Part of the allure of the Cyberpunk brand is that it carries narrative flexibility. In a world with such extreme wealth inequality, there’s room for stories from everyone’s perspective. Cyberpunk: Edgerunners improves on the groundwork laid out by Cyberpunk 2077 by using Night City as a means to explore the human condition. By creatively interpreting the themes from Cyberpunk: 2077, Studio Trigger creates a world that’s harsher, bigger, and even more corrupt than it was in the game. At the same time, this also makes for a Night City that’s more human, lifelike, and dynamic than in the video game. Night City truly becomes the ruthless rat race it was always meant to be.
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Night City is the Main Character
Gamers that played Cyberpunk 2077 found Night City to hold numerous secrets, but secrets don’t make friends. Cyberpunk: Edgerunners uses the medium of anime to make the city feel less like a dollhouse and more like a real place. The choice to craft a narrative that takes place close to but separately from Cyberpunk 2077 allows Cyberpunk: Edgerunners to stand on its own two feet. Instead of playing as a seasoned merc for hire who already has familiarity with the Fixers of Night City, audiences are lured into the story of David Martinez. This protagonist is a recently orphaned high school dropout who hijacks a military-grade implant and is thrust headfirst into a coming-of-age tale of blood, greed, and Night City citizens’ shared desire to make something of themselves.
Viewers ultimately get to walk in Night City’s stilettos by walking in David’s shoes. Night City is a cruel place full of possibilities, where at a moment’s notice a gang shootout could break out and wreak havoc. It’s a place where nobody cares who lives or dies; they only care who has the premium insurance package. Cyberpunk: Edgerunners has its mysteries, but those mysteries feel a lot more grounded coming from the lens of multiple characters trying to get their name out there, and trying to make sure their rent is paid.
Night City Family Values
Cyberpunk: Edgerunners also manages to make Night City the main character by exploring how it affects people. Early in the series, David is victimized by a bully at the prestigious Arasaka Academy. Viewers later learn that the bully is the son of the principal. Much like how his father got to his position by stepping on others, his son is motivated to do the same. Night City and its dystopian take on family values come front and center through small moments like this. It is then directly contrasted by studying David’s growing relationships with his crew on his journey to becoming somebody. Through intelligent use of comparisons and contrasts, Studio Trigger shows that everyone’s Night City is skewed to fit their socio-economic circumstance, and that makes for an exciting future for the Cyberpunk 2077 brand. Night City becomes a playground where even those of power and their children play roles at the whims of their corporate overlords.
While Cyberpunk 2077 explored life in Night City through the reluctant shoes of a lone wolf, Cyberpunk Edgerunners explores how Night City can impact people’s relationships between chosen and biological families. It gives Night City the added layer of depth and tangibility that further proves that an anime adaption of the Cyberpunk franchise was the right move. It may have been a rough launch, but now almost two years later, the future looks bright for Night City and the people living there.
Cyberpunk: Edgerunners is now streaming on Netflix.
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