Is V's story too depressing? [MAJOR SPOILERS]

[_Mina]

I played the game from start to finish with all life paths and all outcomes. And I was left feeling...well, empty.

First of all, no matter what you do, V is left with a dark notion that they'll eventually die. So basically, there is no real happy ending in this game. You can only speculate on "what ifs" when the game ends, but you don't actually see anything that would really soothe your mind. Whether it's storming the Crystal Palace or leaving NC with Panam, V is staring into the distance with this weary, dejected look on their face. I simply couldn't feel any fulfillment for any possible ending.

Everyone leaves V. It seems that as soon as you get attached to a certain character in the game, they stop being a part of your life!

Jackie dies. Horribly and heartbreakingly. You lose your BFF from the get go.

Delamain concludes his fate either way and stops being the awesome AI pal that you've become fond of.
Speaking of awesome AIs: Brendan and Skippy are also mercilessly taken from you. Brendan is brainwashed, and Skippy outright hates you if you don't return him to Regina.
And why can't we have more interactions with Skippy? I remember Enserric the Grey - the sword you can get in Neverwinter Nights - who had so much character, and you could interact with him throughout the entire game. He was also denied a proper ending, though... We never got the chance to find him a body. But at least he didn't reject me.

Takemura is either killed, or goes back to Arasaka. In the other option, all you have is a few messages on the phone, or his presence during the second worst ending. And choosing that ending isn't worth it merely for the sake of his companionship.

Panam, Judy, River and Kerry are HORRIBLE in a relationship, whether it's friendship or romance. You do quests for them, and apparently - that's it, until you hit the ending. If you play long enough, you may receive a few messages. If you go to their homes, you can converse a bit, but this doesn't really affect anything. And if you're in a romance, you only get that one intercourse and the relationship becomes platonic from that point. They only call you during the End credits. Also: why can't I call them or message them whenever I want? It's a one-way street and it sucks.
I don't know about you, but the relationship system in this game is so shallow that I was left feeling used by these characters. If you choose to become the "legend of NC", your relationship turns sour. I mean, you survived and finally hit the major leagues, but all that success feels like crap when your significant other is obviously depressed! What I'm trying to say is that these relationships could have been richer and far more interactive, not merely quests that need doing.

Johnny. Hah. You either lose him or become him. No middle ground. During every playthrough, I felt as if the whole thing is actually about Johnny, and V is just an NPC who is following up on his story.

Another major factor of the story is the first person game mechanic. Despite what CDPR claimed, I never had the impression of immersion from this perspective - quite the opposite! I can't see V's facial expressions during dialogues, I can't see how they really behave during a fight, how they walk down the street, how they run and observe their environment. V is a faceless persona most of the time, and I have to try really hard to develop any kinship to the character I'm playing as.
Third person perspective it something this game desperately needs. I am positive that it would turn tables in a big way for all us gamers, specifically those who are still holding on to this game and what it could have been.

What drove me the most throughout the story is not the story itself, but the potential of it that I managed to manufacture in my mind. And that is far from enough. We get no closure, we don't feel real connection to a single NPC - or even V for that matter, and all our efforts are...well, not exactly rewarded.
Personally, I am shocked that CDPR had made such a letdown, comparing to Witcher series. And the comparison is inevitable.

What do you think? Were you left feeling depressed and empty as I did? What would you change, if you could?

 

[maniak6767]

It's not depressing and for sure it's not empty.

Personally, I am shocked that CDPR had made such a letdown, comparing to Witcher series. And the comparison is inevitable.

Objectively characters from Cyberpunk are better written and more grounded as game characters (in my opinion you can feel that Witcher game characters, many of them are some kind fanfiction - after reading books).
Judy is similar to Ciri as character, yet more realistic, deeper and with more background building up as character.
Kerry is Dandelion on steroids: more nuanced, with bigger ego, better dialogues and story arc.
Panam as romance is something they did before (Triss/Yennefer), but way more natural with some build up at least (yet again without books limiting writers and what they can do).
Johnny is similar character to ghost von Everec from Witcher 3 and again it's just better version, more multilayared etc.
V as character is similar to Olgierd Von Everec, especially if you decide to play Arasaka ending, because this ending is similar to ending of HoS, maybe story of HoS was depressing I don't know, for sure it was best part of W3.
And what can you do witch character of Witcher 3 after you will finish their questlines, not more than with characters of Cyberpunk, few dialogue options with Dandelion and Zoltan, Triss is out of picture for most of time after you will finish Novigrad storyline...

 

[AlienSpaceBats]

I was definitely left feeling melancholy at the end, a few months on with a handful of playthroughs under my belt, I'm still affected by it.

This is good in one sense because the game was an escape, and one I genuinely enjoyed, and that means the game did it's job well; I was emotionally absorbed, I was (am) heavily invested in my V ... but in another sense, I do not like the doomed protagonist trope, especially when it's a custom-made character that I've spent hundreds of hours being.
There's a comment V makes at the end of the Prophet's Song quest; lack of closure sucks. I think there is maybe just enough in the Star ending, or there would be, if not for the limited time V has left. It's like a great big "??" left dangling over the whole story. The other resolutions I found even more depressing and do not wish to have anything further to do with them (lol).

There are a thousand speculations on what happens post-game for every ending by now, but those words from Alt feel like they apply here ("you would accept any answer if it made you feel better") but all we can do is sit on our hands and wait for DLC/expansions and if CDPR choose to set any of them following the ending of the game.

Thematically I guess this is all fitting with the Cyberpunk RPG. From the 2020 sourcebook:

You do what you have to do to survive.
The future is disposable, so are you.
Most characters are already out of action, and are quietly going about the business of expiring. Messily.
Cyberpunk games are a combination of doomed romance, fast action, glittering parties, mean streets and quixotic quests to do the right thing against all the odds.
Nobody ever leaves Night City. Except in a body bag.

However I feel this kind of opposes the level of emotional investment the game offers the player. It gives you these things, friends, relationships (fictional or not) and in a lot of instances, only to take them away from you.

The relationships I enjoyed until they were over, that is, they culminate in a love scene and then that's it, really. No real interaction after that, though for example the texts you can receive from Judy are very nice they are easily missable. Part of me doesn't want the game to be a dating simulator, but on the other hand, I do wish for something more.

Eh, maybe it got to me too much. Apologies if this reads like a brain fart. Still unpacking thoughts on the game, I think.

 

[_Fender_]

V`s story is definitely depressing. Like most characters in game. I was trying to find out people who are actually optimistic, happy or whatever and its hard to put anyone on that list. Misty and Vik are definitely shelter for V but still one has lost her boyfriend and the other one gave up on his dreams long ago. Judys life is a mess (with some chances of happiness later on), Panam gets a bit of happy ending and who else?

Some people say that this is what Cyberpunk supposed to be. Well I think Mike Pondsmith said that is dark world and its about taking care of yourself and your friends rather than win with big corporations. So on that note, yes - I would admire a bit more of optimistic stuff at the end.

Its different if you look at mainstory from Johnny perspective and suddenly its a story about second chance and being able to fix mistakes from a past and becoming wiser. And a nice story of making ultimate sacrifice from V`s side to save your digital friends life.

So my opinion about all of this is really changing from time to time - which means CDP accomplished something if players can think about ending and ask all those questions days after they finished playing. Like a good movie which sticks with you for some time more after you left cinema.

And I`ve felt very strong connection with NPC`s at a level I cant think of in other games.

There has been a lot said about romances and how it stops at some point. I agree there should be more but remember that main storyline timeframe is relatively short so its also a matter of balance. I hope that DLC will explore that area deeper.

I love FPP and I`m so happy that we dont get Third person in game. You dont need to see your expresions because your real life reactions could be V`s reactions. Dont need to see it. I definitely woudnt connect that much to V if I had to watch everything from outside. Also we would miss a lot of fantastic visuals you get to experience only when looking from "eyes level".


Maybe 6 months sencence would be less depressing if it wasnt 2020. I mean COVID virus spread, lockdowns and even your avatar in game gets a death sentence...

 

[maniak6767]

V`s story is definitely depressing. Most like most characters in game. I was trying to find out people who are actually optimistic, happy or whatever and its hard to put anyone on that list. Misty and Vik are definitely shelter for V but still one has lost her boyfriend and the other one gave up on his dreams long ago. Judys life is a mess (with some chances of happiness later on), Panam gets a bit of happy ending and who else?

Some people say that this is what Cyberpunk supposed to be. Well I think Mike Pondsmith said that is dark world and its about taking care of yourself and your friends rather than win with big corporations. So on that note, yes - I would admire a bit more of optimistic stuff at the end.

Its different if you look at mainstory from Johnny perspective and suddenly its a story about second chance and being able to fix mistakes from a past and becoming wiser. And a nice story of making ultimate sacrifice from V`s side to safe your digital friends life.

So my opinion about all of this is really changing from time to time - which means CDP accomplished something if players can think about ending and ask all those questions days after they finished playing. Like a good movie which sticks with you for some time more after you left cinema.

And I`ve felt very strong connection with NPC`s at a level I cant think of in other games.

There has been a lot said about romances and how it stops at some point. I agree there should be more but remember that main storyline timeframe is relatively short so its also a matter of balance. I hope that DLC will explore that area deeper.

I live FPP and I`m so happy that we dont get Third person in game. You dont need to see your expresions because your real life reactions could be V`s reactions. Dont need to see it. I definitely woudnt connect that much to V if I had to watch everything from outside. Also we would miss a lot of fantastic visuals you get to experience only when looking from "eyes level".


Maybe 6 months sencence would be less depressing if it wasnt 2020. I mean COVID virus spread, lockdowns and even your avatar in game gets a death sentence...

I've said it before: you can't forget how technology improved a lot compared to Witcher 3. Of course, cut-scenes in Witcher 3 were very cinemetic and very well done, but we know that character like Geralt isn't really person full of expression. Characters from Cyberpunk really acting like real people: body language, gestures etc. and all when game is FPP. I think there it's no contest really. They also improved quality of main questline, I'm not talking about subjective things, but something like fact NPC models in main storyline are rather unique for important characters or even less important, when during Witcher 3 mainstoryline it wasn't (for example model of that Nilfgaard servant, when you're first time in Vyzyma).
About game being depressing: I think for older people 35+, who accepted own mortality , these endings are pretty cool.

 

[ElsonsoJannus]

V lives in a depressing world where people shoot at each other in the streets, there is trash everywhere, the city is falling apart in places, people are stacked in megabuildings or live on the streets. Only a few people are successful. That's cyberpunk for you. Dystopian.

V's story is the same.

As for 1st person vs 3rd person... In my preferred RPG style game, I am playing the role, not directing the role. Therefore, I should not be looking at myself, as that would be an awkward out of body situation. This demands first person perspective.

Third person, or first person with third person cut scenes, is a cinematic experience where I am directing, but not actually playing the role. I am not playing Geralt in The Witcher, but instead, directing him to play his role as I desire.

The first person role playing is far more immersive and far more personal in nature than the third person perspective.

 

[mbrto]

the dark and depressing story is one of the things i like the most about this game
its incredibly cyberpunk

 

[horsemanuk1987]

I played the game from start to finish with all life paths and all outcomes. And I was left feeling...well, empty.

First of all, no matter what you do, V is left with a dark notion that they'll eventually die. So basically, there is no real happy ending in this game. You can only speculate on "what ifs" when the game ends, but you don't actually see anything that would really soothe your mind. Whether it's storming the Crystal Palace or leaving NC with Panam, V is staring into the distance with this weary, dejected look on their face. I simply couldn't feel any fulfillment for any possible ending.

Everyone leaves V. It seems that as soon as you get attached to a certain character in the game, they stop being a part of your life!

Jackie dies. Horribly and heartbreakingly. You lose your BFF from the get go.

Delamain concludes his fate either way and stops being the awesome AI pal that you've become fond of.
Speaking of awesome AIs: Brendan and Skippy are also mercilessly taken from you. Brendan is brainwashed, and Skippy outright hates you if you don't return him to Regina.
And why can't we have more interactions with Skippy? I remember Enserric the Grey - the sword you can get in Neverwinter Nights - who had so much character, and you could interact with him throughout the entire game. He was also denied a proper ending, though... We never got the chance to find him a body. But at least he didn't reject me.

Takemura is either killed, or goes back to Arasaka. In the other option, all you have is a few messages on the phone, or his presence during the second worst ending. And choosing that ending isn't worth it merely for the sake of his companionship.

Panam, Judy, River and Kerry are HORRIBLE in a relationship, whether it's friendship or romance. You do quests for them, and apparently - that's it, until you hit the ending. If you play long enough, you may receive a few messages. If you go to their homes, you can converse a bit, but this doesn't really affect anything. And if you're in a romance, you only get that one intercourse and the relationship becomes platonic from that point. They only call you during the End credits. Also: why can't I call them or message them whenever I want? It's a one-way street and it sucks.
I don't know about you, but the relationship system in this game is so shallow that I was left feeling used by these characters. If you choose to become the "legend of NC", your relationship turns sour. I mean, you survived and finally hit the major leagues, but all that success feels like crap when your significant other is obviously depressed! What I'm trying to say is that these relationships could have been richer and far more interactive, not merely quests that need doing.

Johnny. Hah. You either lose him or become him. No middle ground. During every playthrough, I felt as if the whole thing is actually about Johnny, and V is just an NPC who is following up on his story.

Another major factor of the story is the first person game mechanic. Despite what CDPR claimed, I never had the impression of immersion from this perspective - quite the opposite! I can't see V's facial expressions during dialogues, I can't see how they really behave during a fight, how they walk down the street, how they run and observe their environment. V is a faceless persona most of the time, and I have to try really hard to develop any kinship to the character I'm playing as.
Third person perspective it something this game desperately needs. I am positive that it would turn tables in a big way for all us gamers, specifically those who are still holding on to this game and what it could have been.

What drove me the most throughout the story is not the story itself, but the potential of it that I managed to manufacture in my mind. And that is far from enough. We get no closure, we don't feel real connection to a single NPC - or even V for that matter, and all our efforts are...well, not exactly rewarded.
Personally, I am shocked that CDPR had made such a letdown, comparing to Witcher series. And the comparison is inevitable.

What do you think? Were you left feeling depressed and empty as I did? What would you change, if you could?

Pretty much cant disagree with anything you're saying.

 

[nadsh]

I played the game from start to finish with all life paths and all outcomes. And I was left feeling...well, empty.

First of all, no matter what you do, V is left with a dark notion that they'll eventually die. So basically, there is no real happy ending in this game. You can only speculate on "what ifs" when the game ends, but you don't actually see anything that would really soothe your mind. Whether it's storming the Crystal Palace or leaving NC with Panam, V is staring into the distance with this weary, dejected look on their face. I simply couldn't feel any fulfillment for any possible ending.

Everyone leaves V. It seems that as soon as you get attached to a certain character in the game, they stop being a part of your life!

Jackie dies. Horribly and heartbreakingly. You lose your BFF from the get go.

Delamain concludes his fate either way and stops being the awesome AI pal that you've become fond of.
Speaking of awesome AIs: Brendan and Skippy are also mercilessly taken from you. Brendan is brainwashed, and Skippy outright hates you if you don't return him to Regina.
And why can't we have more interactions with Skippy? I remember Enserric the Grey - the sword you can get in Neverwinter Nights - who had so much character, and you could interact with him throughout the entire game. He was also denied a proper ending, though... We never got the chance to find him a body. But at least he didn't reject me.

Takemura is either killed, or goes back to Arasaka. In the other option, all you have is a few messages on the phone, or his presence during the second worst ending. And choosing that ending isn't worth it merely for the sake of his companionship.

Panam, Judy, River and Kerry are HORRIBLE in a relationship, whether it's friendship or romance. You do quests for them, and apparently - that's it, until you hit the ending. If you play long enough, you may receive a few messages. If you go to their homes, you can converse a bit, but this doesn't really affect anything. And if you're in a romance, you only get that one intercourse and the relationship becomes platonic from that point. They only call you during the End credits. Also: why can't I call them or message them whenever I want? It's a one-way street and it sucks.
I don't know about you, but the relationship system in this game is so shallow that I was left feeling used by these characters. If you choose to become the "legend of NC", your relationship turns sour. I mean, you survived and finally hit the major leagues, but all that success feels like crap when your significant other is obviously depressed! What I'm trying to say is that these relationships could have been richer and far more interactive, not merely quests that need doing.

Johnny. Hah. You either lose him or become him. No middle ground. During every playthrough, I felt as if the whole thing is actually about Johnny, and V is just an NPC who is following up on his story.

Another major factor of the story is the first person game mechanic. Despite what CDPR claimed, I never had the impression of immersion from this perspective - quite the opposite! I can't see V's facial expressions during dialogues, I can't see how they really behave during a fight, how they walk down the street, how they run and observe their environment. V is a faceless persona most of the time, and I have to try really hard to develop any kinship to the character I'm playing as.
Third person perspective it something this game desperately needs. I am positive that it would turn tables in a big way for all us gamers, specifically those who are still holding on to this game and what it could have been.

What drove me the most throughout the story is not the story itself, but the potential of it that I managed to manufacture in my mind. And that is far from enough. We get no closure, we don't feel real connection to a single NPC - or even V for that matter, and all our efforts are...well, not exactly rewarded.
Personally, I am shocked that CDPR had made such a letdown, comparing to Witcher series. And the comparison is inevitable.

What do you think? Were you left feeling depressed and empty as I did? What would you change, if you could?

I agree about the tone of the story and everyone leaving V, willingly or not. Most of the remaining characters don't seem to care or worry about V that much. Even the LIs put themselves and their needs first, running errands for them in Act 3 while coughing up blood felt especially jarring to me (no Judy, I don't think going scuba diving is a good idea now that V is fainting every hour).

I got pretty attached to V and Johnny though, and didn't mind the first person view.

 

[_Mina]

About game being depressing: I think for older people 35+, who accepted own mortality , these endings are pretty cool.

As a person who is close to her forties, I'd like to share my perspective.
It's not about accepting own mortality. I don't need to focus on the inevitability of death to feel fulfillment. Life is what is important, and giving that life meaning is what we (should) strive for.

Cyberpunk 2077 setting is a messed up and dangerous environment. However, "dystopian" doesn't have to stand for "doomed". Did the world survive only to continue sliding down towards imminent catastrophe? What do you have to hope and work for if everything will go to waste anyway? While I was playing, I was hoping to reach that point where everything gains meaning, culminates in a way to reward my efforts, but...I felt betrayed. Is this the message the game is giving to us? No matter how hard you try, it will go to bust?
When Dex asked V the question about growing old in a rut or dying young in a blaze of glory, I immediately wanted to say: NEITHER. I was hoping that V would mature on their path. To me, the best ending was the "secret" one, where I don't risk anyone's life and rely on my (virtual) best friend - therefore, on myself as well. If Night City had taught me anything, it's not to trust anyone and that everyone have their own lives to take care of. And if I do decide to rely on someone, one way or the other, I regret it. To follow up, giving V's body to Johnny was the most mature choice by far. Johnny actually shows that he has grown as a person, and acts accordingly. It gives a semblance of a closure, but also leaves a bitter taste.

Bottom line, you are doomed no matter what you do, as V. That is generally a very bad - depressed - outlook, and the game promotes it in spades.

 

[AlienSpaceBats]

When Dex asked V the question about growing old in a rut or dying young in a blaze of glory, I immediately wanted to say: NEITHER. I was hoping that V would mature on their path.

I always disliked that question and the fact that in the beginning V and Jackie are chasing the dream (lie) Night City offers about being living legends - I try to roleplay around "The best in Night City" attitude always, it's explicitly stated in game that NC legends are either dead or sold out to a corp.

I like to think the V I played at least matured that way. When asked about the subject in Clouds by Angel/Skye you can admit it was pure fantasy. By game's end the only choice I wanted was to leave the place behind, live life with friends and family. That's the quiet life Dex was talking about, but preferable than the materialistic and naive blaze of glory.

But yes, regardless of your actions V is apparently terminal/gone at the end, absent any sense of triumph, as though it was all for naught.

 

[abc_mikey]

Yeh. The endings are rough.

I actually enjoyed all of the endings right up until the end and then you get gut punched every time.

I picked the absolute worst ending first - the devil - as it seemed like the one where you were choosing to live. Here you seemed to be trading the chance to take down Arasaka in a blaze of glory with either Panam or Rouge, for your life.

I had half expected a deal with the devil to come with an ironic catch, but here you just get the catch without getting the bargain. The plot cancer always gets you in the end.

 

[TigerOnCatnip]

I was definitely left feeling melancholy at the end, a few months on with a handful of playthroughs under my belt, I'm still affected by it.

This is good in one sense because the game was an escape, and one I genuinely enjoyed, and that means the game did it's job well; I was emotionally absorbed, I was (am) heavily invested in my V ... but in another sense, I do not like the doomed protagonist trope, especially when it's a custom-made character that I've spent hundreds of hours being.
There's a comment V makes at the end of the Prophet's Song quest; lack of closure sucks. I think there is maybe just enough in the Star ending, or there would be, if not for the limited time V has left. It's like a great big "??" left dangling over the whole story. The other resolutions I found even more depressing and do not wish to have anything further to do with them (lol).

There are a thousand speculations on what happens post-game for every ending by now, but those words from Alt feel like they apply here ("you would accept any answer if it made you feel better") but all we can do is sit on our hands and wait for DLC/expansions and if CDPR choose to set any of them following the ending of the game.

Thematically I guess this is all fitting with the Cyberpunk RPG. From the 2020 sourcebook:

You do what you have to do to survive.
The future is disposable, so are you.
Most characters are already out of action, and are quietly going about the business of expiring. Messily.
Cyberpunk games are a combination of doomed romance, fast action, glittering parties, mean streets and quixotic quests to do the right thing against all the odds.
Nobody ever leaves Night City. Except in a body bag.

However I feel this kind of opposes the level of emotional investment the game offers the player. It gives you these things, friends, relationships (fictional or not) and in a lot of instances, only to take them away from you.

The relationships I enjoyed until they were over, that is, they culminate in a love scene and then that's it, really. No real interaction after that, though for example the texts you can receive from Judy are very nice they are easily missable. Part of me doesn't want the game to be a dating simulator, but on the other hand, I do wish for something more.

Eh, maybe it got to me too much. Apologies if this reads like a brain fart. Still unpacking thoughts on the game, I think.

Just....this. ^ Yeah. On my 7th playthrough. *hiding under a pillow* This game really grab(s)bed me on an emotional level. ESPECIALLY after the 1st run and the ending I chose. I almost flat cried. I wholeheartedly agree with needing more to the romance(s). There's a post somewhere around these forums where I talked a little bit about it. At this rate, though, I seem to have a better relationship with my Joytoy. Granted, he's not up making coffee when we're done so meh lol The empty feeling persists after each playthrough for me. Only one other game did that to me. DA:O. I haven't played The Witcher 3 at all. I would love to but never have the funds to get it and whatever else came with it, if anything. I got VERY lucky that I have a good friend who saw fit to grab this gem for me. Cyberpunk rules my life right now....for the moment. I adore all the things we can do in it even though a lot could be added to or expanded upon. _Mk, babbling finished_ Forgive me for that.

 

[AlienSpaceBats]

Just....this. ^ Yeah. On my 7th playthrough. *hiding under a pillow* This game really grab(s)bed me on an emotional level. ESPECIALLY after the 1st run and the ending I chose. I almost flat cried. I wholeheartedly agree with needing more to the romance(s). There's a post somewhere around these forums where I talked a little bit about it. At this rate, though, I seem to have a better relationship with my Joytoy. Granted, he's not up making coffee when we're done so meh lol The empty feeling persists after each playthrough for me. Only one other game did that to me. DA:O. I haven't played The Witcher 3 at all. I would love to but never have the funds to get it and whatever else came with it, if anything. I got VERY lucky that I have a good friend who saw fit to grab this gem for me. Cyberpunk rules my life right now....for the moment. I adore all the things we can do in it even though a lot could be added to or expanded upon. _Mk, babbling finished_ Forgive me for that.

Yeah, the game has kind of pushed me into an emotional limbo. I just finished playthrough #5 and want to do another, but part of me thinks maybe wait for the patch, then I can have a break then replay again - I mean I have a pile of games I bought around xmas that I haven't tried yet, but CP2077 is there and all I want to play is that, but I'm cautious of burning myself out on it too.
I thought the endings - even my preferred Star finale - would get easier with subsequent playthroughs but they don't, it's like ripping a plaster off a cut every time, then it's a couple of days spent in the doldrums before starting over again.

 

[KaiserRED]

It got pretty depressing at parts, but I felt it was kind of in a good way. I really felt bad for V, but there were plenty of times I thought there was enough levity to balance it out. Even Johnny, pain in the ass as he was, was a character I could warm up to. I needed the Nomad ending as a palette cleanser though, because the Corpo-centric endings are just straight up downers, and even the Glory ending feels kind of empty and lonely. I wasn't even bothered so much by the 6-month prognosis at that point, since you're able to stick with an optimistic outlook. Misty's tarot reading helps feed into that as well.

As for the perspective, I actually didn't want third person at all, but first-person really grew on me. The way characters interact with V, it just seems so much more involved and personal.

 

[_Fender_]

Its definitely very risky to make a game for milions and include almost only depressing endings. No matter how dark and mature subject is, its probably wise to also give people some kind of relief at the end. I like those endings and like Ive said, no other game made me so emotional at the end - still I would hope for also some more optimistic ones as well (DLC maybe?).

What is absolutely devastating is suicide ending which was made in a such powerfull and emotional way and gives you a glimpse of what it really is and how much pain and misery it creates in your friends life. I think its important that CDP made that option and maybe few people will think twice? But maybe they should put some warning message before it starts.

 

[SigilFey]

Its definitely very risky to make a game for milions and include almost only depressing endings....

Yes, it was. And bold. And in my opinion it fits the both the world of Cyberpunk and the main theme of immortality that the game focuses on perfectly.

What is absolutely devastating is suicide ending which was made in a such powerfull and emotional way and gives you a glimpse of what it really is and how much pain and misery it creates in your friends life. I think its important that CDP made that option and maybe few people will think twice? But maybe they should put some warning message before it starts.

I wouldn't have. Modern media tends to want to look on the bright side and ensure a happy ending regardless of how unlikely (or arguably impossible) such outcomes may have been. Many people in the world today prefer to use entertainment media as an "escape" instead of an exploration of the human condition as it actually exists. It's perfectly fine to do so, and there's nothing wrong with that type of media, but I would argue that such creative focus de-values the potential, literary value of the final piece.

That's not to say that only literature that contains tragic endings is of value -- certainly not! There are plenty of literary pieces that end with up-beat, inspirational resolutions. But that's very different than taking a tragic, narrative arc and contriving a "Hollywood ending" from it simply to appease people's sensibilities. That, to me, is not art -- it's salesmanship.

V is living in a world in which immortality has been achieved, but it requires a surrendering of the "self" in order to embrace it. There is no outcome in this scenario that avoids a tragedy. Technically, V can remain alive...but never again as purely V. Or, there's only one way to ensure that V doesn't abandon who s/he truly is, and remains 100% human at the core. And that -- is to embrace the inevitability of the human condition that we all face whether we want to face it or not:

We're mortal. We die.

If we become "immortal"...we are, to a very real degree, no longer "human". We become something else, and we have no idea what that will ultimately mean.

Tragic choice. Good literature.

 

[_Fender_]

Throughout the entire game we come up to things which makes us ask and wonder about immortality and being a human - is Johnny abstract a human? Is he a human when we give him a body? Are Delamain AI cars with personalities in some way alive in its form? They have a feelings (and signs of mental illness) like humans after all. Is V human after getting shot or soulkilled by Alt? That`s why this game have with all its bugs and glitches still has much more value for me than any other, because we dont ask those questions a lot in games.

Sometimes there is more value in asking questions then getting answers.

You can probably look at this game like its a book. When book ends usually it doesnt say what happened to that character later on. It just ends where it ends and the rest is open for interpretation. I think it would still work a bit better if we had a 2-3 year prognosis which sounds like a lot of time to have some options in your life. 6 months (in which couple of weeks had already gone by in Afterlife ending) feels like death is just around the corner. So it really feels like someone put a lights out in a middle of epilogue.

 

[CS554]

My first playthrough was some Nomad guy going into the city and leaving it with Panam, escaping it. Even with V's difficult situation it felt like a victory. You don't beat Night City, you escape it if you can.

I'm still waiting 1.2 to really sum things up for this game, but there's a lot I appreciate, a lot of things going on that deal with real life topics.

That's not to say that only literature that contains tragic endings is of value -- certainly not! There are plenty of literary pieces that end with up-beat, inspirational resolutions. But that's very different than taking a tragic, narrative arc and contriving a "Hollywood ending" from it simply to appease people's sensibilities. That, to me, is not art -- it's salesmanship.

Hollywood can make a really good movie in once in a decade or so and even then in a movie like LA Confidential they had to have certain thing happen in the ending. Though I can appreciate how creators made that really cheeky, implications are... disturbing, why the heck he is in there?

Cyberpunk 2077 doesn't even try to be that movie. There are things all over the game. Trivia: Cyberpunk literature took a lot from the Noir literature, we have very nice nod to Chandler in game that I enjoyed a lot. But where Noir came? Big name was Dashiell Hammett whom big influence was real life incident that happened when he wasn't yet author but worked for Pinkerton as their operative.

Around 1917, Hammett was sent to Montana, where he infiltrated the ranks of striking copper miners. He and other Pinkertons were apparently offered $5, 000, a bloody fortune at the time, to help kill Frank Little, the Wobbly (Industrial Workers of the World) leader organizing the miners. Little was lynched from a Butte train trestle without Hammett's help.

There are nods to real world behind fiction in game.

Sometimes there is more value in asking questions then getting answers.

You can probably look at this game like its a book. When book ends usually it doesnt say what happened to that character later on. It just ends where it ends and the rest is open for interpretation. I think it would still work a bit better if we had a 2-3 year prognosis which sounds like a lot of time to have some options in your life. 6 months (in which couple of weeks had already gone by in Afterlife ending) feels like death is just around the corner. So it really feels like someone put a lights out in a middle of epilogue.

I do remember when we moved to Amiga and Atari, PC started to be more serious option for home users too and there was this vision of interactive books, fact and fiction, then that never happened.

Back in the day many thought cyberpunks, Gibson, Sterling, Williams among others being cynical, but for others like me, Neuromancer was huge, not because of technical aspects (it was outdated on many aspects when I read it in early 90's) but change in society, that I guess many of us felt was looming. I started reading about real life things, always tried to keep eye even on things outside my profession. I came to read this book by C. Lasch, The Culture of Narcissism. When things presented in fiction are grounded in reality, you can also find at least some answers in reality. It's an endless journey like that.

 

[OldManGamerOMG]

V's story has an impact depending on your own perspective. If you believe that happy endings are living your days with friends and just doing what it takes to get by, then it can be considered sad. V travels off with Panam, might live, but will most likely die in about six months.

If you are like me, and feel that life is about what you make of it, not how you fill your moments with personal comfort, than you will find the ending of going into space as a good and happy endings. He is living his dream, doing what he set out to do. V does not restrict himself by comfort and momentary satisfaction, but lives to leave the world different than when he arrived, and he is doing just that. In this, I see that ending as a happy ending, and one that I actually got to do for part of my life in the United States Army.

I would love to have a family and all that entails with it, but I forgone that to instead do things that you only see in movies. I lived the dream, and I do not regret it at all. I see V doing the same thing, in his own way, and I see that as a good story and ending for that character. Death comes for us all. It is what you do while you are alive that matters.