Going Hands-on With Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty 

Introduced by one Keanu Reeves, Xbox Games Showcase just brought us a new look at Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty, an enormous new expansion coming to Xbox Series X|S on September 26. I was lucky enough to go hands-on with Phantom Liberty in a rip-roaring half-hour of first gameplay. 

But let’s set things up: V, still stricken with a Relic chip slowly eating him away, is whipped into a conspiracy, with shadowy elements of the (all-new) Pacifica Combat Zone vying to kill off the President of the New United States. V’s guided by a new character, Songbird, who appears to have as much access to his head as Johnny Silverhand, phasing in and out of view as she helps him. CD Projekt Red has promised a full spy-thriller in Phantom Liberty, and the glimpse I got doubles down on that. 

Beginning with Songbird helping V to reach a roof in the Dogtown area, the demo is rife with moments of pure action cinema – a dramatic crash as the President’s personal plane (Space Force One, perhaps?) is shot down on its way out of orbit and careens inches above your head, a pitched battle between robotic guards and would-be assassins, and ends just as you convince the President you’re there to save her… and immediately get engulfed in an explosion. It’s a demo that sets this expansion’s stall out – Phantom Liberty will be all-action, swapping Cyberpunk’s moodier moments to become an all-out thriller. 

I play as a tanky Solo, toting a shotgun, a devastating light machine gun that comes with the added bonus of setting my targets on fire, and a sledgehammer for those more… intimate moments. I’m immediately rewarded for my choice, being thrown into firefight after firefight (and making liberal  use of the Berserk mod my pre-built character comes equipped with). It’ll be interesting to return to these action set-pieces with my own Netrunner save – scattered cover will make for a lovely experiment in predator stealth. 

Between the gunplay, I get a look at Phantom Liberty’s quieter moments, too. I pass through the Dogtown Black Market, a location that’s clearly learned from Cyberpunk’s players that some of its greatest achievements lie in world-building. The Market is a wonder of dingy chic, packed with chattering, gleaming NPCs, lit gorgeously, and stuffed with detail. Even speaking to the local weapons dealer offers meaningful interaction, as he shows off his mods, explains how he’s cyberkinetically connected to every piece he has on sale, and even gives me a demonstration of his elbow-mounted flamethrowers. 

It looks to offer a new side to the game’s already spectacular world – a darker, seemingly more dangerous location to test out your chosen brand of augmented damage dealing. I get less of a chance to see the changes the developers have made to the sandbox itself, but we’re promised new weapons, new cyberware, reworked police systems, and vehicle-to-vehicle combat. 

Conspicuously absent from my demo is Solomon Reed, a new character played by Idris Elba. It’s a wonderful show of confidence – CD Projekt Red is clearly content to show off its expansion on its own merits as a game, not just as a vehicle for its latest Hollywood star. From the little I’ve played, that decision is validated – this is a very new side to Cyberpunk 2077, and I’m eager to see more of what it has to offer. 

Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty will be released for Xbox Series X|S on September 26. Pre-orders are open now.

Cyberpunk 2077 & Phantom Liberty Bundle

CD PROJEKT RED

☆☆☆☆☆

★★★★★

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The definitive Cyberpunk 2077 experience! Start your rise to the top of Night City as V, a cyber-enhanced mercenary for hire, and build your legend with every quest the city has to offer. The bundle contains: Cyberpunk 2077, an open-world action-adventure RPG set in the deadliest city of the dark future. Accompanied by long-dead rockerboy Johnny Silverhand — played by Keanu Reeves — grow your legend as you explore the secrets of a powerful cybernetic implant. Phantom Liberty, a new spy-thriller adventure to Cyberpunk 2077. Dive deep into the shadowy world of espionage and enter a political struggle with far-reaching consequences. Together with sleeper agent Solomon Reed (Idris Elba), unravel a web of shattered loyalties and do what it takes to survive in the militia-ruled district of Dogtown.

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CD PROJEKT RED

☆☆☆☆☆

★★★★★

$29.99

Pre-order

Phantom Liberty, the full-fledged spy-thriller expansion to Cyberpunk 2077, arrives on September 26th (CEST) for Xbox Series X|S — pre-order now! ABOUT THE GAME Phantom Liberty is a spy-thriller expansion for the open-world action-adventure RPG Cyberpunk 2077. When the orbital shuttle of the President of the New United States of America is shot down over the deadliest district of Night City, there’s only one person who can save her — you. Become V, a cyberpunk for hire, and dive deep into a tangled web of espionage and political intrigue, unraveling a story that connects the highest echelons of power with the brutal world of black-market mercenaries. Infiltrate Dogtown, a city-within-a-city run by a trigger-happy militia and ruled by a leader with an iron fist. With the help of NUSA sleeper agent Solomon Reed (Idris Elba) and the support of Johnny Silverhand (Keanu Reeves), unravel a web of shattered loyalties and use your every skill to survive in a fractured world of desperate hustlers, shadowy netrunners, and ruthless mercenaries. Built with the power of next-gen hardware in mind, Phantom Liberty offers brand-new gameplay mechanics, nail-biting courier jobs, gigs, and missions — and a thrilling main quest where freedom and loyalty always come at a price.

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CD PROJEKT RED

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★★★★★

$59.99 $29.99

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