Cyberpunk 1997 is a PS1-style demake with old school GTA vibes

The last time we checked out Barely Regal's Cyberpunk 2077 demake, now called Cyberpunk 1997, it was already shaping up nicely, evoking the first of CD Projekt Red's gameplay reveals, but 20 years older and made entirely in Dreams. Since then, there's been some significant changes. 

In the latest video, we get another look at the market, but Barely Regal also spends some time exploring the player's apartment, complete with bed, microwave, computer and an armoury. Instead of playing a cyberpunk, Cyberpunk 1997 makes you a future cop—oh no—during a period of martial law. 

The original demo ended before we got a look at the outside world, though a short clip at the end of the video teased what was beyond the megablock. You can forget that, however, as Barely Regal seems to be taking it in a different direction. Instead of being first-person, leaving the market changes the perspective to a top-down view, reminiscent of the first two Grand Theft Autos. 

There's mention of lots of interactivity, missions, combat and the day-to-day work of being a cop and ruining everyone's good time, though the only interaction shown off in the video is the act of driving the cop car. It's still super-impressive, however, especially since Barely Regal is still just using Dreams to create it all. 

Dreams is a game creation platform designed by Media Molecule, and while the official launch isn't until next month, for a while now testers have been revealing their incredible creations. Unfortunately, Dreams is a PS4 exclusive, at least for the first phase. Eventually, Media Molecule hopes to expand Dreams so creators can take stuff out of the platform and fool around with it using external tools, but for now everything has to be done on a PS4. Still, it's a cool thing to look at. Perhaps we'll see similar efforts on PC when Cyberpunk 2077 releases in April.

Fraser Brown
Online Editor

Fraser is the UK online editor and has actually met The Internet in person. With over a decade of experience, he's been around the block a few times, serving as a freelancer, news editor and prolific reviewer. Strategy games have been a 30-year-long obsession, from tiny RTSs to sprawling political sims, and he never turns down the chance to rave about Total War or Crusader Kings. He's also been known to set up shop in the latest MMO and likes to wind down with an endlessly deep, systemic RPG. These days, when he's not editing, he can usually be found writing features that are 1,000 words too long or talking about his dog.