CD Projekt Red’s potential magnum opus Cyberpunk 2077 did not have the most ideal launch three years ago in 2020, but since then, the developer and publisher behind excellent beloved titles like The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt has ensured that it constantly releases much-needed updates and patches to fix the game. From a massive expansion called Phantom Liberty to the amazing Update 2.0, Cyberpunk has fortunately been on an upward spiral for quite some time.
However, it has a prequel that is relatively less known than the extremely popular base game and DLC due to its unconventional nature, but considering how it is currently sold out on the official platform, it may be getting the attention it rightfully deserves.
The Prequel to CD Projekt’s Cyberpunk 2077 Is Called Cyberpunk Red: Combat Zone
Cyberpunk Red: Combat Zone is a prequel game to CD Projekt Red’s Cyberpunk 2077, and it was created by Monster Fight Club. It is listed for $120 on the developer’s official website, but due to an unexpectedly high demand for the title, even with a relatively higher price tag, it is currently sold out, so one would have to wait for a while to place an order.
Once it is actually available and in stock again, customers can also pay the aforementioned amount in four monthly instalments, completely free of interest, by using ShopPay.
Described as having “Buttery-smooth mechanics” by Polygon, Cyberpunk Red: Combat Zone takes its players back to Night City, but more than three decades before the events of CD Projekt’s Cyberpunk 2077. Monster Fight Club’s game takes place in the year 2045, where the player becomes “the leader of a cyber-enhanced gang.”
The atmosphere in the city is still not the most inviting either, with “thick” smoggy environments and “tension” as enemies are hiding at each and every turn.
Cyberpunk Red promises “brutal” battles and clashes as it welcomes players “to the Combat Zone,” which the developer describes as a bunch of “lawless neon-bathed streets” where you can either win against your rivals or just “die.” Monster Fight Club collaborated with R.Talsorian Games to create the prequel to CD Projekt Red’s Cyberpunk 2077, which is a “skirmish miniatures game.”
Even with its tabletop nature, created by experts in the industry, the game provides the opportunity to “act and react in organic, free-flowing actions,” with the added advantage of the absence of rounds and turns.
Even the Tabletop Prequel Comes With Its Own Physical DLC and Expansions
Of course, in the world of modern gaming, one just cannot seem to escape the realm of DLC and expansions, whether they are digital for video games or physical for tabletop titles. The prequel to CD Projekt Red’s Cyberpunk 2077 may be purchasable for $120, but that is only for the “core game,” as a lot of additional content comes with price tags of its own.
The base version of Cyberpunk Red: Combat Zone consists of a Multipart Terrain Set and a Plastic Container Terrain, along with a 22″ x 30″ Double-sided game board.
It also includes 2x Limiter Range Rules, 8x [RE]Action Game Dice, and multiple Game Tokens, along with a 44p Rule book, 6x 32 mm Maelstrom Gang and Tyger Claws minis each, and 150x cards for both of the gangs. The core Cyberpunk Red: Combat Zone comes with 12x Scenario Cards and 50x Core mini cards as well, but if someone wants to fully experience the absolute complete game, they would have to separately buy physical expansions.
These include numerous gangs that can be added to one’s collection of CD Projekt Red’s Cyberpunk prequel.
Some of these gangs have already been released, including the Lawmen, Zoners, Bozos, and Generation Red Starter Gangs. CDPR’s Cyberpunk universe would not have seen its current level of success without the beloved anime adaptation called Edgerunners, and Combat Zone pays homage to the show with its own Starter Gangs as well. A couple of more expansions are scheduled for release, such as the Trauma Team, Tyger Claws, and Maelstrom Starter Gangs.
So, one has to decide if they want to spend as much time as possible in CDPR’s Cyberpunk universe, because most of the DLC comes at price tags of either $20 or $50.
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