While Neon Giant’s newly-unveiled RPG No Law might look quite similar to CD Projekt RED’s Cyberpunk 2077, the studio was seemingly aware that these comparisons would be drawn. In an interview with IGN, creative directors Tor Frick and Arcade Berg spoke about a number of different subjects about No Law, including the studio’s decision to go for a brand new title over a sequel to The Ascent, and comparisons to Cyberpunk 2077.
When asked about the decision to make a first-person RPG after having worked on twin-stick shooter The Ascent, Frick noted that No Law felt like he and Berg were “going back to our roots”. He went on to note that the first-person perspective allows for more immersion and other storytelling opportunities when compared to the top-down perspective of The Ascent.
“I think also with the first-person perspective, a big reason for that as well is that, in The Ascent we focused a lot on the world-building and the lore and the mood, and we really like building games where you can immerse yourself in the world,” explained Frick. “That was something we really wanted to go a lot deeper with this game. Because in first-person you can actually appreciate all the little storytelling, and there’s just a lot more stories to tell. And that’s something that we missed with The Ascent a little bit, to be a little bit more intimate with everything. So that’s a big reason as well.”
When it comes to the inevitable comparisons No Law would draw with Cyberpunk 2077, Frick noted that Neon Giant’s RPG is quite different from CD Projekt RED’s outing, from the mood and tone, right down to the gameplay and more intimate story. The mechanics are also slated to be quite different, with a focus on the world reacting to the player’s actions and choices.
“A lot of it is, it’s just the mood and the tone. Cyberpunk [2077] is a big, sprawling experience. It’s a mega city,” he said. “And our game is a lot more intimate both when it comes to the gameplay mechanics but also the world. I think as people see more of the game that will be more apparent. It’s hard to do in a short trailer like that. I think you need to see and feel the game more. It is more of an intimate experience, like the world is deep but not so grand. And the same thing with mechanics and the same thing with the story. It is very, very personal and very, very reactive around you as a player, rather than being set in this grand backdrop.”
Berg noted that the studio also had to be conscious about what kinds of references it was drawing from during the development of No Law. Since cyberpunk is an expansive genre in itself, the studio kept an eye on the market, and No Law will draw quite heavily from Hong Kong action movie scenes. He also noted that No Law will be quite a bit more tongue-in-cheek than what players might expect from the genre.
“Of course we’re aware of what’s out in the market, we keep an eye on it,” said Berg. “But creatively we are looking a lot at eighties, nineties action movies, or a certain mood there. We’re looking at Hong Kong action scenes. We’re looking at inspiring comic books, it could be American, it could be manga. Of course we have anime in there. But we’re just looking at a lot of different pieces of fiction as far as inspiration goes and we’re just trying to put all of that in here.”
“Something you saw in The Ascent as well, there is a slight tongue in cheek, right? We as creatives, we can’t write grim dark angsty. That’s not what we want. We want violence as a spectacle. We want you to have fun when you’re playing a game. That’s a very important feeling for us, to just have fun. There’s a mood, there’s a vibe, there’s a certain feeling that hopefully fans of The Ascent will recognize even though the gameplay is completely different.”
No Law is being developed for PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S, and is slated for release in 2026. In the meantime, check out our review of Neon Giant’s previous title, The Ascent.
