Arcane vs Cyberpunk Edgerunners: Which is better?

Video game adaptations aren’t usually successful, as it isn’t easy to translate the video game genre onto the big screen. However, some studios have managed to crack the code and create good adaptations, whether they be live-action like The Last of Us or animated like Arcane and Cyberpunk Edgerunners.

Today, we’re here to pit two of the most popular animated video game adaptations against each other. We, of course, mean Arcane and Cyberpunk Edgerunners. In addition to taking a look at the story and plot, we’ll also compare the characters, world-building, animation, art style, and how well they adapted the source material.

So, without any more delay, here is which animated video game adaptation is better between Arcane and Cyberpunk Edgerunners.

Story and Plot

Arcane and Cyberpunk: Edgerunners both have a gripping story, but they unfold it in very different ways. Arcane has a rich, detailed story that's set in the cities of Piltover and Zaun. It takes its time to explore the plot and set up the characters and the stakes while exploring themes like class struggle, scientific ambition, and personal tragedy. However, some viewers did complain about the time skip in the middle of the series, claiming it disturbs the flow and connection between characters, especially Vi and Caitlyn.

Edgerunners, on the other hand, is a fast-paced, high-octane ride through the world of Night City. The show follows David, in a fast-paced narrative with tons of exciting action and heartbreaking moments. Unlike Arcane, Edgerunners jumps straight into the plot and tries to grab your attention quickly. The relationship between David and Lucy feels raw and impactful, though the story does have slightly less depth due to the faster pacing.

Characters and World-Building

The characters in Arcane are much more detailed, as the slower pacing allows each character to be explored deeply. Vi and Jinx’s sibling rivalry carries the most emotional weight, while side characters like Silco and Jayce add even more depth. The show’s world-building is very impressive and the contrast shown between Piltover and Zaun adds a ton of immersion. 

Edgerunners focuses more on individual and personal struggles within the harsh life of Night City. David’s journey from an ordinary kid to a tragic anti-hero is very compelling and realistic, and Lucy’s arc is very emotional. The show borrows much of the world-building elements from the game directly and instead focuses more on the new characters and their place in Night City. The characters and world are complex but are less fleshed out than arcane. 

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Animation and Art Style

Arcane is a feast for the eyes. The animation is extremely detailed and polished thanks to the show’s massive budget and production time. The art style blends 2D art with 3D animation in a beautiful way, bringing Piltover and Zaun to life with vibrant colors and smooth animation. The character designs are elegant and feel like a painting come to life, and the world looks equally breathtaking. The show’s 6-year production time and near-hundred million budget are shown off in every single frame.

Edgerunners takes a different approach, with a 2D anime-style production with a stylized and energetic aesthetic. Studio Trigger’s signature art style fits the fast pacing of the show and despite a much smaller budget, the animation beautifully captures the gritty and futuristic world of Night City. The rougher art style suits the show’s narrative, giving a raw and immersive experience. The animation quality is slightly less than Arcane, but the studio still manages to pull off something impressive, given the smaller budget and production time.

Adaptation from Source Material

Arcane takes League’s rich lore and creates a story that’ll be easy to grasp for both fans of the game and newcomers. It focuses on the key characters and events from the game and acts as a prequel. While it's tied to the events and characters from the game, it acts more as an explanation for the game’s existing lore, rather than feeling like a continuation of the main plot. Though playing the game isn’t needed to understand the show, it elevates the experience.

Edgerunners also does a fantastic job of adapting the game’s universe. It focuses on capturing the spirit of Night City and introduces a roster of fresh characters that make the game’s world a lot richer. The Key factor separating Edgerunners from Arcane is that Edgerunners adds new lore to the game, and stays independent of the main story of Cyberpunk 2077. The show focuses on elevating the world and is slightly less interwoven with the game, but still adds world-building elements that fans of the game love.