Highlights

• Project Orion, CD Projekt Red's follow-up to Cyberpunk 2077, will build upon the foundation laid by its predecessor.
• Learn from the success of Cyberpunk 2077's Pyramid Song Gig to enhance storytelling and environmental design.
• More underwater content is needed in Project Orion to elevate environmental storytelling and draw players' attention.

It will likely be quite a while before anyone gets their hands on Project Orion, CD Projekt Red's follow-up to Cyberpunk 2077. Still, hopes are high for the sequel since, even if it's a major departure from Cyberpunk 2077, it will surely build upon the storied, complicated foundation laid by the 2020 release.

Some of this foundation is composed of satisfying and well-honed features—the masterfully written story and gripping environmental design, for instance—while other bricks are formed from shakier clay. Much ink has been spilled regarding Cyberpunk 2077's lackluster state at launch, but the game has its fair share of missed opportunities and unfulfilled potential, regardless of technical performance. Nevertheless, many of Cyberpunk 2077's best ideas feel like they are still gestating, and Project Orion can bring them to fruition.

Project Orion Needs to Learn from Cyberpunk 2077's Pyramid Song Gig

Pyramid Song is remembered as one of Cyberpunk 2077's best side missions, and not just because it's the culmination of Judy's romance arc. The Gig has V don a wetsuit and full scuba gear, delving into the depths of Night City's decrepit, foul waters to survey the abandoned streets, buildings, and other detritus of years past, drowned by the ever-rising sea levels. The mission is one of the game's best meditations on climate change and the unrelenting onslaught of time, and its underwater backdrop provides mechanical novelty that helps draw players' attention to its narrative meat.

The Pyramid Song quest is a good example of Cyberpunk 2077's musical references, as its title is most likely a reference to the Radiohead song of the same name.

More Underwater Content Is a Must In Project Orion

Underwater gameplay in Cyberpunk 2077 is a strange dichotomy. The game allows for submersion and full, three-dimensional movement underwater, and there is even an Oxy Booster consumable that allows for temporary underwater breathing. This suggests that there will be some incentive to explore the sprawling bodies of water in the game, but that isn't really the case. Beyond the Pyramid Song mission, there are only a few pieces of loot and Easter eggs underwater, and certainly no other chance to explore with scuba gear. This feels like one of Cyberpunk 2077's biggest missed opportunities.

But Project Orion can double down on underwater content, giving players more reason to explore this rather sizable portion of Night City's map. There could be more missions and gigs like Pyramid Song, where players are tasked with in-depth exploration of mysterious, haunting underwater areas, drawing further attention to the genre's message of climate decline represented by aggressive flooding. Beyond missions, more underwater events, side activities, and exploration opportunities seem like a must. Cyberpunk 2077 could elevate its environmental storytelling by fleshing out these watery depths, giving players a new perspective on its near-future, possibly prophetic setting.

Underwater content in gaming, generally speaking, can feel a bit lackluster. A lot of open-world games let players dive underwater and swim around, but precious few actually offer good reasons for doing so. Cyberpunk 2077 is unique in this regard, as its world is one of a slow, flashy apocalypse, and its bodies of water aren't mere rivers, lakes, or ocean shallows: they hide long-forgotten schools, homes, and communities. By building off the Pyramid Song quest, Project Orion can better highlight the dystopia that is Night City, reminding players, in a new way, of the cost of progress.