River Ward Feedback (Spoilers)

[Jennyfurkins]

Dear Projektred,

I am here to give feedback on the River Ward story. When I first played Cyberpunk, I went in blind. I did not know about the engram story. I was not attached to the V character, I thought to myself, "Why the fuck would I care if I died or lived?" Then I met River, a character actually worth living for. After meeting him I became obsessed with the game. I was thinking about how excited to get off work and play and beat bad guys with River. The ending of the storyline feels so cut short. Is there meant to be more with him? I get texts from his sister as if I will see their family member soon, but it never comes. River is always in the same spot after and never answers his phone. I don't understand how Judy and Panem can be major influences and stay with the story line until the end, and River is treated as a non-romancable character? It is just cut so short with him even seeing "I'll see you later?" and nothing happens. It is pretty heartbreaking in a way. Please consider adding more.

Jenny

 

[esperri]

100% agree, he gets 3 side quest where everyone else gets a few more in addition to tying into the main story. Would pay extra for a DLC that explores the political/NCPD scene from a PI's side working alongside River, the mayor, etc. Of all the areas that feel "cut for time" this storyline felt like it got hurt the most.

 

[MollyRazor]

Maybe you declined his approach?

 

[StormyPiano]

Jennyfurkins,
I agree with you that River's romance is lacking, I have heard from others and seen some myself that other romances, such as the one with Judy, have more interaction after the romantic encounter your have. For Judy, when you call her you get to actually talk to her and you can interact with her in person as well. When it comes to River all you can do is mention a small set of conversation topics as he never leaves his porch and you never really get to interact with him.

 

[Krul2k]

Atually after the sex scene with Judy you say cya judy then she never moves from her apartment window, that "phone her" and talk to her you mention consists of dialogue thats available way before any romance happens and never changes.

All "romance" options are bad, when i say bad i mean the actual romance is diabolical and nothing but a after thought at best for all options.

Friendship, the whole part excluding the sex scene, is very well done for them all but the romance is non existent, just as you think the "romance" is starting its over, each interest gets a sex scene and your done, that is all that seperates the friendship route from the romance route, a sex scene.

River has a few more problems though, right up there being a side quest easily missed

 

[poldengonyboy]

This happens with every romance option and it's tragic. I've heard people say the same thing about Judy, It def happened to me and many others with Panam and I'm sure it's happened w Kerry.

The Romance/Friend characters in this game are some of, if not the best characters. Yet we get like 1-2 hours with each of them and then they basically fade away from existence. Idk why CDPR cut so much content from these characters, but it's killin me D;

 

[Trinixy]

I can confirm this to be the same case with Judy, like you there was nothing more important to me than her, going tru her story and quests and intimate romantic moments. But the relationship ends at the start and after the intimacy, while I can talk to her there is nothing more but the ending to look forward to. The lack of affection you can give to your loved partner is depressing. In case of Judy she makes a sweet gesture and allows you to have full access to her apartment but it basically doesn't do anything but let you stash things.
The one character you got so emotionally invested in has no bearing on the rest of you journey or decision making, and they are likely your most important thing in Night City. They can be such a strong narrative device for your time in the city but they are left unexplored and never fully integrated. I've written before what I felt could give us more time and life for them.

1. Your character of choice for romance should be the only one that calls you by your full name after the start of the relationship.

2. Work on what is there already and build on it, randomize and expand the answers these characters can give us, its same lines atm, have them surprise us with different answers based on met conditions. If i ask Judy what new braindances she mixed up have her tell me 5 different things and let me choose other things to say based on her response.

3. More messages and text responses, this shouldn't be difficult but its what couples do endlessly so please. If they ask me what i want to eat for dinner or arrange a dinner after based on my response.... you get the point.

4. More quests together, casual or serious, romantic and sweet. Don't tell me that there isn't some misfit that wouldn't try get back at me tru my gf/bf in Night City, you can make so many stories its a damn gold mine.

5. More intimacy, option to kiss, hug should be somewhere in these responses we give to our lover. Ways to trigger more sex scenes with our partner, the ones already there are so damn tasteful and more of them would be a true love letter to us all.

6. Don't make it easy. We want the challenge and sharp decision making to getting into the heart of ones we love. Triggering the intimate scenes should come with perfect decision making in dialogue choices and actions in quests/events.

7. Make more use of that apartment after they let us live with them i beg of you.

8. Let us take them with us in our car or on our bike on a mission. These characters are basically invincible and invisible anyways so just having them as support fire and some dialogue would mean so much already.

 

[vinitry]

Dear Projektred,

I am here to give feedback on the River Ward story. When I first played Cyberpunk, I went in blind. I did not know about the engram story. I was not attached to the V character, I thought to myself, "Why the fuck would I care if I died or lived?" Then I met River, a character actually worth living for. After meeting him I became obsessed with the game. I was thinking about how excited to get off work and play and beat bad guys with River. The ending of the storyline feels so cut short. Is there meant to be more with him? I get texts from his sister as if I will see their family member soon, but it never comes. River is always in the same spot after and never answers his phone. I don't understand how Judy and Panem can be major influences and stay with the story line until the end, and River is treated as a non-romancable character? It is just cut so short with him even seeing "I'll see you later?" and nothing happens. It is pretty heartbreaking in a way. Please consider adding more.

Jenny

there are severals quests with River (and others characters like Judy too). I finished the 1st quest with River about the Mayor killed. Then some days later ingame, I didn't expect River called me back to another investigation about his nephew. I get more interesting and involved on the 2nd quest because we discover his family. It started a possible romance with River but in the dialog choice I refused to get in. Johnny made fun of that. I like a lot the 2nd quest, it was like a David Fincher movie, a real thriller investigation.

I mean the 1st River quest is wich we get by Peralez couple. And again, Peralez call me back for a sequel quest I haven't started yet.

 

[LaraDenton]

It's an unfinished mess... Just the fact that you can completely miss the quests and the romance shows that the devs didn't give a rat's ass about it. Given that he's part of NCPD, he could have had a tiny appearance connected with the main quest. Just to put him on the map, sort of speaking. It's understandable (sort of) that not all characters can be strongly connected with the main quest, but, you know, give us a hint.

I do hope that while reading through their forums, some decision-making heads might take notice. And, while highly unlikely, I also hope that they will add to the romances. Just to add a storage box and a sleep button on the bed if nothing else. Or move the LI to V's apartment.

 

[stiglitz74]

I think there has only been one other single time in my gaming life (about 35 years) in which I have felt awe or been floored by an interaction in game. One was when I crested a peak in Morrowind and I just sat my character down and drank in the spectacle - what was cutting edge then captivated me.
The Judy questline in Cyberpunk is the other thing that made me realize how undeserved the backlash against CDPR has been. Not that they shouldn't have had their heads slapped for their console promises, but the effect Judy has had on me is not only surprising and a bit embarrassing, it has left me feeling desperate for more. Sadly, I caught a glimpse of the suicide ending on Youtube and while I didn't watch Judy's recording, I could feel it through a couple of comments. Truly harrowing. Hats off to CDPR for the writing, voice acting, and character designs. Erotic stuff totally aside, I feel an addiction to a computer character which is unsettling but oh so fine.

 

[Trinixy]

I think there has only been one other single time in my gaming life (about 35 years) in which I have felt awe or been floored by an interaction in game. One was when I crested a peak in Morrowind and I just sat my character down and drank in the spectacle - what was cutting edge then captivated me.
The Judy questline in Cyberpunk is the other thing that made me realize how undeserved the backlash against CDPR has been. Not that they shouldn't have had their heads slapped for their console promises, but the effect Judy has had on me is not only surprising and a bit embarrassing, it has left me feeling desperate for more. Sadly, I caught a glimpse of the suicide ending on Youtube and while I didn't watch Judy's recording, I could feel it through a couple of comments. Truly harrowing. Hats off to CDPR for the writing, voice acting, and character designs. Erotic stuff totally aside, I feel an addiction to a computer character which is unsettling but oh so fine.

Welcome to the forum choom, trust me you are not alone, there are so many of us that are in therapy here because of Judy or Panam, River, Kerry. All desperate to get more time with them, you will find likeminded people and there is nothing embarrassing about it, we were all so caught off guard, last we expected from CB2077 was that we would be left paralyzed over this lovestruck crush about a virtual character.

Here is to hoping we get more ways to develop our relationship and story with them, these characters will always be the best value we can get from CP2077 so never let them fade away!

 

[linegenrou]

this game has an enormous list of wasted characters, aside from Panam, all of them were kicked to the side once you finish their personal quest

ffs, ME2 did that so amazingly well. You get people to help you out, complete their personal quest, they're your friends now and you go off with them on a suicide mission. there's a bond.

cyberpunk you do some personal quests, once it's done you can have three lines of dialogue option with them on the phone or texting, and then they only show up again in the credits.

 

[Fuse_00]

It is more or less the same for all 4 romances on the game. You do a few quests for this character, and that is all, he/she disappears after.

That is actually understandable since Cyberpunk is not party-based RPG as Mass Effect/Dragon age, Divinity OS and such, where your love interest is also your companion, going with you all the way.

But I agree, devs could do better than that. Witcher's Triss and Yennifer seem to have more influence on the main story than any of Cyberpunk's romances.

And also agree that River's quest is the shortest a less detailed than others. He was not obviously the target for CDPR.

 

[Yllana_Ardais]

cyberpunk you do some personal quests, once it's done you can have three lines of dialogue option with them on the phone or texting, and then they only show up again in the credits.

and the funniest thing? The characters obviously want to talk to you and are annoyed if you just walk away from the same constant three lines of dialogue, but you can't even say thanks and bye.

 

[OtakuBurrito]

SPOILER HEAVY RESPONSE

With River specifically, I really hope that they add things where you show up on his radar before because you take the NCPD quests and you two just keep bumping into each other on these perp busts. There was a lot of potential there with how he reacts with you beating up the Tiger Claws harassing his truck and what happens depending on what you do.

It would feel more genuine when he talks about how he had to shoot his last girl because they were on opposite sides of the law. V performing negative actions against cops gets a bounty on her head and eventually River has to come to collect. But that would also mean putting in a bounty system that did more than deter enemies. It would be cool to see cops come to you or avoid you like his former partner because of your current status as a merc.

Then you can tie things in like you background. So like former corpo redeems themselves through helping people in the same streets they once used for gain/profit. Street kid merc whose always been at ends with the law. Nomad coming to the big city and making a name for themselves.

Plus each of these backstories can link into his past with his parents in a certain way. So as a nomad your clan was on the outskirts of where the incident happened, heard about it, and they decided to enact revenge because they understand how important family is. That's why they never caught the guys. Street kids saw him growing up in their system and felt for them but things turned kind of sour when he decided to be a cop. But he still keeps in touch with the neighborhood. With corpo your parents could have sponsored him as like a "miracle kid" (support them in a group home, pay for their education, etc.) and you know him from photos you've seen.

All of these have the potential to have River appear a LOT sooner than he does now.

 

[seracy]

And also agree that River's quest is the shortest a less detailed than others. He was not obviously the target for CDPR.

Panam's arc was built so well. Judy is a close second. The male romance arcs were both crammed into the end of their final quests. River and Kerry are both great characters and players with male preferences deserved more. Very disappointing if you're not into female romances.

Worse - River does not have an ending that feels particularly "happy". Even the "happy" ending ends with an argument with River basically begging to be let in so that he can help V, but V dodges his questions. Poor guy

 

[Verteska]

Worse - River does not have an ending that feels particularly "happy". Even the "happy" ending ends with an argument with River basically begging to be let in so that he can help V, but V dodges his questions. Poor guy

Yea... this was an insult to injury. Spent over half the game not able to talk to him or tell him what is happening to V after their water-tower event... then at the end of it all... it's some sort of awkward pissing match? Does not make a lick of sense. Very disappointed. I hope there is a DLC or patch SOON that can fix this mess.

 

[crawfordman]

river and takemura were great characters that needed to be fleshed more out imo.

 

[koreankazkatowic]

Heavy spoilers

I would say that in general the male romanceable characters are just so much weaker than the female, which are super strong, earn our respect and are just super cool. I mean what the hell?!

River is a walking guilt - feeling bad about not suporting his family and loosing his job. I think the most depressing thing about relationship with him is not even breaking up at the end of the Aldecados ending, but going through this generic porch dialogue option which was like: "I have a feeling we are not heading toward a happy ending". That on the top of the fact that he is living with his sister and not even answering calls - it just couldn't end well. I almost felt sorry for his character when in the credit message he says that he is constantly thinking "what if he went with V" and maybe he will visit once Joss is better. Let's be honest, this ain't happening in this century.

And then there is Kerry, who is like my favorite comedy relief character after Takemura (but of course Takemura has also a lots of depth). Obviously in love with Johnny and desperate for his approval. I just finished the quest where he asks for help in destroying some poor k-pop girls band. Seriously guys... Romancing Panam is just so much easier...

Panam is the most useful character in the whole game and River doesn't even know that I have Johnny Silverhand in my head. What kind of romance is that, a grammar school? How could we not have a quest in which River at least asks V what's her story.

So all together I would say for me the biggest problem is that they decided from the very begining that the romance with River will not end well and therefore they didn't give it a lot of exposition. But they left the clues for that all over the place. Thing is it kind of took a lot of joy from playing once I realized V is not going home with a guy she fell for.

 

[Ninivekha]

and River doesn't even know that I have Johnny Silverhand in my head. What kind of romance is that, a grammar school? How could we not have a quest in which River at least asks V what's her story.

I think you somehow skipped some of his dialogue? Because I remember talking about the Johnny situation with him.