Project Orion Including One Feature Cyberpunk 2077 Missed Would Be a Knockout

Although Cyberpunk 2077 may have had a notorious launch, the ambitious sci-fi RPG from CD Projekt Red experienced one of the biggest redemption arcs in modern gaming. Now that the game is getting an official sequel, the Cyberpunk 2077 franchise is going to grow even further. Codenamed Project Orion, the sequel recently entered production. Despite the early development, there are already plenty of questions about what the game has in store.

The world of Cyberpunk 2077 is vast. From the lore to characters to Night City itself, Cyberpunk 2077 is rife with exploration. Now, with the addition of the Phantom LIberty DLC, the game feels bigger than ever. However, there is one specific way Project Orion can one-up its predecessor. Cyberpunk 2077 may knock it out of the park with character development and lore, but it is unfortunately missing a long-running gaming staple: New Game Plus.

Project Orion Needs to Feature a New Game Plus Option

Correcting Cyberpunk 2077’s Initial Mistakes

New Game Plus has become a staple for many games to feature through the years. Being able to restart a game after beating it with all, or most of, the equipment and upgrades one acquires through the story has become an incredibly fun way to experience a story in a new light. Although there is plenty to do in Cyberpunk 2077, New Game Plus can really bring a power fantasy to life. That said, a New Game Plus mode in Project Orion may be just a pipe dream.

Since the game’s initial launch back in 2020, many players have been asking for a New Game Plus update, but CD Projekt Red has made it clear that it won’t happen. Although disappointing, it definitely isn’t without merit, citing the game’s intricacy as a road block. In a recent interview, Lead Quest Designer, Pawel Sasko, stated, “It’s incredibly difficult to figure out a way where New Game Plus could be done in a way that doesn’t completely break the way the game is constructed.” It is understandable as to why the complexities of Cyberpunk 2077‘s world would make developers wary of a New Game Plus mode, but the worries about a New Game Plus not making sense in the grand scheme of things may be overthinking it.

There aren’t many New Game Plus modes that actually make sense when going through the motions of a game’s story for the second time. The point of New Game Plus is to reward players for completing the story by letting them experience it again as overpowered as possible. The many features of Cyberpunk 2077 can make V feel like a god by the end of the game, but feeling like that from the beginning could be incredibly compelling.

Project Orion Should Give New Game Plus Another Chance

Since most New Game Plus modes are mainly about making a second run as fun and outlandish as possible, CD Projekt Red should reconsider its stance on the mode. It is expected that Project Orion will improve Cyberpunk 2077 in an unknown variety of ways, but New Game Plus is a great place to start. Experiencing a game with the developer’s true intentions and hopes on the first run-through makes perfect sense. However, players should at least be given the option to experience Night City as an overpowered V. At the end of the day, a New Game Plus does not necessarily have to make sense. It just has to be fun.

Although the hype has already begun, Project Orion is probably several years away at this point. As time passes, more information will be revealed by CD Projekt Red, and New Game Plus will hopefully be revealed in the eventual updates.