Cyberpunk 2077 as a game was just an excuse for CDPR to drop their mix tape. Game is full of bangers.

"Is this video game music!?" I find it kinda funny that some peoples perception of video games is still stuck in the 90s. It's really a whole art form these days.

the Phantom Liberty ending video (this) is 110% worth of being a James Bond intro!

Bit of background: Phantom Liberty itself is addtional content for the game Cyberpunk 2077, and this video is a slightly altered version of what plays over the credits after you've completed this part of the game. I can unashamedly admit that the first time I finished Phantom Liberty, the ending I got had me bawling my eyes out for 5 minutes, the music just added to the mood.

"Good night, Valerie. Today was a good day."

They went so hard into the whole spy thriller campaign for Phantom Liberty they just said "Screw it. Let's make a Bond movie theme tune." And what a great decision it was.

Dawid Podsiadło, who sings in this song, is one of the best vocalists in Poland today. In addition to performing this song, he sang on the Cyberpunk Edgerunners soundtrack and played one of the characters in the Phantom Liberty expansion. In this music video, the female version of V, the game's protagonist, collides with him.

Listening to this song after finishing the story hits HARD

U have to play the game and finish the story to fully understand this music.

The lyrics are about the story of the phantom liberty storyline in the game, “feels like a game, you have to play, you can’t escape” In the game the president is an evil manipulative person who uses her loyal agents as she see fits and abuses them, and they can’t escape her and they have to abide by her, and the main character gets mixed up with all of this and is in downward spiral and only way out is through. You can’t escape, you have to play. No one is free, they’re all wired and chained, mere puppets, liberty is just a phantom.

Cyberpunk 2077 is more like a film that you can play rather than a game for me. It has too much cinematic action build in. It's absolutely incredible.

So, to give you a bit of context, Phantom Liberty is an expansion for the Cyberpunk 2077 game, a side story. In 2077, America is divided into the NUSA, New United States of America, and the free states. The game takes place in Night City, a megacity in the free state of North California. Now, in Phantom Liberty, you are thrown into a spy-thriller story revolving around Rosalind Myers, the president of the NUSA, Song So Mi or Songbird, a netrunner (hacker) so good that she works for the president, she's the "robot girl" from the video, and also, FIA (Federal Intelligence Agency) Agent Solomon Reed, played by Idris Elba, a man who is both loyal to Rosalind Myers and who was also betrayed by Songbird at one point and left for dead. It's a very complicated story involving politics and a lot of psychological games, where you have choices which affect the ending. "Wires and Chains" from the chorus pretty much sums up Songbird's situation, where the "wires" she uses to connect herself to the net and work for the president are also her chains, as she is an extremely valuable asset and therefore pretty much a prisoner in her workplace.

Videogames have been hitting the spot for soundtracks for more than two decades now. We've got tons of incredibly memorable music over the years and even some mediocre/not so great games usually have at least decent music. It's absolutely worth checking out.

This song hits you as a credits song for the expansion that like everything in cyberpunk ends on a more of a bitter note and it hits hard.

This game and The Witcher 3 have amazing tracks in them CDPR really hits the mark with their game music. P.T. Adamczyk and the composers/performers across both games are amazing.

The best part of Video Game Music is that there truly is no "genre". Every game will have a completely different style to suit the creators own needs and the music for all of them accommodates this perfectly, leaving us with just an absolute plethora of incredible and unforgettable tracks across all genres imaginable

Theres a Cyberpunk in game live performance of a song called Delicate Weapon performed by Lizzy Wizzy(Grimes). It was such an immersive moment.

Love that you gave this a chance. Cyberpunk 2077 is an amazing soundtrack. I would highly suggest your check out "Never Fade Away" the end credits song for the base game.

Videogames get a bad reputation sometimes, like its what kids waste their time on. This game is art. Its like a blockbuster movie that you get to participate in. The design, art direction, soundtrack,storytelling, all put together into one piece of art.

OMG, just seeing the start of the vid, knowing whats coming, then the first notes and his voice. goosebumps already. this game and its stories, plus the tracks, just hits a different way

I love that this song is just so good on it's own to elicit that reaction, you definitely picked up n some themes here (not least of which the tongue in cheek "feels like a game" in the chorus), but the whole song echoes a lot of the themes of the Phantom Liberty expansion - wires and chains binding us, be they real or metaphorical, making us do things we don't want to sometimes. And so much more. And it also sounds like a James Bond song for a reason :)

This hits way harder after you experienced the story.

In non gamer language, Phantom Liberty is a bit like a James Bond style game. Hence the music is VERY 007 movie style

‘Video game music’ is no different to ‘film music’ or just ‘music music’. The lyrics are in context with the storyline of the game and not it being an actual video game.

the music in itself is great, but it really hits you different after you played the game

Check out Lizzy Wizzy's (Grimes') song from Phantom Liberty called "Delicate Weapon". CDPR threw in an entire holographic stage performance for the song, just because they could, and its fantastic.

The *entire score* of Cyberpunk 2077 is full of bangers. It’s ALL good. From the combat music to the in-car radio stations. In my opinion it’s the best game sound track *by miles*.

This game and this extension, from which the music is taken, sound magnificent. The story and characters are incredible and the music, which tells their story, enhances the whole.

Found out Treasures are always lost Pleasures and rage combined I'm watchin' you Be careful with your moves Tonight I think the time is right I think the blood has dried It cries for more So what are we waiting for? Wires and chains (I'm just tired of looking the other way) Starting to fade (I'm just tired of looking the other way) It feels like a game (I'm just tired of looking the other way) You have to play (I'm just tired of looking the other way) Lights out Is this who you really are? Can't look into your eyes Your twisted mind It's dark, so dark We end it now It ends right here, right now Please tell me you brought the iron Let's light up the sky And fade into the night Wires and chains (I'm just tired of looking the other way) Starting to fade (I'm just tired of looking the other way) It feels like a game (I'm just tired of looking the other way) You have to play (I'm just tired of looking the other way) The days when it was good are gone I'm tryna see what it was for, but I'll never know And though it's dead, I hear the call Wires and chains (I'm just tired of looking the other way) Starting to fade (I'm just tired of looking the other way) Feels like a game (I'm just tired of looking the other way) You can't escape (I'm just tired of looking the other way) Wires and chains (I'm just tired of looking the other way) Starting to fade (I'm just tired of looking the other way) Feels like a game (I'm just tired of looking the other way) You can't escape (I'm just tired of looking the other way) I found out Treasures are always lost Pleasures are long forgotten Who are you now?

Wait until she hears the songs from Acrane, and Netflix animated show based on a video game.

There is so much awesome gaming music! I actually went to a concert last friday with a symphony orchestra playing gaming music. And there is one piece from that concert that gives me goosebumps every time I hear it and that is The Dragonborn comes! The story is that in the game Skyrim you can visit inns and there is usually a bard who sings this song. And a mexican singer songwriter made her own version of that song. And then it was changed by the makers of the concert I went to to fit with the head score of the game. Would love to see you react to that. The Dragonborn comes live with the swedish radio symphony orchestra and Sabina Zweiacker

Idris Elba voice acted and performed as a character in Cyberpunk Phantom Liberty. He also wrote and performed music for the game. Check out "Chokehold" by him.

If you want to dive into Video Game music, be prepared to see all notion of music genre to be shatered and mixed together. Its mostly unique to each game and universe the music comes from. But its also mostly without lyrics. If you want some suggestions, just ask, I think many gamers out there are ready to give you a pretty solid list of cool things to listen to. ^^

Video game tracks have a very interesting composition depending on what it's being used for. Because they can sometimes be used in contexts that don't match the length of the song, some have to be able to loop seamlessly to last longer while others must be able to come to an early end at multiple points throughout the song if necessary in order to transition smoothly. A good example of this is "Bury The Light" from the Devil May Cry franchise. Long song, almost 10 minutes, but contains masterful techniques in mixing and awareness of the different situations it may need to be applied in. Would recommend if you're interested in actually learning what sets video game music apart from many other forms of media.

Dawid is by far the biggest music star in Poland. 80k people concerts sell out in 30mins.

that has legit the tone, style and quality of a James Bond title soundtrack. Well done

Oh video game music is probably overlooked, underrated by fans of music, maybe their not into video games perhaps or a little dismissive. But the music is often extremely well crafted, very much like with movies to highlight certain points. to drive a narrative, have the player feeling a certain way. It can really drive the momentum, and is the life blood of video games. Worth listening to, even if your not into videogames. There are many ways to tell a story through both image and sound, and video games do this very well. Could be well worth a listen, and may surprise as to the depth and scope that game designers, will go to convey mood, plot and ultimately tell a story.

The singer's Dawid Podsiadło. One of the most famous singers here in Poland. There's an anime made in the world of Cyberpunk called Cyberpunk: Edgeruners, and he made a song for that called Let you down, which is a certified banger you'd love if you like this song. The music he makes that's not related to games/anime is also cool, and would get a lot more recognition if he was in America. We all usually only have access to music relevant to our own countries, but there's so many hidden gems all around the world. Talent doesn't have a nationality and thanks to the internet, if you want to listen to a great artist from Japan, Philippines, Argentina, Maroko, all of that's just one click away on KZfaq.

I've seen so many people compare phantom liberty to x or y bond theme, and while they aren't wrong, bond WISHES it had a theme as good as this one

i advise you, to please try this game. the writing, the characters, the artwork, the city building, how they approach multiple scenarios in regards to the human element alongside augmentation and tech of the future, internal politics, etc. It's a game worth experiencing alongside the music. so damn good.

Maybe she would like to react to Let You Down, also by Dawid Podsiadlo, also in the Cyberpunk 2077 universe.

Wow, when I see people who do not know video game music, I'm always jealous, because I'd love to discover all I know for the first time again... Few recommendations, very varied styles: - Color your night from Persona 3 Reload -Bury the Light from Devil May Cry 5 -A Beautiful Song from NieR Automata -The Only Thing They Fear Is You from Doom Eternal -Ever Come to an End from Xenoblade Chronicles 2 -One Winged Angel from Final Fantasy 7 Remake - To Zanarkand from Final Fantasy 10 There are sooooo many more to list, but these ones have very different styles, and all these games have insane OSTs which I wholeheartedly recommend listening to if you're interested!

yes this is music from a video game, but not really video game music. the song and animation are the end credits of the spy-themed expansion. you don't play while this song plays, "just" watch and reflect on the decisions you just made. the mission and gang themes are really great. they build up from calm to tense to action to fit the gameplay. Valentino's theme is a bit long, but a great example. Contra La Luna, too and a bit shorter. oh and the game cuts and jumps in the song to match what you're doing, so this gets really immersive.

This song is sung by a well-known Polish singer. He usually only sings in Polish, so I was very surprised to hear him in English. The song itself reminds me of James Bond music.

Videogames still dont get the recognition for their music there is so much for you to discover

Thank you for making me discover this song

Not a robot (and AI is software, not something physical). It's a cyborg, part person part machine (a person enhanced with technology). This is basically what happens when a video game company decides to create an add-on story and make it the best Bond movie possible.

would love to see more video game soundtrack reactions! There are a bunch of absolute classics that are being slept on

Damn reacting this as your first video game music sets the bar high up there

The "game" referred to in the lyrics is the spy trade. This is the end credits for what's basically a dark, gritty spy thriller where you are the hero but no matter how you go about it and what your values are, someone you like will end-up getting badly hurt or worse. And when you finally get to that point, this song is your reward. When and how it hits you makes it very emotional. It's one of those games you wish you could forget so you could play it again for the first time.

"Video game music" these days ranges from full on pop albums to entire orchestral arrangements. For the latter, check out the OSTs by Fromsoft, especially the OST for Bloodborne.

Games have ascended far beyond being simple playthings, billions are poured every year into these things. Cyberpunk 2077 was announced all the way back in 2013, 7 years in the making, Elden Ring hired George R. R. Martin to conceptualize it's lore, the original Medal of Honor was written by Steven Spielberg. Famous bands and whole orchestras are hired to write and record game OSTs, Hans Zimmer is known for making a few scores for some games. Many games, like Cyperpunk 2077 are designed for mature audiences, people who still think games are just for kids are living in the past.

This expansion literally just emotionally tears the player apart. You have to choose to survive and betray someone in the process. You are either the victim or will make someone else a victim. No good choices, no "good" endings, you will second guess yourself if you did the right thing no matter what choices you make. What a game 🤲🏼

afterlife is my favorite growl fm and phantom liberty as a whole got some really good music,i'm happy they added it in game

finished pl like three days ago and this still hits hard

Phantom liberty had some of the best storytelling I’ve seen in a very very long yomr

Hearing this after the phantom liberty add on made me feel so bad for V. If you played the game you’ll know. Made me tear up. She went through so much just tryna find a way to live

I cannot describe how many things I felt when I first encountered the ending credits after my first Phantom Liberty playthrough.

This sounds like a Muse and Radiohead collab...

This sounds like a modern James Bond opening theme song.

The song is not about video games just because it comes from a video game. That would be like a movie sound track being about movies, competely divorced from the plot of the movie.

Phantom Liberty is Idris Elba's James Bond seen through the eyes of an "innocent" bystander. (No one is innocent in Night City)

Cyberpunk has taken video game music to a brand new level. I thought Witcher 3 music was intense but Cyberpunk... All the emotion relayed with the music that blends the whole world. I'll go as far as to say that music for cyberpunk is like a bass line for a music in general. It glues everything together. I mean, there were moments in the game where music made my eyes get to the point of watering a little. And I'm a grown up man, god dammit.

Hmm...I always get surprised myself when other people are surprised that things related to video games are good. Like people not giving a chance to the Netflix show Arcane because it's connected to League of Legends, and then crying their eyes out after episode 9, both because of the ending and for Season 2. This industry probably touched this level of quality and seriousness around 2009, when Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 was released. Hans Zimmer scored the game, Lance Henriksen voiced the antagonist, and the story itself was something that had never been thought to be possible with video games. Now, in 2024, my study playlist is around 50% video game music, from games like Elden Ring, the Dark Souls trilogy, Bloodborne, League of Legends, Penumbra, Ghostrunner, God of War, Far Cry, Assassin's Creed, Skyrim, Ghost of Tsushima, and Call of Duty. My other playlists contain songs from Cyberpunk 2077, Death Stranding, Metal Gear Solid, and Devil May Cry.

The DLC was about secret agents basically, so they did a sweet Bond type opening for the end credits. Amazing. The whole games has like 20 radio stations and loads of bangers.

"This is videogame music!?" Wait untill she discovers Witcher 3 Wild Hunt soundtracks or Skyrim

I remember old days, when game music just became serius, because we got more powerful pc and console components to finaly get something more than just 8 bit, but all non game industry musicians, when they asked people where they work and they answered "in game music industry", they always said, "this is not music"... that was so sad....

'This is gaming music?' *waits patiently for you to discover anime music too*

When it comes to Cyberpunk, there are no happy endings. It had a rocky launch, yeah. But the game is really good and has some seriously awesome music.

CDPR put a lot of work into their music and it pays off not just in a trailer like this but even setting the tone in game. This was the song for expansion for CP 2077 that had some very James Bond sort of vibes and this song nails it. The musician for this is apparently a huge star in Poland and I can see why. Cyberpunk's tone and CDPR's handling of the story as a whole is very cinematic, not every game has this level of music but in general game music has come a long was from the midi days. Highly recommend listening to anything from the show Arcane, the music is fantastic top to bottom. Not a game but teh series is built off of game roots. Guns for Hire and Goodbye in particular are just great songs.

Video games have a lot of great music, Legend Of Zelda, Final fantasy, Chrono Trigger, Uncharted, Halo, Kingdom Hearts, LA Noire, God Of War, Baldur's gate 3, cuphead, Doom, red dead redemption 2, Grim Fandango, Hotline Miami, Journey, Shadow of the colossus, and so many more, def reccomend listening to more music from different video games.

Dawid is very clearly and unabashadly a Radiohead fan. This whole track SCREAMS radiohead. That and the references to Radiohead made in the basegame, such as Judys mission "Pyramid Song" make it undeniable.

Preem! I see you finally jacked into the darkside, choom.

Stunning visuals. Fitting lyrics. Video Games can have amazing music, both with lyrics or without.

Even if you aren't a gamer, it might be worth it to watch a playthrough of Cyberpunk 2077. It's also a really good story, a lot of emotional moments and great characters.

I have watched a few of your videos so far. I really like the final analysis. You point out some details I hadn't thought about. There is one song at which I would like to hear your opinion and thoughts (mostly thoughts, I guess). That song is 10,000 Days (also known as Wings Pt 2) by Tool. To get the full picture you'll probably have to listen to Wings for Marie (Pt. 1). I'm glad I came across your channel.

I think if You played this Game. You'll 1000% enjoy the level of immersion this song goes in for the Cyberpunk verse itself.. because Phantom liberty is a heavy Political game. ( not as a video game but its a political game, "You have to playyy" meaning you're forced to play.. hence lyrics changes to "You can't escape" )

Never fade away , track belongs with that game 110%

Wearing a shirt that says, Choose Life for this video considering the way Phantom Liberty ends, even unintentionally, is funny.

the whole ost PLUS the radio stations are dope. this song hits much harder ending the story. I heard it before, after finishing the game I have a whole nother appreciation for it.

Every aspect of video games is getting to be just as good or better than other forms of media. Music, storytelling, acting, choreography, cinematography, even poetry and prose in video games. I've known several people who've gotten into video games simply because they felt like they were missing out on a good story or movie-like experience. They didn't even care about the gameplay.

While Cyberpunk had a disastrous launch, they've more or less fixed everything and it always had one of the best stories in gaming. The atmosphere is unmatched. The music was all made specifically for the game/show and it's all brilliant. It's gone from an awful launch to one of the greatest games of all time.

Sound design and music are part of videogames. videogames without sound and music will be like a book without grammar. I suggest to listen to "Raphael's Final Act" OST from Baldur's Gate 3, in my opinion one of the most hitting OST of the last 5 year in a videogame.

Absolutely loved it! Kinda wishing I was a gamer! Never thought about the music quality that would present there🎉🎉🎉tks Rosalie and subscriber request!🎉

Who's gonna tell her about Delicate Weapon or I Really Wanna Stay At Your House? 😬😬😬

finishing phantom liberty it hits different, and the song kind of changes depending on your ending, changes the context

I'd love to see you reacting to/give us your thoughts about other songs and their lyrics in Cyberpunk 2077 OST. Never Fade Away (end credits version, my favorite), Major Crimes, Whos Ready for Tomorrow, GR4VES - City of Dreams, Let You Down (Edgerunners anime/end of episode song), Resist & Disorder, Kill the Messenger... And so much more. There are so much good titles in this OST that it could deserve its own YT react channel.

Ya, it has a very James Bond feeling to it.

I love this song/video so much. This expansion was meant to be a bit of a spy thriller story, and this video and song were playing over the expansion's end credits, and it was very fitting.... it was very James Bondian, and an emotional capper to a pretty emotional end to that story.

3am and ive just found you, 10 clips in and wanted to thank you for sharing, your thoughts, the discussions. Not sure if youve heard many Aussies, hopefully one youll be able to catch v v Barkaa - Fight for me. Thank you for the reactions xx

Making a good music video is a lot easier than making a good game 😭

Watched the whole video (great video, BTW!) wondering if she'd catch the big influence. It's a Bond theme! It's the credits sequence of a Bond movie.

Late to the party, but after this, you MUST do his other song in the game called "Let you down". Phenomenal singer!!

I still buy video game soundtracks on vinyl 😂

Yep music in games is pretty good, you should play cyberpunk as well or any games. There's a reason why games is a bigger media than movies and music combined, because a lot of video games are movies and music combined and much more.

games today are an art form of their own, like movies.

this soundtrack slaps, verified teenager has confirmed

This is not just gaming music... This is a masterpiece written for a masterpiece... 😏😏😏

Video game is great but the anime really took advantage of all the songs especially at the end. Highly recommend cyberpunk edgerunners

I want to explain the lyrics and music video a bit, but first I have to give a little context. The music video is a slightly altered version of the credits that play at the end of the Phantom Liberty expansion for Cyberpunk 2077. It *is* an action game, but a lot of the game actually centers around drama and intrigue. The game takes place in a dystopian near-future California, where people regularly augment their bodies with electronics. Governments are controlled by powerful corporations, and the streets are run by ruthless gangs. The player's character has a rare terminal virus that they must hunt down the cure for. In Phantom Liberty, a lead for the cure leads down a dark path, entangled with the FIA (CIA in the future) and their operations against the warlord of a ruined city district. Tough decisions have to be made by the player about who lives and dies, all in pursuit of this cure. There's surprises, betrayals... it's much like a TV show actually. Very entertaining even if you don't play games, and the ending(s) of the game are such hard calls and heart-wrenchers. It had me crying lol. All the actors (Keanu Reeves & Idris Elba!), voice actors, and writers did a phenomenal job. This music video is the credits that roll afterwards (hence the rather somber mood). The video itself is characters from the game, and themes from the plot. Playing people like pawns, seeing yourself in others, making hard choices and pushing forward, that sort of thing. I won't go through all the lyrics, but as for the chorus, "Wires and chains" refers to the wires people use to connect their bodies with technology, but those can also be perceived as chains binding people to their gangs, organizations, or even their past. The following "starting to fade" hints towards letting these binds go, to find freedom. "It feels like a game" and "you have to play" doesn't refer to videogames at all, it actually refers to spy-work and politics (hence the chessboard of people). Refuse to "play" the "game," and you won't survive. The most impactful and catchy part to me, "I'm just tired of looking the other way" refers to the dark pasts of most of the characters, who do the dirty work of gangs and corporations. It's the desire to leave it behind, to start living for yourself. This is the main struggle for a lot of the characters in Phantom Liberty, and many of them die without ever getting to truely be free. Overall this song and video was so impactful during the credits, they really did an amazing job with it.