Sure, Cyberpunk 2077 is a videogame, but it’s also an aesthetic, right? The whole idea is built on the retrofuture look of science fiction as it was imagined in the 1980s. And while it pushes 2020 graphics hardware to its limits, there’s something very appealing about this demake ReShade mod that drops the visuals down to a more 1993-style appearance.
The Doom ReShade for Cyberpunk 2077 should really have been called ‘Choom,’ we’ve agreed. As it is, the name tells you what it is and how it works – it’s a reshade configuration you can use to make Cyberpunk 2077 look like the classic id FPS game, even going so far as to add old-school CRT scanlines.
You get the old chunky resolution, the bright SVGA-style colour palette, and a genuine trip down memory lane if you’re old enough to remember getting excited about something called a 3dfx Voodoo 2 card. Being a Reshade preset, it doesn’t change your screen’s aspect ratio, but the overall effect is to give Cyberpunk 2077 a feel that’s more in line with Doom, or perhaps the original Deus Ex.
If you want to try it out, your first step will be to download and install the latest version of ReShade, which you can do at the official site. After you’ve run the setup utility, download the preset from Nexus Mods and copy the contents of the file into your Cyberpunk 2077\bin\x64 folder (if you’re asked if you want to replace an existing file, say yes).
You’ll be able to enable ReShade by pressing the Home key on your keyboard. Now head into Night City and party like it’s 1989 – but good luck reading any of the on-screen text.