There was a time when a white-haired mutant with an insatiable sex drive was CD Projekt RED's favorite. The times have changed and Cyberpunk 2077 is now here with a character named V and he/she/pronoun is what's keeping the developer busy not just with prospects of new content but also in cleaning up her rather messy game world thanks to a botched launch that hurt the developer's pockets.
Even if Cyberpunk 2077 was terrible on the last-gen consoles, one cannot deny just how much of a leap the developers took when they made the switch from an established character to something more original. For years they've been perfecting Geralt of Rivia and now they were more or less compelled to create their own poster character from scratch. So how does an upstart cyborg compare to a grumpy monster slayer? Let's see.
10 Why V: A Blank Slate
The playable character identity has always been a conundrum in RPGs. Should it be an established character with a set gender and backstory of their own or a nobody that serves as a template for the players? CD Projekt RED took the latter approach as did most hardcore RPGs like Elder Scrolls, Baldur's Gate, and more.
Because this is the only way players can fully immerse themselves into their character. It makes them feel that what they're controlling is their story and not some other hero's. While Geralt is as neutral as possible, his allegiances and biases are way too apparent, limiting narrative options for the game.
9 Why Geralt: Deeper Life Conflicts
There is, however, a positive side to having a set playable character in an RPG and that would be the more interesting background the writers have crafted for them. In most aspects, Geralt is just more unique and remarkable an individual than V.
He was orphaned and trained from childhood to become a killer. He has mommy issues and is forever confined to traversing the thin line between man and monster. This sort of life conflict shapes up his personality well, making it easier to empathize with Geralt than V.
8 Why V: Highly Customizable
Then again, V is supposedly the players which is why there are three background stories to choose for him/her. On top of that, they can choose V's appearance, gender, and even the skills and vocations V gets to use to get by in the game world.
In The Witcher games, players are stuck with a hundred-year-old man who is only proficient in swords and a bit of low-level magic. There's not much flexibility and space for character development in that kind of setup.
7 Why Geralt: More Interesting Friends
Now, since Geralt has a more interesting background and profile than any character in Cyberpunk 2077, then it's only fitting that his circle is more complex. That social clique for the witcher is comprised of kings, sorceresses, elven and dwarven rebels, and even the very monsters he slays.
All of them also have personalities and are distinguishable from one another both in motivations and conduct. In Cyberpunk 2077, most of the people V brushes up with can be divided into two camps: those who will betray her, and those who won't. This makes friendship in Night City seem less important or special.
6 Why V: More Versatile
On top of being more fashionable or presentable than Geralt of Rivia, V is also a wildcard when it comes to capabilities. One minute she's a geeky hacker; the next, she's a cybernetic killer with blades tucked away in her arms.
That's all thanks to the beauty or in Cyberpunk 2077 slang, the "beaut" of cybernetics in a cyberpunk world. Everything is possible given enough technology and plot necessity. Geralt's mutations have nothing on these augmentations.
5 Why Geralt: More Professional
Of course, V can have as many mutations as he/she wants but he/she can't buy class which is what Geralt brings to the table when it comes to his profession. He has an encyclopedic knowledge of all monsters and is considered a master in his field.
Geralt also knows how to charge his fees and haggle depending on the task at hand. Moreover, he doesn't get roped into sticky situations just because of cluelessness or being a neophyte. He has better street knowledge in his world than V does in Night City and does a cleaner job most of the time.
4 Why V: More Ambitious
Still, despite all of Geralt's capabilities, his lack of motivation to aim higher is sometimes off-putting, especially in the books. This has caused a bit of conflict between him and Yennefer too. Geralt just does what a witcher does and prefers it that way even though he hates it and even though he could easily become king given his power in the games.
Cyberpunk 2077 fixed that character goal with V, making him/her a nobody who eventually rises to the top and challenges the equivalent of kings and queens in his/her world. Geralt's probably just fed up and content with killing monsters for a few coins and finding his missing daughter from time to time.
3 Why Geralt: Functionally Immortal
This partly explains why Geralt doesn't care much at all for extrinsic stuff. Being able to live practically forever doesn't exactly cause much pressure to do something worthwhile. Whereas V is still only human and has a limited youth and lifespan, so he/she needs to make hay while the sun shines.
Witchers are technically immortal unless killed and only coincidentally do they not last long due to the dangerous nature of their profession. If they wanted, CD Projekt RED could have done a lot more with Geralt's immortality story-wise, probably even make more games about him.
2 Why V: More Powerful
The stuff V does for a living would probably be enough to make Geralt shy away with feelings of inadequacy. V is quite close to being a superhero with how many cybernetic augmentations she has made specifically for being better than everyone else.
She can easily kill enemies from behind cover and overpower much bigger opponents. By the end of the game, he/she is probably the most powerful character in Night City. Geralt, however, will always be overshadowed by Ciri or even Yennefer, probably even by some monsters.
1 Why Geralt: More Interesting Enemies
Despite being less physically capable than V, Geralt still takes on enemies more powerful and more fascinating. V mostly just fights other cyborgs of varying social status and economic standing. Geralt's world is more entrancing, in that regard.
He fights kings, otherworldly elves, the usual monsters, and sometimes even other witchers. The fact that he's weaker than most of them makes him even more heroic so it's no wonder why players keep trying to make their male V characters look like Geralt.