One of the best things about Minecraft is that it gives a medium to people who are wildly talented and artistic and maybe don’t have a way to showcase that talent or maybe don’t even realize they possess it. Since the game’s release years ago, the Internet has seen countless structures, cities, and entire worlds constructed in the virtual play space, some of which are truly breathtaking.
This will likely come off as an exaggeration, but the Cyberpunk Project may be the best thing to come out of the game, ever. It’s the work of Elysium Fire, a Minecraft Building Team, and it’s almost hard to believe that you’re looking at the same, simple game that everyone knows and loves. Check out this timelapse video of the city being built and regain your hope for the future.
What’s even more impressive is that the only reference available to the team are the handful of Cyberpunk 2077 screenshots and videos released so far, which only show a portion of the city and in small increments at that. Obviously, this isn’t a spot-on replica, as there’s still a giant chunk of Night City that nobody has seen. Elysium Fire did a stellar job filling in the gaps.
The one thing that all Minecraft projects have in common, regardless of how well-made they are and at what scope, is that they all still look distinctively like Minecraft. That observation might sound obvious, but the point is that Minecraft’s aesthetic is so instantly recognizable, anything built in the game is somewhat limited in its execution. Replicas of real structures and cities can only resemble their source so much because of this limitation.
The Cyberpunk Project, however, somehow managed to break out of those restraints, or at least stretch them further than they’ve been stretched before. Maybe it’s the combination of the night time setting and the glow of the lights, but at certain angles, it simply doesn’t look like Minecraft. It’s a truly impressive feat.
Elysium Fire plans to make the map available on Christmas Day, December 25, so that everyone can jump in and explore every nook and cranny of Night City. Even those who haven’t logged onto a Minecraft server in ages might be tempted to grab the map and take a virtual tour. CD Projekt Red needs to thank these virtual architects for some effective and one hundred percent free marketing for their upcoming game.
