Modders are once again making the experience of CD Projekt Red's Cyberpunk 2077 up to the standards fans expected by bringing a third-person view into the game. The previous games created by the developer, namely The Witcher and its sequels, were third-person affairs. By design, Cyberpunk is a first-person experience, likely due to the shift in combat from swords and sorcery to a wide array of futuristic firearms. There's plenty of character customization to be had in the game, but the only time players actually see the clothes, glasses, and jackets they choose is by loading into an in-game mirror, driving a motorcycle, or hitting the pause menu.
Cyberpunk 2077 is certainly a shift from the games that CD Projekt Red has made in the past, and it emulates big RPGs from Bethesda. It's easy to see influence from both Fallout 3 and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim when the finished product is working as intended. In both of those games, first-person was the default, but a third-person view was only a button away, even for players on console. Perhaps that's part of the reason why some gamers expected CD Projekt Red to let players check out their version of main character V throughout the campaign.
Modder Cineagle has taken the first steps to making a third-person mode in Cyberpunk 2077 a reality, and they posted the results in a YouTube video this week. The video is a simple affair that betrays how early the mod is. Indeed, it's not available for download yet, instead showcasing what the program might look like when it's ready for public consumption. The modder has also put together a Bonnet view for the game's various cars that gives players an up-close and personal look at Cyberpunk's fleet of automobiles.
As one might expect from such a popular release, Cineagle isn't alone in their Cyberpunk 2077 modding efforts. According to NexusMods, one of the web's most popular sites for in-game modifications, there are already more than 300 ways to change the game on PC. Despite the game being out for less than a month, players can already change V's hairstyle, add better vehicle handling, and tweak the control scheme to make dodging enemy fire easier to do. As modders get more familiar with the game in the months to come and start developing tools, that number is sure to grow exponentially.
Players on high-end PCs are probably the only ones playing Cyberpunk 2077 without any complaints, and they're also the only ones who can enjoy this level of customization with the game. Developers have tried to include mods in console releases in the past, but the limited list of improved projects always pales in comparison with what's available online. Some of that is due to the developer and publisher wanting to preserve the core experience for gamers, and some of that is due to the nature of many popular modifications likely interfering with the ESRB rating, even if the game is rated M. In that way, mods are likely more punk than the whole of CD Projekt Red's open-world adventure.
Cyberpunk 2077 is available now for PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Stadia. An Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 version of the game is promised in 2021.
Source: Cineagle/YouTube