Cyberpunk 2077 allowed players to use body augmentations to enhance certain aspects of gameplay, but Project Orion, Cyberpunk 2077's unnamed sequel, has the chance to make augmentation more of a statement and character trait than just a boost to certain gameplay functions. While Cyberpunk 2077 certainly touched on some characters getting too implant-happy, the deeper implications weren't as explored as they could've been, even less so for the player as implants were treated exclusively like special moves or perks instead of life-changing body modifications.
CD Projekt Red's latest featured many cyberware and augmentation options for the player, ranging from slowing down time during dodges to using hidden arm blades or even invisibility cyberware added via a Cyberpunk 2077 mod. While some cyberware mods were more subtle and placed internally in the body, others visually changed the player character, specifically the arm augmentations. Other than the arm modifications showing on your player character's body there were no real unintended or negative side effects of using cyberware in Cyberpunk 2077.
Project Orion could allow players to dive into the deeper themes and meaning of hacking their body to pieces and replacing them with combat tech, which Cyberpunk 2077 did not expand upon adequately. While perhaps 2077's storyline and world benefited from a more human, grungy outlook, Project Orion can dive into the dark muddy transhumanism of the Cyberpunk universe. There were some hints of this with cyberpsychosis, the aug-free monks Bhikkhu and his brother, and some other hidden secret quests in Cyberpunk 2077, but one of the original tabletop's themes was the question of how much humanity is left when the body is gradually replaced by metal and machine. Not only should heavy body augmentation be made available to the player, it should also show up in the world of Project Orion more often than in 2077.
More Player Augmentation Creates Interesting Narrative And Gameplay
Not only do more cybernetic options introduce links to a deeper question and empower narrative, but player customization and immersion are always a boon. As mentioned previously, cyberware in 2077 is a flat upgrade with no real downsides, but Project Orion can make them more of a compromise or choice, rather than just something for Cyberpunk's infamous Adam Smasher will require a more technical approach.
Cyberpunk 2077 is praised for its compelling and well-performed story, focused on overlord corporations and aspirations in a world with the odds stacked against the normal people. Project Orion should avoid retelling a story that was already told well, and focus on what it might mean to be human in a world where it's become optional. Unlike similar works of futuristic fiction, becoming mechanized in Cyberpunk isn't a stigma or sacrilege. In fact, most of the time it's a sign of power and status, but not without its own myriad drawbacks. Maintaining the balance of human and machine in a world that'll rip weaklings apart is a wonderful jumping-off point for a story, and one that Cyberpunk 2077's sequel, codenamed Project Orion, should take to.
