Summary
Cyberpunk 2077brings a sprawling dystopian city to life with Night City, and virtually every corner is filled with something interesting to uncover. After various updates since launch,Cyberpunk 2077has proven to be a fantastic sci-fi RPG steeped in lore and exploration. Now that its sequel, Project Orion, has just begun its early stages of development, the best parts ofCyberpunk 2077are likely to be elevated.
Due to the density of Night City, there are still plenty of parts to the city that players have yet to uncover. From Easter eggs to character interactions,Cyberpunk 2077players are still discovering unexpected features. One of these underrated features that can miss some players' radars is thatCyberpunk 2077dabbles with the concept of V having pets. It’s a subtle feature in the game, but Project Orion could bring this concept to the next level.
Project Orion Bringing Pets Into the Fold
Cyberpunk 2077 Experiments With Animal Companions
Although pets aren’t really a focal point of the game,Cyberpunk 2077still plays around with the idea. The most notable of these pets isNibbles the cat. A hairless cat living in Megabuilding H10, players can adopt Nibbles by completing a side quest that makes the cat a permanent fixture in V’s apartment.
The second possible pet players can find is a little bit trickier to come across. When attempting the heist in Yorinobu’s penthouse, V can come across an egg on the first floor. If players choose to take the egg, an iguana hatches from it.Cyberpunk 2077’s scaly friendis another fun companion that can call V’s apartment home, but if players never pick up the egg, they completely miss out on a potential pet. Although these are currently the only known options for players to have as pets, that shouldn’t stop Project Orion from taking this a step further.
Night City’s Lack of Pets Makes Sense, But Can Also Be a Bummer
Pets Further Illustrate Night City’s Class Divisions
Owning a pet, and animals in general, is a rarity in Night City. Unsurprisingly, the lack of animals in the surrounding areas is due to the hubris of man.Cyberpunk 2077wouldn’t be what it is without the dystopian consequences of society’s actions. City expansion and the destruction of resources obliterated wildlife ecosystems and habitats. When it comes to pets, animal ownership is incredibly expensive, making it only available to the wealthy.The fabric of Night City is cutthroat, and class tensions are prevalent throughout the metropolis. Pets illustrate this point even further.
In order tokeep in line withCyberpunk 2077’s themesof class division, it wouldn’t make sense for players to easily acquire pets in Project Orion. However, as a player rises through the ranks and becomes more wealthy, being rewarded the option to buy one’s own pet could be a fun way to make a character progress through Night City’s world. Project Orion could even embrace the use of animals as street companions instead of just apartment decorations. Players could be responsible for how they choose to utilize their pets, depending on what kind of morality they want their character to have. A player focused on being good could use a dog as a means of defense, while others choosing a more morally questionable route could make their pet a fierce attacker.
Cyberpunk 2077was a strong start for a franchise to blossom from, andProject Orion could be even more boldwith its features this time around. CD Projekt Red had a solid test run for how to craft a compelling dystopian world, and shining a brighter spotlight on pets in the upcoming sequel could highlight the franchise’s themes in an unexpected way.
