Phantom Liberty - The story just doesn't... work for me? (some spoilers included)

[StupidAndSpicy]

I've been a HUGE cyberpunk fan since day one, never bothered by any bugs etc. as the story of the main game was really fantastic in my eyes. So of course I was damn excited for some brand new content but it seems im kind of... disappointing? underwhelming?

I can't really put my finger on it, but PL just doesn't fly for me the same way the base game does. It doesn't really feel like a part of V's story for me. Suddenly getting involved with the god damn president all that NUSA/FIA stuff just seems so over the top and out of place for V.
One thing that makes CP2077s story so neat is the irrelevance of V at a greater scale, some quest do a really great job of "putting you to your place" because V just doesn't have the power/influence to rip off some main-character-hero-cliche-move to bend everything to a preferred outcome, and suddenly we're the only contact person to rescue the president?
And as the story continues, I just can't connect with any of the characters... as much as I adore idris elba as an actor, I didn't really care for what reed or songbird had going on... some stuff like the identity-theft thingy with the twins were nice touches though.
The unlocked ending for the main game also kinda sucks to be honest, i'll rather stick with the nomads for my personal cannon...
I don't really know what I expected overall, but the whole thing wasn't really all that entertaining for me and somehow felt strapped onto the main story rather than nicely flowing into it.. maybe I just wished for a dlc with something really f*ck off crazy like it turns out brandon was actually sentient and made it behind the blackwall and seems to have a way figured out to extract johnny to the net... I mean with all the possibilities that night city holds, PL just kinda felt not all that creative for me...

Well, not really a rant as I dont particularly dislike anything about the dlc or mean to hate, I just wanted to share my thoughts...

 

[Vixpunk]

Phantom Liberty storyline was certainly pulled from the Die Hard franchise, that's for sure. I can't judge the story until I complete it, but switching from PL to gigs in Night City is uneven to say the least. I am enjoying the oppressive feel of PL which helps in keeping the scale down.

 

[Boonatron]

The point of Cyberpunk is that there are no happy endings in life. All the options you have are bad but you can only pick the least worst.

Yet V can still choose whether to sink into opportunism and self-interest like everyone else or decide be the person he/she wants to be. Either choice will come at a price.

 

[Alekzie]

The point of Cyberpunk is that there are no happy endings in life. All the options you have are bad but you can only pick the least worst.

Yet V can still choose whether to sink into opportunism and self-interest like everyone else or decide be the person he/she wants to be. Either choice will come at a price.

The 'least worst' I would have picked was making V tell their friends and love interest exactly what is going to happen, where they will be and what are the risks, and if they decided to ghost V, get mad at them, break up with them after doing that, at least our conscious is clear. The issue is that for a game who gives you the illusion of giving you choices, they couldn't bother to put a choice that many players would have picked, cause it was better to create drama and bitterseetness, and ince losing your cyberware isn't enough, they gonna make it worse by making people you invsted time and cared about to abandon you. Hell, in the end where Johnny keeps V's body Panam put more effort and showed more interest than what we got in PL.
It has never been written on paper that cyberpunk always has to be depressive as fuck. You already stopped being a merc and lost the chrome, that isn't a happy ending already, but then taking away your friends/lovers? Nah. It was lack of good writing. Everything else in the game I enjoy (except maybe the broken NCPD AI and unbalanced component/junk issue), but the ending forces you to go into a straight line too hard. And if you don't choose that end where everyone abandons you just cause CDPR didn't give us a choice to tell everything to our friends, then you gotta choose the other endings where you're just destined to die.

 

[jhhood86]

they gonna make it worse by making people you invsted time and cared about to abandon you.

This is exactly why I’m disappointed. I get you’re a crippled at the end but why would the NUSA/FIA not contact the loved ones while you were gone for that long if you were on good terms? One of the reasons I hated the OG ending was because I couldn’t end up with my friends/lovers so I was happy that PL was giving us a alternate way to survive… I thoroughly enjoyed the content in PL but the ending sucked a fat one

 

[Glok256]

My problem with the story is, outside of the ending being very very bleak, too bleak I would say, is that I'm having a hard time rationalizing how V could choose any ending where the cure is offered and not take the cure.

Like, what is the character's motivation to turn down the cure unless we know outside of the game, metagame if you will, how that turns out?

It's the entire point of the story, to survive, V says it over and over and an option is given and you're just supposed to say no? It's the real reason why I picked an ending where we don't get the cure, even though I'd much rather not side with bird, because it just doesn't make sense and I personally hate that ending.

Edit: Also, no one seems to mention this because of course we don't like how our friends change, but it also is so bleak in night city itself. Everyone is moving on, leaving, vic sells out, the city is completely in the grasp of the corporations. It's all around telling you that you chose poorly, and I just think it's overly negative for the sake of being negative.

 

[ENZLEY]

Phantom Liberty storyline was certainly pulled from the Die Hard franchise, that's for sure. I can't judge the story until I complete it, but switching from PL to gigs in Night City is uneven to say the least. I am enjoying the oppressive feel of PL which helps in keeping the scale down.

I was thinking it was more 'Escape from New York' more than anything. It's uncanny.

But let's be honest, 2077 is nothing but a giant homage to most of our favorite action/horror/scifi films. I love it.

 

[Kormac67]

I picked an ending where we don't get the cure, even though I'd much rather not side with bird, because it just doesn't make sense and I personally hate that ending.

You can side with Reed and

Spoiler

in the end kill So Mi as she begs you to.

You also don't get the cure then.

 

[CreepySpydre]

I did not mind Phantom Liberty. At the very least the writers at least talked to each other, and not have the disjointed mess the original story had, by being in conflicting with itself. I will not have the new ending with this V as she went full team Songbird. From what I saw, on Youtube I have to agree with the OP, Nomad ending is the better ending, using literary logic. (I know flimsy at best)

 

[Liquidcyberpunk]

Negative: No arasaka assassins hunting you throughout the entire game
Positives: I play everyday. The entire experience, story and characters is just a work of art.

 

[Martind_Forlon_]

The story is awesome ... the "lucky" end was sad like a hell, I really needed forcefully persuade myself to watch it to the end. Just to say, really not, what I think my V would want, and therefore she is just now on her way to prepare fight with Maxtac


She is wanting to help people and do not be fading away as nobody in unfaced crowd ... this is btw the question which Dex asked V in his limo when V first time met him. And there was also answer which V gave (used choice) to Johny about what is the worst ... When someone cannot die on his terms ... NUSA is exactly the same, if not worse as Arasaka ... I really look forward to the moment when Mayers find out that things didnt played out exactly as she wanted/ordered

 

[Tricky81]

Yeah it's a little contrived. But it works better with a late-game V.

 

[Vixpunk]

Despite the bleak endings I give the game an A+ overall. it's been an enthralling experience. A shame Cyberpunk 2 won't come out for many years.

 

[tavellone]

I do think the idea that V suddenly gets wrapped up with the president of the NUSA to be a bit over the top of you think about it too much, but I think the story is so consice and well written that it didn't bother me one bit. The only complaint, other than the new ending being dogshit, is that I wish there was more interaction with the main story and characters other than a few phone calls and then never mentioning it again. I didn't continue to play the game very much after I finished PL yet so correct me if I'm wrong, but you can call Panam and tell her everything you do and that you may have a cure, but after the story, no matter which choice you make, you make no reference to these events and she doesn't even bother to ask you at any point, 'Hey V, what happened with you being a secret agent and that cure you were talking about.'

The expansion feels quite disconnected from the main game and I wish this were not the case, but otherwise it was very good. Good storytelling, gameplay, setpieces, characters, voice acting. The OST also really stood out for me too. The main game's soundtrack is good, but for me PL stepped it up to another level.

 

[CTPhipps]

This is exactly why I’m disappointed. I get you’re a crippled at the end but why would the NUSA/FIA not contact the loved ones while you were gone for that long if you were on good terms? One of the reasons I hated the OG ending was because I couldn’t end up with my friends/lovers so I was happy that PL was giving us a alternate way to survive… I thoroughly enjoyed the content in PL but the ending sucked a fat one

I literally think they would have the same reactions if they did contact them.

"Your friend is in a coma and probably won't wake up. However, he's on life support."

Then it stays that way for TWO YEARS.

Panam not wanting to speak with you because of anguish and personal torment makes sense because reactions aren't rationale in that kind of situation.

 

[GreyPuddin]

80% sure Phantom Liberty wasn't written as a Cyberpunk story originally. It's a spy/thriller with a thin layer of chrome.

Not to say I didn't enjoy the DLC. Idris Elba was amazing in my opinion.

 

[CTPhipps]

80% sure Phantom Liberty wasn't written as a Cyberpunk story originally. It's a spy/thriller with a thin layer of chrome.

Not to say I didn't enjoy the DLC. Idris Elba was amazing in my opinion.

to be fair, spy stories are very common in cyberpunk.

I wrote the Agent G novels as "James Bond meets Blade Runner."

 

[GreyPuddin]

Saw that in your signature and thought you may have something to say about that.

In the interest of brevity, I left my comment kinda open. When I said "Cyberpunk" I meant Nightcity really. To remove Nightcity (as a character) from Phantom Liberty makes it feel disjointed from the main quest. Even though Dog town is part of Nightcity, Phantom Liberty could have taken place anywhere. Where as, Silverhand's story could only happen in Night city.

Hope that makes sense. I'm kinda a scatterbrain and I do not forum very often.

 

[AlienSpaceBats]

There's a lot of stuff to enjoy in Phantom Liberty. Some of the secret agent stuff was fun.

But I think the plot came out of nowhere. There was potential for something far more interesting that was hinted at in the base game, Night Corp conditioning (Peralez, etc.), the mystery surrounding the 2023 AHQ bombing (Johnny as unreliable narrator) ...

I also found it a bit funny that V at this point has come into contact with a who's who? of major characters from the setting. Not only do they witness Saburo Arasaka's murder, they have the engram of Johnny Silverhand in their head, find the body of the Rache Bartmoss in a fridge, Kill Adam Smasher, and save the life of the president of the NUSA.

It was like writing a fanfic and having your OC meet every character in [whatever setting, LotR, Star Wars? Pick one].

 

[LeKill3rFou]

It was like writing a fanfic and having your OC meet every character in [whatever setting, LotR, Star Wars? Pick one].

You're likely right
Mike Pondsmith : "Cyberpunk 2077 is a fanfic made by fans for fans"