Cyberpunk 2077 Lore Art Book: Review of the Price and Features (Not Sponsored)

The World of Cyberpunk 2077 has been discussed for at least several months now, originally due right after the game’s release in April. Just as Cyberpunk 2077 itself got delayed to the fall of this year, The World of Cyberpunk 2077 has been delayed as well… but only until late July! Indeed, the community got their chance to dive inside the breathtaking setting of Cyberpunk 2077 while we are still eagerly waiting for the game’s release.

The book is finally available for purchase, both as a Deluxe edition, in hardcover, and as a Kindle eBook. (Although the hardcover is currently out of stock on Amazon.)

But… isn’t The World of Cyberpunk 2077 just an art lore book? Is there a point in scraping together anywhere between $20 and $40 or even $100 with the Deluxe Edition for a mostly collectible item?

We totally get you on this one. We pre-ordered the book so that we can answer some of these questions (and because we are a shameless bunch of fans hungry for any game-related information). While that’s the case, please do understand that due to the copyright law we can’t just reproduce contents of the book in this article.

Now, there is quite a lot to discuss, so let’s get started!

Part of Amazon’s preview for the book

The World of Cyberpunk 2077: Kindle and Hardcover Editions

Or, in other words, the contents of the book without any extra fluff of the Deluxe Edition. One could argue that spending $39.99 on a hardcover art book is still fluff, even with a pre-order discount. But herein lies the central question:

Is It Just an Art Book?

CD Projekt Red and Dark Horse (the publisher) made sure to make The World of Cyberpunk 2077 into more than just an attractive coffee table piece. At least for those fans who care about the setting and its people.

Let’s look at the book’s description from the internal copyright page (it’s a bit different from the product description on Amazon): “… This intricately assembled tome contains everything you need to know about the history, characters, and world of the long-awaited RPG from the creators of The Witcher video game series [emphasis added].”

This could be the point made for all of us who were scouring the internet all of these months for YouTube videos and podcasts created as compilations of lore material, all to prepare for the release of Cyberpunk 2077. With how packed the Night City will be with little stories and references to its own culture, this research seemed like a must to those of us who plan on enjoying every single part of the game.

But Did CD Projekt Red Deliver on This Promise?

Strap in, dear fans, because CD Projekt Red certainly did (so far, all of the reviewers on Amazon agree with us). If you can imagine a Cyberpunk 2077 Lore Wikipedia page written from a perspective of an insider, merely add captivating panels of concept art and you will have the contents of this book. And it’s highly likely that you will encounter a lot of the material within in the final game.

Part of Amazon’s preview for the book

Too Much Lore Information?

Let’s clarify some points:

1. The book is certainly not exactly like a Wikipedia page, since the writer did their best not to waste your time on trivial details. Majority of subtopics (for example, individual periods of history of the New United States) usually don’t go beyond a single page, and that’s with a beautiful art piece or two competing for the space. Is there as much text as there is art? Most definitely, or at least very close to. Some images tell their own stories or demonstrate aspects of Night City culture.

A single full-page post might be advertising Budget Arms to those citizens who value the 2nd Amendment but don’t have the means to acquire luxury products for their safety. This poster contributes to the discussion of free gun ownership in the Night City and the kind of street dangers that began to warrant it.

The downside is, there are some images included in the book that we have already seen, like this one:

Our own screenshot from “The History of Cyberware” section

The upside is, they come with new descriptions! Did you know that this image depicts a media influencer streaming the installation process of her “maxilla-mandibular implant”? The World of Cyberpunk 2077 certainly confirms that social life on the Net and the importance of fashion and media entertainment remained as important as ever in the year of 2077.

A lot of the story in the book is told visually or comes with some captivating references, so you definitely can spend a couple of hours staring at its colorful pages. We certainly did.

Information Relevant to the Game?

2. The included information is mostly lore exposition and, however concise, not all of it is pertinent to the gameplay of Cyberpunk 2077.

Will you get some history of the modern world and the Night City? Absolutely, every major war, environmental hazard, and benefits along with downfalls of technology will get their spotlight.

Will you get an interview from one of the iconic members of society? Oh yes — there is an entire section at the end of the book dedicated to an in-character interview with Rogue, a figure as iconic as Morgan Blackhand and Johnny Silverhand are.

Will you get a closer look at some of the weapons, vehicles, and pieces of cyberware? What about major corporations, iconic gangs, groups like the Nomads? Yes! They will come with interesting discussions of their origin, their place in contemporary society, and interesting trivia. Even characters like Judy Alvarez will make a brief appearance. In her case, it’s to give the Night City Inquirer (the book is written from their perspective) an expert’s opinion about Braindance technology.

Our own screenshot from the “Braindance” chapter

And yet, will any of this give out bits of the main story, major events related to the main characters, or even any of the UI or RPG features? Not really. An inquisitive eye of a dedicated fan can certainly yield some interesting observations, but at the end of the day this information is not crucial to understand the events and especially the features of the game upon release (that’s our prediction, though).

There is an argument to be made about the correlation between one’s interest and knowledge of the Cyberpunk 2077 lore and the enjoyment of the setting in the game, but with how much work CD Projekt Red is putting into the details prior knowledge of the setting will most likely not be required. At the end of the day, The World of Cyberpunk 2077 is still mostly a fan purchase.

An Enhancement to the Future Experience?

3. However, on that note and to conclude this section, how can The World of Cyberpunk 2077 enhance one’s gameplay experience? Well, consider this: Cyberpunk 2077 is an RPG game. It’s an RPG game that gives a tremendous attention to the story it tells, to the immersive locations is presents, and to the peculiar and exciting society it depicts. From subtle visual details, to dialogue, to individual personal stories and quests, Cyberpunk 2077 seeks to draw you into the Night City and its events.

At its heart, this RPG game is about role-playing, imagining yourself in another person’s role, and The World of Cyberpunk 2077 is a beautiful role-playing book. Not in a sense of being a tabletop RPG ruleset, but in a sense of walking you through an alternative future of human society from a journalistic perspective of the Night City Inquirer.

With the quirky advertisements, colorful concept art, and character interview features along with the main editor commentary the world of Cyberpunk begins to feel eerily real.

Our own screenshot from the “Vehicles” chapter

If you will find that the book is capturing your attention, making you forget about your own reality, you will probably fall in love with the world of Cyberpunk 2077 as well. We have seen a lot to know that CDPR is putting even more work into the world and story of the game itself, of course, so that’s to be expected.

Now, the difference between experiencing the book before playing the game is acquiring a solid grasp of the history and culture of Cyberpunk 2077, or a new look at the in-game assets that you will encounter, like the unusual history behind the RealSkin cover on your cyberware. However, it would be even more fun to start to see something interesting or recall something weird about every item, however mundane.

After learning how scarce pure water is or how educated some of the Nomads are, a quick flash of an advertisement or a dialogue line in the game itself could begin to carry an entirely different meaning. If you think there is a chance for you to develop this kind of a relationship with the Cyberpunk‘s setting, we definitely recommend you to buy the book.

Our own screenshot of Valentinos from “Gangs: The Bad and The Ugly” section

Kindle’s $19.99 price and unique functionality (such as double-click zoom on a paragraph or an image panel) could be a more appealing option, but we suggest that you wait and see whether the hardcover format makes it comeback at the discounted price. The difference between the two is about $7, but the hardcover piece might become a very memorable purchase. (Also, for us the limited display/view features made the Kindle version much easier to read on a tablet than desktop.)

The World of Cyberpunk 2077: The Deluxe Edition

Now it’s time to talk about the fluff! The shiny, shiny fluff!

Or is it?

Take the following discussion with a grain of skepticism, since we did not invest into the Deluxe Edition ourselves. The information, however, will probably speak for itself.

The Deluxe Edition offers an “exclusive Night City map cover” for The World of Cyberpunk 2077 book, and the surface of that cover is pleasantly textured. According to the reviewer Nick on Amazon, “the edges of the pages are painted black to match the color scheme” and the slip-on case for the book completes the aesthetic.

However, that’s where the value of the package ends for some of those who invested $78.51 (21% discount off of $99.99) into the Deluxe Edition, placing the product at 4/5 start on Amazon as of today.

So, what else do you get for the price difference?

Temporary tattoos with faction logos (are you likely to put them on? How long will they last?), a Johnny Silverhand poster printed on the common poster paper (you can see it in red on the image), and postcards that were likewise not laminated or sleeved.

In other words, unlike the game’s Collector’s Edition, you aren’t getting any keychains, pins, figurines, embroidered patches, or peculiar items such as the “A Visitor’s Guide to Night City,” which might be a travel booklet. We do have to keep in mind the $250 price of the Collector’s Edition (we discussed it a few weeks ago) when comparing the contents, but the Deluxe Edition’s $100 price does not feel quite right without any durable collectibles included (aside from the book itself).

What is your opinion on the book and its editions?

Did you pre-order or recently purchase The World of Cyberpunk 2077? What did you get out of it? Would you recommend it to others?
If you decided to hold back, why is the item not worth it for you? Do you think it’s a luxury accessory to a hyped RPG game?

Let us know in the comments!