author: Mathias Zulpo
Cyberpunk 2077 offers 100+ hours of gameplay. Learn more about its size
100+ hours' worth of gameplay, verticality taken to the next level, and the city changing by the minute. That's the reality of CD Projekt RED's Cyberpunk 2077, as told by the company's level designer.
Cyberpunk 2077 is still a mystery – even in spite of the release of the nearly 50-minute long gameplay (below), which frankly offers more questions than answers. Some of these questions have been heard and answered by CD Projekt RED’s Miles Tost, a level designer for the upcoming blockbuster sci-fi RPG. And so here’s Cyberpunk 2077 – a little less inscrutable.
The game provides 100+ hours’ worth of gameplay
Tost confirmed that the developers “are not going back compared to The Witcher 3” when it comes to playtime. And at the core level, The Witcher 3 was to deliver 100 hours of experience by design. That doesn’t account for whatever time the players spend doing whatever they wanted beyond the main and side questlines. And from that, ladies and gentlemen, we ought to expect at least 100 hours’ worth of gameplay from Cyberpunk 2077.
Locations are bigger – and much taller
To understand the world of Cyberpunk 2077, one must realize that vast vertical levels scale differently than vast “flat” levels. And Cyberpunk 2077 is full of both. In the gameplay demo, you could catch a glimpse of a superstructure called a megabuilding – an apartment complex resembling Kowloon Walled City, housing so many residents it actually creates an entire social ecosystem.
Because these megastructures are not uncommon within the game world, Tost says, and they still take up a lot of space, “a meat factory [this big] in Cyberpunk 2077 equals to half the size of Novigrad [from The Witcher 3]”. It’s also the reason why these two game worlds “do not compare well in size”.
The world is still huge – but easier to navigate
You know what’s better than Roach? A futuristic supercar, of course. It’s also faster, which combined makes driving ‘round Night City both more enjoyable and quicker. Don’t worry, though – the world scales accordingly to the pace:
A 15-minute ride in The Witcher 3 corresponds to a 2-minute drive in Cyberpunk 2077. But the world size keeps up to this, and you really feel like you’re covering a really long distance – even though you’re driving a car.
The city center is crowded – but the outskirts are humanless
Six of Cyberpunk’s city districts need to be… well, distinctive. Expect downtown Night City to be overwhelmingly busy during the day and less crowded at night. Prepare to meet different (quantities of) people in different areas, as well. Tost emphasizes:
One district is crawling with Latino Americans, the other – Japan Town – revolves around Asians, with strong Japanese influences.
Long story short: the world feels different wherever you go, and all the districts differ both in terms of vibe and population density.
