Summary
The sequel toCyberpunk 2077, codenamed Project Orion, is confirmed to be in development at CD Projekt Red following the release of the Phantom Liberty DLC. After the 2.0 update and Phantom Liberty DLC forCyberpunk 2077greatly upped the game’s quality from its initial release, it’s exciting to see where a sequel can take the game’s world, gameplay, and characters.Cyberpunk 2077is already a visually stylish game, but Project Orion seems to be in the perfect position to double down on the game’s graphics and potentially take a page out ofGhost of Tsushima’s book.
Recent comments from CD Projekt Red suggest thatProject Orion will blend game and filminto one cohesive experience. While this type of project sounds ambitious,Cyberpunk 2077already has a history of translating its world into cinema with the Netflix seriesCyberpunk: Edgerunners, so there is precedent for a project like this to potentially work quite well. However, for Project Orion to really showcase just how film-like cinematics can blend with gameplay, the game should look towards the successGhost of Tsushimahad with its homage to classic samurai films.
Cyberpunk 2077’s Sequel Could Follow Ghost of Tsushima’s Cinematic Nature
Cyberpunk 2077already feels like a cinematic experience with its incredible visuals and inclusion of iconic stars likeKeanu Reeves portraying Johnny Silverhandand Idris Elba portraying Solomon Reed. With this formula already in place, having Project Orion lean into the series' cinematic elements would be a natural progression and help Project Orion feel like an even more substantial experience compared toCyberpunk 2077. Sucker Punch’sGhost of Tsushimaproves that building a game based on the aesthetics of classic cinema can work wonders for creating an immersive experience, and CD Projekt Red would be wise to follow this lead.
Ghost of Tsushimasuccessfully replicates the feeling of playing through a classic samurai film by emphasizing a minimalist UI design, vibrant landscapes, and an option for players to play the game with a black-and-white film filter. The game also features cutscenes that are framed in a way that pays homage to legendary Japanese film director Akira Kurosawa. The combination of these elements shows thatGhost of Tsushimahas cinema baked into its design, which provides the perfect basis for a blended film and game experience thatCD Projekt Red should replicate with Project Orion.
Features from Ghost of Tsushima Project Orion Should Include to Enhance its Cinematics
While Project Orion will likely differ drastically fromGhost of Tsushimaand fall more in line withCyberpunk 2077, there are several design elements the game could take fromGhost of Tsushimathat would give it a more film-like feel. One feature that helpsGhost of Tsushimaplayers feel more immersed in its world is the lack of a mini-map with quest markers that theGuiding Wind mechanicreplaces as an in-universe way to guide players to their objectives. Project Orion could adopt a similar feature and shedCyberpunk 2077’s overt mini-map in favor of a more subtle method of guiding the player along with an option for a minimalist UI.
Another feature Project Orion should pull fromGhost of Tsushimais the option to play the game with different filters overlaid on the screen to give the game the feel of different types of movies. Similar to howGhost of Tsushima’s black-and-white film filterharkens back to the days of classic samurai films, Project Orion could have neon or sepia filter options to pay homage to classic cyberpunk films likeBlade Runner. This would be a fairly simple feature to implement but would go a long way towards helping the game feel like a true cinematic experience.
