When Cyberpunk 2077 launched, players were blown away by its slick shooting mechanics and futuristic hacking abilities. But for those who wanted to get up close and personal with a katana or a gorilla-fisted punch, the experience often felt like trying to perform delicate surgery with a sledgehammer—powerful but clunky. As we look toward 2026 and the highly anticipated sequel, Project Orion, it's clear that the melee combat system is the one corner of Night City's sandbox that desperately needs polishing from a novelty to a core, viable playstyle. The visceral thrill of a well-placed headshot is hard to beat, but the dream of becoming a chrome-plated street samurai shouldn't feel like an afterthought.
Let's be real: the current state of swinging blades and blunt objects in first-person is a bit like navigating a crowded dance floor while wearing blinders. 🕶️ The fundamental issue isn't that it's bad—with the right build, it can be a blast—but that it rarely feels as robust, strategic, or satisfying as lining up a perfect shot. Too often, it devolves into frantic button-mashing and hoping your stun-lock holds. Parry and block mechanics exist but gather dust because most enemy encounters are designed as gunfights first. This leaves pure melee builds feeling more like a self-imposed challenge run than a fully fleshed-out way to experience the game.
Why First-Person Makes Melee a Struggle
The core of the problem lies in perspective. Designing precise, weighty melee combat in a first-person game is an immense challenge. Your field of view is limited to what your character's eyes would see, making spatial awareness for swings, dodges, and parries incredibly difficult. Hitboxes become a murky guessing game because your own character's physical presence is poorly defined—it's like trying to fence while only looking through a keyhole. 🤺 This is why legendary melee-focused games like God of War or Dark Souls thrive in third-person; the camera provides the spatial freedom and physical rules necessary for deep, reactive combat.
The Third-Person Solution: A Natural Evolution for Project Orion?
Rumors are swirling that Project Orion might finally embrace a dedicated third-person gameplay mode. While first-person is undoubtedly core to Cyberpunk's identity (and likely won't be removed), adding a toggleable third-person view could be a game-changer. CD Projekt Red has already dipped its toes in these waters:
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Third-person motorcycle sequences 🏍️
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Third-person ending cutscenes
Adding a full combat mode would be the logical next step, giving players the choice and potentially revolutionizing melee engagements. Imagine fluidly switching stances or dual-wielding a monowire in one hand and a thermal katana in the other, all while having a clear view of your surroundings and enemy tells.
Blueprints for the Future: Games Project Orion Should Study
If CDPR wants to inject some real punch into Night City's brawls, they don't need to reinvent the wheel. They just need to look at the masters of the craft. Here are the top contenders for inspiration, especially if the goal is to enhance rather than overhaul:
| Game | Key Strength for Cyberpunk to Learn From |
|---|---|
| Indiana Jones and the Great Circle | Physics-driven, environmental, and improvisational combat that feels weighty and reactive. |
| Avowed | First-person spell-sword synergy and impactful, crunchy melee hits. |
| Dark Messiah of Might and Magic | Legendary for its kick-everything-into-everything else, physics-based chaos and satisfying weapon feedback. |
These titles excel at making every strike feel earned and impactful. Their combat isn't just about health bars; it's about momentum, physics, and player expression. For Cyberpunk, this could translate to:
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A Dynamic Physics System: Where hitting an enemy with a heavy weapon sends them stumbling back into environmental hazards, like a high-tech pinball machine of destruction. 🎳
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Stance Switching & Advanced Techniques: Moving fluidly between defensive parries, wide sweeps for crowds, and precise thrusts for single targets.
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True Weapon Diversity: Making a monowire feel fundamentally different from a chainsword or a gorilla arm, not just a skin with different damage numbers.
The Path Forward for 2026
As we anticipate Project Orion's arrival, the hope is that CDPR seizes this opportunity. Melee combat in Cyberpunk shouldn't be the awkward cousin to shooting; it should be a polished, deep, and utterly satisfying pillar of gameplay. Whether through an optional third-person mode, borrowed brilliance from other games, or entirely new innovations, the potential is there. The sequel has the chance to make carving through Arasaka guards with a glowing blade feel as iconic and technically excellent as any precision sniper shot. The future of close-quarters combat in Night City is bright—it just needs a serious systems upgrade to truly shine.