From the time of its original release to the weeks that followed, Cyberpunk 2077 had its share of bumpy patches, but CD Projekt Red has been working diligently ever since to produce another excellent RPG game. Phantom Liberty, the first and next DLC for Cyberpunk 2077, is an excellent illustration of the development team’s attentiveness to user feedback. While the Phantom Liberty trailer gave us the chance to learn more about the supplemental material—whether it be the new map or new characters that appear in it—we simply can’t get enough, and today’s in-depth look at the expansion from the Xbox Extended Gameshow has given us a little more insight.
Keanu Reeves sat down for an interview during the Xbox Extended Gameshow today, in which he discussed Cyberpunk’s new DLC and its features. From Dogtown, an area of Night City’s murky outskirts, to some of the central characters we’ll be seeing in Phantom Liberty, Keanu provided us with a small glimpse of the upcoming content. He started with a closer look at the bustling black markets of Dogtown, places we will be able to go to as V to gain access to some seriously charged (yet illegal) cyberware.
As the game director mentioned during the showcase, you can modify your in-game body with all sorts of new tech, “Like the air-dash, or the ability to see enemies through the walls, or change your appearance to lose the heat.” I am excited to make use of all the new changes myself, but I especially cannot wait to see how the appearance change pans out to help me get officials off my back. As someone who is perpetually anxious and kinda sucks at combat in shooters, seeing through walls seems overpowered and I am very here for it.
Keanu described the leader of Dogtown during his interview, saying that Colonel Kurt Hansen is “ex-military, ruthless, and power-hungry.” Many of us had been wondering about Kurt’s character, especially as he is a new addition accompanying Dogtown’s introduction to Cyberpunk. It seems that we have our answers now, and they’re not exactly positive. Kurt is not the kind of person you want to deal with, in contrast to Keanu’s own character, Johnny Silverhand.
When asked about Johnny, Keanu simply described the broken man as “outspoken” and as “a little grump,” stating that “he has a right to be” after having endured so much abuse and use by the hands of others. Adorably (as he always is), Keanu joked “I’m sorry, I keep dropping into Johnny” during the interview as he seemed to take on his character’s own personality. The questions then turned to Johnny and his relationship with Solomon Reed, Idris Elba’s new character, or more specifically the dynamic they share. Keanu said that Solomon has a lot in common with Johnny, “in the sense of military and the sense of being used and abused.” Solomon is trying to reclaim his life in Phantom Liberty, which Johnny is also doing.
The overall vibe assigned to Phantom Liberty by both Keanu and the game director himself is that of a spy thriller. Keanu explained the connection during his interview, stating that the expansion offers a quest to understand what’s going on, runs rampant with mystery, and has a whole lot of double-crossing. After seeing the magic he has worked in the past in films with similar themes, I can only imagine how he and the rest of the character cast can do with the power of CD Projekt Red in Phantom Liberty.
If you are also excited to dive even deeper into Phantom Liberty’s Dogtown as soon as it drops, take a look through some of the best Cyberpunk 2077 mods to spice up your gameplay a bit pre-release. You can also browse through some of our other favorite FPS games if you want to play something similar yet different before the expansion comes out.