was hyped up as one of the biggest games debuting in 2020. At the time, my friend, who was extremely excited about playing the game, wouldn’t stop talking about it. He kept saying it would be the biggest game of the decade, which was quite a bold statement that I didn’t believe for a second. I thought to myself, “there’s no way Cyberpunk 2077 would be that good, right?”
The game eventually launched, and I was right about it not being that great, but deep down, I didn’t want to be. After seeing more gameplay footage and hearing a lot more talk about the game from my friend, I was disappointed to see Cyberpunk 2077 face so many issues. The game looked amazing and seemed unlike any other title out there, so it was really unfortunate to witness its massive downfall.
Following that disappointment, I ended up forgetting about the game. I was still hoping it would make a turnaround and become really popular again, but even after the developers started fixing all the issues, I didn’t really give it a try, especially after the entire mess that had happened
Two years later, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners arrived on Netflix. But did I watch the series when it was released? Not really; it took me three weeks and a lot of positive comments online to persuade me to watch Cyberpunk: Edgerunners. I was most intrigued to know if it was good since it was about Cyberpunk 2077. That said, my standards for animated series on Netflix have risen after seeing Dota: Dragon’s Blood and Arcane, so I didn’t really have high expectations for Cyberpunk: Edgerunners.
It was probably around five in the morning last Friday when I watched the first episode of Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, and I was genuinely blown away. I remember feeling surprised after finding out it was actually really, really good. I was expecting it to be sub-par at the very best, but Cyberpunk: Edgerunners was close to flawless. It reminded me of my favorite anime of all time called Cowboy Bebop. Although it doesn’t come close to Cowboy Bebop’s magnificence, I can easily see the series reaching that level of greatness with more seasons if it ever continued.
The reason behind this high praise was because Cyberpunk: Edgerunners had practically everything I’d want from a great animated series and more.
It had a compelling story that wasn’t generic or dull. It was about characters living on the edge that are willing to do anything to complete dangerous missions, all to survive a harsh and unforgiving world. And it didn’t sacrifice this narrative for some forced perfect ending to please the audience; it was brutal and unforgiving to the very end, which was, in some way, bittersweet and fulfilling. It's also worth noting that I didn't need to play Cyberpunk 2077 to understand Cyberpunk: Edgerunners's storyline, which was sweet.
The animation and general visuals were impeccable. There were countless times when I was at the edge of my couch, genuinely in awe over Cyberpunk: Edgerunners’s fight scenes. Even the opening music was pretty catchy too. Some scenes seemed void of logic, or at least not well-thought-through, but those were rare. Beyond that, I couldn’t find many flaws.
A few days after having finished watching the series, I ended up buying the game and installing it on my Xbox. Although I can’t say too much about it right now, since I haven’t found the time to play Cyberpunk 2077, I can say that it’s impressive to see the title catch my attention again. I definitely wasn’t expecting to venture into Cyberpunk 2077, but Cyberpunk: Edgerunners had me sold.
💬 Have you ever played Cyberpunk 2077? Have you watched Cyberpunk: Edgerunners? If so, what's your favorite scene or episode?
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