Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2 Review: An Explosive Sequel That Almost Finds Its Purpose

Roman, D, and Talia bring fresh emotional stakes to Night City in an ambitious follow-up with stunning action and an uneven corporate conspiracy.

When the first season of Cyberpunk: Edgerunners came out, it really blew me away. Not only did it make me want to play Cyberpunk 2077 (which, with of its glitches at the time, made it slightly unplayable), but it also had a fantastic story. Watching David Martinez’s journey and his love for Lucy transform him into a hero made me emotional in all the right ways.

However, that story was a closed one, leaving me wanting more from CD Projekt Red’s hottest series. Fortunately, with Cyberpunk: Edgerunners Season 2, the studio is finally releasing its next installment, albeit with new faces.

The focus is placed on Roman (Valeria Rodriguez), a cinephile who wants to document the world in 2D, and his ventuures with D (Nazeeh Tarsha), a vengeful nomad. Meanwhile, there’s Talia (Kimoy Lee), a rebellious cyber-enhanced girl who wants to run away from her parents, Weak (Clancy Brown) and Avida. When a digital chip finds its way to D’s hands, both worlds start intertwining in unexpected and terrifying ways.

Given this basis, it may be hard for some Cyberpunk fans to see how Season 2 can improve from Season 1’s footsteps. Although this new narrative does reverse its “zero-to-hero” formula, it slightly struggles to get to where it wants to go. However, that doesn’t mean this season doesn’t have things to admire in its new run.

New Cyberpunk: Edgerunners Characters Means New Problems (and Solutions)

With a new cast in Cyberpunk: Edgerunners Season 2, it’s reasonable to doubt how they could get adequately development. Fortunately, within just the first two episodes, the show makes it easy to recognize who will be more important. Particularly, through Roman and D’s partnership as well as Talia and Weak’s family ties, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners Season 2 is able to find its footing.

Roman’s impressionable, yet aspirational, personality is a needed counter for D’s more tough, edgier attitude, especially given his trauma. D’s motivations for getting revenge are made clear: he wants to kill the corporate schemers who destroyed his old village. It’s a basic setup to get his story going, but the “odd friendship” dynamic Roman and D share has its brief, albeit charming, moments.

The two don’t necessarily form a brotherly bond, but the agency that they both have does create that path. Roman is essentially the angel on D’s shoulder, but to a certain limit. Given D’s backstory, one can recognize how his character is meant to change as his anger consumes him further. This is also emphasized through Yupi, who’s pretty much D’s “adoring fan” that pushes him a lot.

Does Cyberpunk: Edgerunners Season 2 Have a Place For Romance?

However, the peculiarity of Cyberpunk: Edgerunners Season 2 shows through the unlikely bond between Roman and Talia. Although it’s a minor dynamic that lingers until the final three episodes, watching these two call in from time-to-time just makes you hope they’ll spark something. The big moment in Episode 1 hints at that, but its played more for drive.

Yet, they rarely cross paths as the series goes on, but when they do, you hope that something will truly come out of this. That said, their interactions do come off more as playful and narratively pushed until the penultimate episode. That’s likely because Talia’s storyline is more focused on the relationship between her and Weak, who takes up a father-ly position in her life.

Cyberpunk: Edgerunners Season 2’s Familial Core Between Talia and Weak Works

Incorporating a familial aspect into Cyberpunk: Edgerunners Season 2 through Weak and Talia does have its perks. That bloody opener with Weak going full cyberpsychosis easily creates a reason why Weak wants to be further involved. Although it’s through Avida where Weak is given purpose for Talia, his previous experiences confidently create the tension between the two.

Without spoiling, Weak simply doesn’t want Talia to succumb to all of the tech she’s installed into herself. It’s given Talia a countdown to her inevitable death, which is treated as another back-and-forth between both of them. With how much time is spent between Talia’s time in her hospital room to Weak and Avida trying to compromise, this aspect can feel slightly melodramatic. However, certain moments in the midseason add a softer respite to counter that feeling.

Cyberpunk: Edgerunners Season 2’s Narrative Takes a Strategic Route

Cyberpunk: Edgerunner Season 2’s driving force is heavily inspired by Johnny Silverhand: a wildstyle AI named Capri. She’s basically a superweapon who can control metal and electricity, but there’s a specificity to her madness. Capri is a rambunctious one who can only be controlled by special subjects, who turn out to be D and Talia.

It is essentially a cat-and-mouse chase as everyone gradually gets caught in this citywide hunt for Capri. On Roman and D’s end, they want to understand what Capri is capable of, which of course doesn’t go as expected. It causes the expected chaos, but this unlikely, slightly parasitic, bond Capri develops with her subjects is a strategic unravelling.

Through Capri’s bonds with D and Talia, Season 2 carefully breaks down what it’s like to find purpose. The way that D becomes more unhinged and reliant on Capri provides a compelling counterweight to Talia’s own reliance for tech. D essentially becomes blinded through technology while Talia wants to be who she is now.

The gradual reversals of each storyline carefully reveal their benefits, but the corporate conspiracy of Cyberpunk: Edgerunner Season 2 feels contrived. It sets up a deeper corporate plot through Kyoko, an old Arasaka engineer, and Avida’s manager-husband, early on. Yet, they’re both more one-noted, with Kyoko being more a comical farce by pulling off a two-faced act.

That said, both D and Talia were chosen for a specific reason that connects them to a Season 1 character. Although that may suggest that Cyberpunk: Edgerunners Season 2 can’t escape Season 1’s shadow, it’s happily played as a lighter cameo.

Classic Cyberpunk Action Blends Well With a Sharper Visual Style

Of course, it wouldn’t be Cyberpunk: Edgerunners without the action, which Studio TRIGGER easily capitalizes on. Although the show still has that iconic look, there are certain backstory scenes that incorporate a unique style. Those scenes, particularly with D’s backstory, utilize a heavy-contrast simplistic style to make D’s “ghosts” stand out more.

Plus, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners Season 2 also makes the unique choice in sharpening the looks of a character when Capri possesses them. It really emphasizes who’s in charge of the physical body while also highlighting their internal struggle. This shows when Capri occassionally takes over D, but the animators truly showcase this in the finale.

Final Verdict

Cyberpunk: Edgerunners Season 2 is a worthy second installment, with Roman, D, and Talia’s interconnected story proving they can expand Cyberpunk 2077’s legacy without heavily leaning on Season 1’s shoulders. It certainly tries to be more ambitious with its new approach and, to some degrees, that creative decision does lead to good things.

Cyberpunk: Edgerunners Season 2 begins streaming on Tuesday, October 20, on Netflix.

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