No Law might be the open-world Deus Ex that Cyberpunk 2077 wasn’t
Post-launch updates and the Phantom Liberty expansion have transformed Cyberpunk 2077 into a game worthy of critical acclaim, with reviewers ranking it among their personal favorites—possibly above The Witcher 3. However, despite these improvements, the game still doesn’t match the vision of a truly immersive open-world experience comparable to Deus Ex.
CD Projekt Red’s original trailers and gameplay demonstrations had suggested a stronger commitment to immersive sim design philosophy. While the final version includes several hallmark immersive sim elements—a range of diverse abilities, flexible stealth and combat options, creative hacking mechanics, and mission design allowing multiple approaches to infiltrating or attacking compounds—these features feel somewhat underutilized compared to what a full immersive sim vision could deliver.
The article suggests that No Law might represent the open-world immersive sim experience that Cyberpunk 2077, even in its improved form, wasn’t quite able to achieve. This comparison highlights an ongoing industry conversation about balancing open-world design with deep immersive simulation mechanics.