The Cyberpunk 2077 official Twitter account released a riddle of the last mission of the year, and players had to guess what quest it was. The tweet, which was accompanied by a picture of flamingos and a car, sparked a discussion among the game’s community. Many immediately suggested a side gig called ‘Epistrophy’ which was set in a sentient taxi company, Delamain. This interaction shows how active the communication between CD Projekt Red and players is even years after the release of the game.
Thus, CD Projekt Red thought to give a little teaser to Cyberpunk 2077 fans at the end of 2023. They tweeted a picture of pink flamingos and a car, asking who would a hero be without a few high-speed chases? And to be honest, the replies were of chaotic, loving, frustrated – which is pretty much Night City in a nutshell.
Players got the riddle right immediately and were not even surprised. The user DIYMaker_Johan wrote, ‘Easy! The mission where you have to talk to and get the Delamain cabs!’ Although he forgot the name of the mission. 🤣’ And they are absolutely right. The image distinctly points to the ‘Epistrophy’ questline, where you are to locate all of Delamain’s rogue AI cabs that have gone berserk and have even taken on… personalities. It is a side job that begins with a little fun and then gets a little weird – you know what I mean?
But what really mattered was the people’s reactions. Some players absolutely adored this quest. TheElmoPelle exclaimed, ‘I loved this one!! Whoever created it, he or she is my hero!’ Spectators, though, varied in their opinions. User ozilical_ merely described the mission as ‘the worst ever.’ And it strikes a sensitive spot, particularly if you are supposed to herd one of those stubborn taxis. It is the classic divide – some gamer groups enjoy the weird, brain-teaser-like chase, while the others just want a shooting.
In addition, the discussion became more philosophical. A few comments noted how such a design is actually very intelligent. Futurum_gaming remarked, ‘this type of quest design is smart. curiosity plus just enough friction keeps people thoughtful instead of scrolling.’ And TasteLabsAI added, ‘cyberpunk has always been the best if it let the players draw the connections. puzzles fit the world perfectly.’ Precisely! Night City is supposed to be this confusing, mind-boggling place where you have to figure things out. To assist the players, however, would diminish the atmosphere.
Not everyone was preoccupied with the riddle. Comments very soon redirected to the classic gamers’ demands. KifflomDolphin asked, ‘Dude, just put NG+ in the game and get it over with, please.’ That’s a completely different matter the community has been asking for forever. Plus, there was just pure humor. Sebdurand made the joke ‘Beep beep mf,’ which, honestly, is the only proper thing to scream during a Cyberpunk car chase.
Moreover, you can’t miss a bit of… animated critique when gaming is discussed. User PixelThroneX showed up with a very harsh statement: ‘Cyberpunk’s car chases are mid at best. GTA is not even slightly threatened. The game continues to be full of broken mechanics that are covered with flashy neon.’ Ouch. That’s rough. Nevertheless, it indicates that even after all the bug fixes and the great Phantom Liberty expansion, some users still bear the wounds from the launch day. The driving mechanics have always been a contentious topic so a tweet that trumpets ‘high-speed chases’ was sure to bring about those buried issues.
The tweet also made a nostalgia and references crop up. User TRettsch posted a video of his typical high-speed chase, taking the opportunity to boast ‘The NCPD doesn’t stand a chance😎’. And joaodonense just said ‘call me CLARICE’ along with a picture and I am just making a Silence of the Lambs reference that I am still attempting to fully grasp. The gaming community’s creativity is always on and never down.
In the end, the tiny puzzle at the end of the year from the Cyberpunk 2077 page did more than just test the memory. It was a kind of litmus test for the player base. It brought the attention back to the game’s side content that was one-of-a-kind, though sometimes buggy, but still unforgettable. It demonstrated that the users are still very much attached to the Night City universe either by admiring its artful design or critiquing the shortcomings that are still there. The discussion about Delamain’s quest proves that these little stories have made big memories, moments that gamers will argue over and play on Xbox and PlayStation.
