Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty Reviews
Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty makes some improvements, but it fails to live up to its own lofty promises.
Phantom Liberty's awkward placement in the Cyberpunk 2077 storyline and a bland major character coupled with a jumbled-up story prevent it from becoming an amazing spy thriller.
Phantom Liberty has some great moments, but it's ultimately a by-the-numbers spy thriller with an uninteresting cast that can't be saved by celebrity star power.
Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty is a pulpy spy thriller that we enjoyed massively. Excellent main missions are complemented by a revolutionary 2.0 update that makes this expansion worthy of giving the game a second chance.
That's crucial, because with the 2.0 Update, the game does a lot well. It still isn't an all-time great RPG, but there are fewer hiccups keeping you from enjoying the many things it succeeds at. Phantom Liberty is good, but 2.0 is the rising tide that lifts all boats. It makes Cyberpunk 2077, unambiguously, worth the trip.
Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty doesn’t merely tell a story; it immerses you in a complex web of choices and consequences, making you an active participant in its unfolding drama. It’s a fine last hurrah for a game that has taken CD Projekt so long to hone, and it stands as one of the best individual stories the developer has told to date.
While it leans heavily on spy genre tropes, and appears to be determined to separate itself from the wilder, futuristic ideas of its base game counterpart by focussing on more familiar, socially relevant political themes, Phantom Liberty is a compelling, cinematic story that expands the world of Cyberpunk 2077.
With patch 2.0, "Cyberpunk 2077" fulfills many of the promises they made three years ago for release. However, just as many remain unfulfilled and since "Phantom Liberty" will remain the only DLC content, "Cyberpunk 2077" will never live up to the initial hype. Patch 2.0 nevertheless ensures that "Cyberpunk 2077" not only plays much better, but now almost all glitches and bugs have been eliminated, so that the base game alone is definitely worth a new playthrough. The "Phantom Liberty" expansion offers a lot of new missions and tells a very exciting story, but if you expect a new "Blood & Wine" like in "The Witcher 3", you will be disappointed again. The scope of the DLC is okay for the price, but by no means sets new standards.
Review in German | Read full review
The end result here is a balancing act—a little of column A and a little of column B. Phantom Liberty’s main questline absolutely explores a more espionage-tinted angle than its base game counterpart with, but there was a concerted effort to intertwine them in a way that still feels seamless. Its side quests may not feel like anything new, but the level design and encounters have never been better. In that sense, Phantom Liberty is Cyberpunk 2077 distilled. If you enjoyed the base game, it’s hard to see you being dissatisfied with this expansion. And even if you aren’t enticed by any of the new content on offer, Update 2.0 has brought net improvements to the overall gameplay that make it more than worth taking another trip through Night City.
While some of Cyberpunk 2077's issues still linger, and the new content isn't without its own flaws, CD Projekt Red has done a commendable job at making me like a game I previously had disdain for. Phantom Liberty continues to prove CD Projekt Red has a deft hand for high-quality storytelling and has now shown it can provide strong RPG gameplay to match.
A great follow-up to Cyberpunk 2077 with a stellar cast that brings a thrilling story to the streets of Dogtown. The gameplay changes bring it up to a better standard, but if you are not a fan of the original, don’t expect Phantom Liberty to change your mind.
Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty is a strong and very engaging paid expansion that offers many hours of new content. Idris Elba's Solomon Reed is an excellent addition to the setting, and his movie star charisma does a lot to elevate the expansion's tense sci-fi political thriller tale. Accompanied by the long-awaited 2.0 update, substantially overhauling the Cyberpunk 2077 base game for the better and allowing the game to finally reach its full potential, Phantom Liberty might not bring as many new gameplay innovations on its own, but what it does bring feels like a worthwhile addition to the base game and something fans of Cyberpunk 2077 will definitely want to check out.
Phantom Liberty is a quality experience worth experiencing. It has that dark narrative with complex characters and high quality side content that we've come to expect from CD Projekt RED. That said, it also makes some mistakes that allow us to realize that it's a game as flawed, raw and gripping as life in Night City.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Although Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty offers players a good bit of new activities to do, the lack of new quaint romantic partners or a happy/satisfying ending leaves us feeling unsatisfied. If this is truly how CD Projekt Red plans to end Cyberpunk 2077, they are doing the fans a massive disservice.
Phantom Liberty is an excellent expansion to Cyberpunk 2077 that delivers a rich, polished bonus act to the dystopian RPG.
Phantom Liberty is a very solid extension.
Review in French | Read full review
Phantom Liberty brings a high-quality new storyline to Cyberpunk 2077, even if its new area "Dogtown" is lacking in size somewhat. Coupled with the 2.0 Update, Phantom Liberty brings the Cyberpunk 2077 redemption tale full circle. If you've waited to play Cyberpunk 2077 at its best, you needn't wait any longer.
With a strong spy story and performances to match, Phantom Liberty gives Cyberpunk 2077 the extra chapter it needed.
Phantom Liberty brings us an intricate police story full of action and great dialogues. You can feel the decadence of Dogtown in every step you take in this new district, and you will love to get lost in its winding streets. And believe me, with or without Phantom Liberty, it is worth coming back to Cyberpunk 2077 with the 2.0. version.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
A taut, characterful headrush of an expansion that completes Cyberpunk 2077's redemption and re-establishes it as one of the great open world adventures of the generation.