Cyberpunk 2077's Night City is an incredibly immersive environment, full of explorable locations, unique NPCs, and sounds of the city - but an essential feature of realism in RPGs has seemingly been overlooked. It's already been built into the narrative of the game, and it would only enforce its dark, capitalistic themes, and yet it's strangely missing. Although not all players are fans of disease mechanics, it would be a fitting addition to the world of Cyberpunk 2077.
Diseases aren't usually a major part of gameplay, but they are certainly noticeable. In Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim, for example, diseases can be contracted by simply fighting specific enemies, and they impart varying (though minor) effects upon the player. Although it can be annoying to receive debuffs like vampirism as a disease in Skyrim, in reality, Cyberpunk 2077 could easily implement this mechanic in a way that benefits the game - as diseases are already set up in the story, and they would provide depth to existing features.
Diseases Are Already Present In Cyberpunk 2077's Night City
With cyberware implants being a commonality among residents, it is not unreasonable to think that viruses could plague s on a frequent basis. In fact, it is a plot point in Cyberpunk 2077's main quest line, with V's condition deteriorating as they experience the side effects of the Relic. But there are other diseases that play a significant role in Night City, which V should also be able to experience. Namely, cyberpsychosis is an epidemic that has been spreading at alarming rates throughout the city. It's a condition that can often occur within chrome-junkies, or those with many cyberware implants in Cyberpunk 2077, that turns them violent, aggressive, and dangerously unpredictable. There are plenty of cyberpsychos that V encounters throughout the game - and yet, this illness never seems to affect V, despite the many cyberware implants they can install.
But cyberware-related ailments aren't the only ones present in the Cyberpunk 2077 universe. Although Night City takes place in a future where technology (and medical sciences) are advanced, it doesn't seem that the threat of bodily diseases has been entirely eliminated. Pandemics have played a big role in the franchise's lore, and they have forced the population to take strange preventative measures. After all, this is part of the reason why Night City doesn't have birds in Cyberpunk 2077. References to other, more minor diseases - such as "bugs," as V calls them in a conversation with Viktor Vektor - are also scattered throughout the game. Thus, it's especially odd that the player can't seem to contract any diseases throughout its duration.
Diseases Would Improve Lackluster Gameplay Elements In Cyberpunk 2077
Including diseases as a gameplay mechanic would not only make the game more believable, but it could potentially flesh out elements already built into Cyberpunk 2077, too. For example, most players have found that food and beverage items are rather arbitrary. Although they can provide minor buffs, they struggle to be useful compared to the MaxDoc inhalers, which are much more efficient when it comes to restoring health. If diseases were added into the game, Cyberpunk 2077's unimpressive food system could be used as a way to cure bugs in V (whereas some items could give them a disease instead, if they weren't careful).
Ripperdocs could then also become useful for more than just cyberware implants. If a character was experiencing cyberpsychosis, for example, ripperdocs would be able to provide them with medication to suppress symptoms. But they would most likely be responsible for treating more minor ailments, too. This could potentially make their horrifying occupational title a bit more approachable.
With the above in mind, it's almost surprising that this gameplay mechanic is missing from Cyberpunk 2077. With its detailed history of diseases, as well as some core game features in need of help, the implementation of diseases would benefit the game. Unlike its name suggests, it would actually only improve the health of this futuristic RPG.
