Night City is an often claustrophobic place. It seems like every nook and cranny of the futuristic city is filled with advance technology and swarms of people. However, step outside the boundaries of the city and things change really quickly. You’ll certainly still find people to interact with, but these ones are more accustomed to the rust and ruggedness of life outside Cyberpunk’s main hub. Out here, it’s survival of the fittest and you better make sure you can survive. Welcome to the Badlands.
CD Projekt Red if offering us a peak into what life in the Badlands looks like through four new concept images. If you pick the Nomad life path, you will begin your journey in this harsh environment. All around you, the earth is dry and cracked. You’ll find the usual fare you can expect to see in a place as bleak as this- oil fields, tons of junk and people we can assume are probably not the friendliest. Don’t take everything at face value though, as the Badlands promises opportunities for those who learn its secrets.
The breakdown:
In the first image, we see a bunch of tents surrounded by satellite dishes. People, and a dog, roam around as a bonfire blazes close by.
Meanwhile, the second image emphasizes the open space and muddy reality of life in the Badlands. What looks like some kind of oil field stands in stark contrast to the shiny exterior of Night City in the distance.
In image three, we get a chance to peer down at the world of “Cyberpunk 2077” from the clouds. Night City stands tall against an otherwise fairly rugged landscape. Solar farms dot the landscape around the city.
Finally, image four gives us a close-up of two people outside of some sort of cobbled together building. The guy in front has neon glowing tattoos across his body and carries a gun over his shoulder. These guys are likely part of the Wraiths gang who call the Badlands home.
So while we may still have a long ways to go until we can experience the Badlands for ourselves, at least we can speculate over images like these until then. It’s nice to imagine what choices I will make in this Mad Max-esque landscape.