Architecture in Dogtown from the Cyberpunk 2077 expansion – Phantom Liberty

Get up, samurai! We have Dogtown to explore! The new district from the Phantom of Liberty expansion for Cyberpunk 2077 offers all the beauty of… ruins. Here is a pearl of architectural deconstruction. Night City surprises once again and does it in amazing style.

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From the very beginning, I have considered Cyberpunk 2077 one of the best games of recent years. The expansion didn’t blow me away, but it provided a lot of fun. So he gave me exactly what I was hoping for. But when the emotions subsided, I returned to Dogtown to take a leisurely stroll around the new district. Here are my impressions!

It was supposed to be so beautiful…

I won’t deny that the first minutes of Dogtown are really well directed. There is action, there are emotions, there is great direction of shots and a visit to the market established in the ruins of a huge stadium. There are details galore. As I walked through these stuffy streets, I became even more convinced that Neon from Starfield was a really thin place (I played one title after another).

But when the narrative let me go in the later sequences, I felt a bit disappointed. Dogtown isn’t particularly big, nor is it packed with quests. The story takes us from one extreme point on the map to the next, leaving no time to slowly get to know the district. Only when I completed the entire Phantom of Liberty storyline and calmly returned to Dogtown did I appreciate the uniqueness of this place.

Dogtown is some kind of ghetto

I will try not to reveal too much about the history of this district, because discovering its secrets is simply interesting and engaging, and it is done during several main quests, so few will skip it. Well, Dogtown is a gated district of Pacifica, which itself is quite isolated from the rest of Night City.

Dogtown was ultimately supposed to be a resort for corps, offering many attractions, but at some point all construction works were stopped and the whole area was fenced off. The reference to ghettos is very clear. The difference, however, is that there is an official way to get to and from Dogtown, and many residents of this poor district would not even want to leave it.

Walking through the streets of this district, we pass buildings made in various styles and techniques, but the vast majority of them were never completed. It’s a bit like a construction site forgotten by everyone, which the newcomers turned into their home.

Multi-level

While visiting Dogtown, I had the impression that it was a place offering a bit more flexibility than the other districts of Night City. Finally, a part of me believed RED’s assurances from before the release of Cyberpunk that the city would be multi-level . There are actually places here where you can feel this promise.

What it comes from? I think the designers finally had the “time” to think carefully about how to fill this area with multiple floors. This is probably also due to the much smaller playing area. And although most of Dogtown is flat (in the sense of multi-layered, there are plenty of changes in altitude), it also offers areas so detailed that the illusion begins to work. At last!

So many role models here!

As I mentioned at the beginning, Dogtown was supposed to be a luxury resort, so investors spared no expense on architects. And when they felt money and the opportunity to make their dreams come true, they started to design extraordinary buildings. History has repeatedly shown that unlimited possibilities end in kitsch.

And that’s a bit like that here. Although most of the buildings are not finished, they look truly amazing and original. What isn’t here! In Dogtown, we have architectural inspirations from all over the world, just like in Las Vegas.

The disco located in the pyramid attracts attention (more on it later), and somewhere on the hills there are buildings resembling brutalism. There are also references to Greek amphitheaters and true classics from the 19th century.

Look at the two pictures above. On the left you can see one of the most famous buildings of the “steam era” – The Crystal Palace. And on the right, the Dogtown exhibition building. But that’s not the end of drawing from the classics!

A large dose of Fallout in Cyberpunk!

As you run around Dogtown, you’ll surely come across many buildings that could be described as googie! These absolutely inimitable details, flashy neon lights with characteristic punctures, rounded elements. And finally, an attempt to interest the viewer with a form that is as spectacular as possible and seems to float in the air.

This is the whole googie style, which I wrote more about when visiting Fallout 76. And it fits here phenomenally. Of course, we are talking more about the “neo-googie” style, as these original designs come from the turn of the 1960s and 1970s. Here, in turn, we see strong inspirations from these styles. Sometimes they are also combined with art-deco influences.

At some point we get to the headquarters of Dogtown (it’s not really a spoiler) and only there we can understand what the splendor is all about. The skyscraper has a huge casino on the roof of the skyscraper made in the neo-art-deco style.

Its shape completely dominates the surroundings, but for art deco it is not overly rich in details. However, these are located inside, especially in the huge foyer! Beautiful job!

My favorite place in Dogtown

Do I have the kitsch gene? This building lets me know that this architectural lambada is inside me somewhere . I was absolutely sold on the pyramid-shaped building. He doesn’t pretend to be what he is at all. It drains everything from ancient Egypt. I really like the details of the pictograms at the entrance, a photo of which you can see below. Moreover, there is even an obelisk right next to the pyramid!

But I mentioned the Japanese influence in cyberpunk earlier in relation to the pyramid. Why would the pyramid be associated with Japan? And this in the context of cyberpunk futurism? You may have heard the name “Shimizu Try 2004”.

This extraordinary building-city was supposed to accommodate up to a million Japanese, and its location is in the very center of Tokyo Bay. A team of architects and designers from the Shimizu corporation worked on this idea for 10 years, and the inspiration was the movie “Blade Runner”.

And let’s remember that the Japanese played a no less important role in promoting the cyberpunk trend than the creators from the USA. Providing hundreds of futuristic architectural designs and works such as the film Ghost in the Shell and the manga Akira. For me, the pyramid shape is one of the most cyberpunk elements of futuristic cities of the future.

This is art

Dogtown was supposed to be special. It was supposed to be the gem of Night City . This is visible not only in the buildings themselves, but also in the elements of art. Dogtown is full of huge sculptures with interesting textures and fanciful shapes made in various styles.

There is also no shortage of viewpoints, which proves the great reverence of the architects of this infinite city. And the self-awareness of the creators. They realized why Dogtown was being built. It was supposed to be unique and please the eyes of tourists.

It seems to me that Dogtown collects all the unused ideas that the creators came up with and throws them into one pot. Because they knew that it would not disturb the convention, on the contrary, that they would surprise players with a total mishmash. It turned out great!

Dogtown – a must see

There are more unusual buildings here! A small paper could be written about each of them. The bazaar itself in the destroyed stadium looks great and is full of details. But it is not only these large monumental buildings that are impressive.

Much smaller, more intimate ones also attract attention. Like this small chapel shown above. Or a small square between the buildings with one preserved tree in the middle. What more can I say? This is simply a must see. If anyone hasn’t played yet, please do so. Even for Night City.

I received the Cyberpunk 2077 game as well as the Phantom of Freedom expansion from the manufacturer –
CD PROJEKT RED.
Thank you!