When comparing Cyberpunk 2077 to CD Projekt RED’s earlier success, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, it’s easy to see how the latter trumps the former’s immersion. It’s a shame since the developer touted this to be a much deeper role-playing experience and even “that one last, big, exceptional looking title” for previous-gen hardware. But what if we compare it to Red Dead Redemption 2, the current benchmark in open world immersion, regardless of console generation?
Well, obviously Red Dead Redemption 2 wins out but it’s still fun to see all the ways that it immerses the player and where Cyberpunk 2077 falls short. Let’s take a look at 10 of them here.
NPC Routines
The first and most obvious point is NPC routines. CD Projekt RED famously touted the presence of over 1,000 NPCs with their own unique daily routines, which turned out to be a complete farce. NPCs simply walk around, many doing absolutely nothing and perhaps blinking out of existence when you stop observing them. By comparison, Red Dead Redemption 2’s NPCs have actual lives. If you spot an NPC working and then proceed to observe them throughout the day, they’ll actually go somewhere else, like the local restaurant to relax. Likewise, vendors and shopkeepers will sleep in the nighttime, prompting you to return in the morning to seek them out.
