Terrible Video Game Mission Design: Sinnerman
Note: This is a post from my archives. Originally posted on cohost
So I've been playing Cyberpunk 2077 (yeah, I know, but I'm a sucker for cyberpunk aesthetics and I'd heard good things from some trusted people, especially about the DLC) and I'm having a good time with it so far! But there is one mission in particular that has design so egregiously bad that I had to post about it. There will be no story spoilers in this post!
The mission in question is "Sinnerman"—in particular the very first part of it. The story behind it is unimportant for the point I'm trying to make, but the setup is that you are to chase a car down for your client. So you would think, given this task, that you would want to go as fast as possible, right? Well that's an issue. Here's the problems with this mission:
- You cannot use your own vehicle for this mission. You have to use the client's van, which handles about as well as an eel on roller skates. On an ice rink. Filled with banana peels.
- At almost every intersection, a car is scripted to come flying out at the exact time you pass. These vehicles will ignore traffic rules and run lights to smash into you. They are specifically designed to make this mission hell.
These two factors make bombing down the streets in pursuit of your target practially impossible. And to top it all off:
- If you, at any point, fall more than 75ish metres behind your target, the mission instantly fails. And if you fail the mission you are permanently locked out of the questline, which is actually pretty long and has some interesting stuff going on. So I hope you saved the game before attempting this mission!
If this sounds frustating, it absolutely is. I tried this mission over ten times before realizing want the mission actually wants you to do (spoilers, it isn't chase down the vehicle ahead of you!)
The car you're chasing actually has rubber banding! You'll never be able to get closer than about 40m, and it will speed up to make sure you can never catch it! But if you aren't slamming on the gas to try and chase it, it will move more slowly. And going slower means you'll have time to dodge all the booby traps that are scripted to mess you up! So the solution to a "chase down the target" mission, is actually to go slowly. This is the complete opposite of what the game tells you the mission is about—in fact, chasing down the car is impossible until you get to the point where the game wants you to catch the car! You are essentially being lied to by the game, and that's why this part of this mission is an exercise in frustration.