Gilded World. A lot of people suffer in Night City and death is not uncommon. Night City is known for eating people alive. Despite that, people can still live a life, and have success. Become a legend. Vic basically represents the brightest and most hopeful NC has to offer
Public_Utility_Salt
Wow, I’m surprised by how optimistically people look at NC. Most people describe it as Noble or Gilded. For me it’s clearly Grimdark, but I can understand that perhaps it doesn’t exactly show in the game. I think some people in CDPR commented that they tried to make the world dystopian, but thought they failed to make it dark enough. The edgerunner series makes a better job in this regard I think. I think the *goal* was to make the world grimdark, but I guess they kinda failed in it.
Bloodblade112
Without a shadow of a doubt, gilded.
You have two classes in nightcity. Poor and mega rich. There is no middle class. You either scrum around for scraps or the city will kill you. Little to zero law enforcement so crime and corruption is rampant.
Alternatively, you literally have an armed paramedic team to pick you up wherever you are and live in skyscraper living a life of decadence.
There is nothing balanced in this work except for the rules of he street.
AdrawereR
Gilded World
Because I think only Night City is especially shit than the rest of NUSA/Free States.
NeoChomik
To me, it’s gilded. There is a promise to NC. “You can be a legend. Reach the top of the food chain in a corporation” people are drawn in by that promise. There are other cities, and even within the game as seperate entity.
But underneath that promise, lies a dark shady future, dog eat dog, you either are the top or fight for scraps. You might be killed, harvested for organs or chrome, or your worst may even become someone’s bd trip.
But it is still not quite grimdark. To me grimdark there’s no escape that darkness. You are born in it and its not a matter of making it. Just how long you survive.
You have a chance of leaving NC. and that makes it gilded, not grimdark.
Kairos_J
Definetely a Gilded World. And for ALL of it, not just Night City.
Night City is a city of attraction : the City of Dreams. It draws people who have either nothing to lose or massive gains to do, but most people don’t realise the evil and dark heart lying under it’s surface if you’ve never been there.
People are mostly unemployed, jobs if you can get one are shitty, you can resort to a Solo life but it’s really a hard life, they aren’t called “Edgerunners” for nothing because they run on the fine thread between life and death, law and crime, good and evil ALL the time. Finally, if all of this doesn’t work, you can still join organized crime, but it’s obviously a very dark place to be, you’ll be nothing but a goon for the most of your career… if you have no ambition.
Crime is rampant also because the prisons are full, drugs are commonplace, and implants too, many, like, MANY, people in Night City is augmented, so even if you’re a good worker, you’re not safe from being mugged by a dude running at 75MPH with Mantis Blades going absolutely batshit crazy because implants have made the dude going Cyberpsycho. The opening scene of Edgerunners is absolutely accurate in that regard, because if many people have basic implants, there is also MANY people who were war veterans and are implanted with shittons of implants and are unable to treat themselves for Cyberpsychosis.
Outside of that, Night City have great opportunities : If you’re tough, you can make a SHITTON of money there, that’s why it’s a city of ambition. Dexter Deshawn says it well by saying that you either die at 30 in a blaze of glory or old and forgotten in your deathbed. People that are successful at Night City are less common and they shift all the time because of the massive power struggle there. Everyone wants the place of another person, making going up the pyramid is also a dangerous game, even more if you’re working for a megacorporation or a gang.
Though, suffering isn’t the only thing happening in Night City, even if it’s a commonplace for many, many people, the big difference with a Grimdark world is that in Night City you’re eventually prompted to do something to fare better in this dark society, may it be by desperation, opportunity, frustration or a will to see things change, and you can do something about it. Didn’t said you were going to be successful, but you can try.
The difference with a Grimdark world is that, in a Grimdark world, without the proper tools, means, or powers, you’re basically hopeless, even if you try to do something as it is a LOT more likely to end very badly than to get something in return, even if you’re doing things with the best intentions in the world or with the best plans and best means to get to your goal. Warhammer 40K is obviously a very good example of that (i mean, they basically invented the modern concept of Grimdark and the word) as if you’re a basic citizen of the Imperium, you can expect your life to be short for first, but also incredibly painful.
I also wanna point out that, Night City in its own right is, as i see it, a ratherly good city in this world with opportunities that can really stand out compared to most other cities.
If you’re born in Washington D.C for example, even if it’s the capital of the NUSA, it’s also the capital of Militech. Tourists tours are accompanied by soldiers, like in North Korea for example.
Chicago lost 90% of its population during the war, just to be rebuilt by Cytech, another megacorp.
New York crime was SO HIGH, that MILITECH HAD TO CALL ARASAKA FOR HELP. Which is absolutely f-ing crazy considering they are the two worst and most powerful megacorps, and that they hate each other.
Night City may be riddled by crime, unemployment, corruption, organized crimes, megacorps… It’s still a free city, a free state. Succeeding in Night City means having control for yourself (mostly), and not have to relinquish your life at some point to a Megacorp because you get something they want or you get in their way, which is bound to happen in Megacorp-Controlled-Countries, and that’s the whole point of Johnny in the game towards Megacorporations : your life isn’t yours if you give yourself to this, you lose your identity, which is a LOT worse than death, and they will find a way to get you to do their bidding, one way or another.
To finish, i’d say that the Night City/Cyberpunk2077 is tricky, it’s a very dark Gilded world, but it’s not out of hope or options, though, give 150 years more to this world and let it go the same direction, you’ll be in a very much Grimdark world, where Arasaka for example could actually control yourself even after your death with engrams, and instill finally the eternal reign of Saburo. Now THAT, That would be Grimdark as hell.
Professional_Ant_15
I think it’s Gilded world.
IshaanGupta18
Probably gilded world.
hi_i_am_J
gilded but borderline grimdark tbh
OGTurdFerguson
Gilded for sure.
YoshiPayYourTaxes
Definitely gilded.
Ornn5005
I’ve seen very few truly (by this metric) Grim Dark settings. “I have no mouth and I must scream” comes to mind.
15 Comments
Closest from this chart would be gilded.
noble/gilded
Grimdark. Look at the food options.
Gilded World. A lot of people suffer in Night City and death is not uncommon. Night City is known for eating people alive. Despite that, people can still live a life, and have success. Become a legend. Vic basically represents the brightest and most hopeful NC has to offer
Wow, I’m surprised by how optimistically people look at NC. Most people describe it as Noble or Gilded. For me it’s clearly Grimdark, but I can understand that perhaps it doesn’t exactly show in the game. I think some people in CDPR commented that they tried to make the world dystopian, but thought they failed to make it dark enough. The edgerunner series makes a better job in this regard I think. I think the *goal* was to make the world grimdark, but I guess they kinda failed in it.
Without a shadow of a doubt, gilded.
You have two classes in nightcity. Poor and mega rich. There is no middle class. You either scrum around for scraps or the city will kill you. Little to zero law enforcement so crime and corruption is rampant.
Alternatively, you literally have an armed paramedic team to pick you up wherever you are and live in skyscraper living a life of decadence.
There is nothing balanced in this work except for the rules of he street.
Gilded World
Because I think only Night City is especially shit than the rest of NUSA/Free States.
To me, it’s gilded. There is a promise to NC. “You can be a legend. Reach the top of the food chain in a corporation” people are drawn in by that promise. There are other cities, and even within the game as seperate entity.
But underneath that promise, lies a dark shady future, dog eat dog, you either are the top or fight for scraps. You might be killed, harvested for organs or chrome, or your worst may even become someone’s bd trip.
But it is still not quite grimdark. To me grimdark there’s no escape that darkness. You are born in it and its not a matter of making it. Just how long you survive.
You have a chance of leaving NC. and that makes it gilded, not grimdark.
Definetely a Gilded World. And for ALL of it, not just Night City.
Night City is a city of attraction : the City of Dreams. It draws people who have either nothing to lose or massive gains to do, but most people don’t realise the evil and dark heart lying under it’s surface if you’ve never been there.
People are mostly unemployed, jobs if you can get one are shitty, you can resort to a Solo life but it’s really a hard life, they aren’t called “Edgerunners” for nothing because they run on the fine thread between life and death, law and crime, good and evil ALL the time. Finally, if all of this doesn’t work, you can still join organized crime, but it’s obviously a very dark place to be, you’ll be nothing but a goon for the most of your career… if you have no ambition.
Crime is rampant also because the prisons are full, drugs are commonplace, and implants too, many, like, MANY, people in Night City is augmented, so even if you’re a good worker, you’re not safe from being mugged by a dude running at 75MPH with Mantis Blades going absolutely batshit crazy because implants have made the dude going Cyberpsycho. The opening scene of Edgerunners is absolutely accurate in that regard, because if many people have basic implants, there is also MANY people who were war veterans and are implanted with shittons of implants and are unable to treat themselves for Cyberpsychosis.
Outside of that, Night City have great opportunities : If you’re tough, you can make a SHITTON of money there, that’s why it’s a city of ambition. Dexter Deshawn says it well by saying that you either die at 30 in a blaze of glory or old and forgotten in your deathbed. People that are successful at Night City are less common and they shift all the time because of the massive power struggle there. Everyone wants the place of another person, making going up the pyramid is also a dangerous game, even more if you’re working for a megacorporation or a gang.
Though, suffering isn’t the only thing happening in Night City, even if it’s a commonplace for many, many people, the big difference with a Grimdark world is that in Night City you’re eventually prompted to do something to fare better in this dark society, may it be by desperation, opportunity, frustration or a will to see things change, and you can do something about it. Didn’t said you were going to be successful, but you can try.
The difference with a Grimdark world is that, in a Grimdark world, without the proper tools, means, or powers, you’re basically hopeless, even if you try to do something as it is a LOT more likely to end very badly than to get something in return, even if you’re doing things with the best intentions in the world or with the best plans and best means to get to your goal. Warhammer 40K is obviously a very good example of that (i mean, they basically invented the modern concept of Grimdark and the word) as if you’re a basic citizen of the Imperium, you can expect your life to be short for first, but also incredibly painful.
I also wanna point out that, Night City in its own right is, as i see it, a ratherly good city in this world with opportunities that can really stand out compared to most other cities.
If you’re born in Washington D.C for example, even if it’s the capital of the NUSA, it’s also the capital of Militech. Tourists tours are accompanied by soldiers, like in North Korea for example.
Chicago lost 90% of its population during the war, just to be rebuilt by Cytech, another megacorp.
New York crime was SO HIGH, that MILITECH HAD TO CALL ARASAKA FOR HELP. Which is absolutely f-ing crazy considering they are the two worst and most powerful megacorps, and that they hate each other.
Night City may be riddled by crime, unemployment, corruption, organized crimes, megacorps… It’s still a free city, a free state. Succeeding in Night City means having control for yourself (mostly), and not have to relinquish your life at some point to a Megacorp because you get something they want or you get in their way, which is bound to happen in Megacorp-Controlled-Countries, and that’s the whole point of Johnny in the game towards Megacorporations : your life isn’t yours if you give yourself to this, you lose your identity, which is a LOT worse than death, and they will find a way to get you to do their bidding, one way or another.
To finish, i’d say that the Night City/Cyberpunk2077 is tricky, it’s a very dark Gilded world, but it’s not out of hope or options, though, give 150 years more to this world and let it go the same direction, you’ll be in a very much Grimdark world, where Arasaka for example could actually control yourself even after your death with engrams, and instill finally the eternal reign of Saburo. Now THAT, That would be Grimdark as hell.
I think it’s Gilded world.
Probably gilded world.
gilded but borderline grimdark tbh
Gilded for sure.
Definitely gilded.
I’ve seen very few truly (by this metric) Grim Dark settings. “I have no mouth and I must scream” comes to mind.
CP2077 probably ranks in Gilded.