I'm new to this community and didn't have privileges to post anywhere except here and "Gameplay." If mods feel this thread would be better placed elsewhere, please feel free to move.
Cyberpunk 2077 is the first work of art in twenty years to stir such intense emotions in me. I laughed, I choked up, I even rocked out. I found myself completely immersed in this world in ways I didn’t think possible anymore. This is what I dreamt video games would one day become when I was kid. It’s a masterclass in world-building, production quality, set pieces, open-world design, and character development all coming together. The entire team at CDPR should be proud. You created something special, and I want to sincerely thank you for bringing it to life. It’s going to be hard to find anything that measures up after this.
That said, as someone who now cares deeply about this game, I wanted to offer some feedback on the endings. When I reached the final decision, I tried to choose based on everything the game had shown me. Throughout the story, V is repeatedly reminded how dangerous it is to cross a corporation: almost certain death. Multiple characters, including Johnny, warn you about the cost of dragging the people you care about into war with a corp, even calling his decision to do so his greatest regret. With that context in mind, calling Panam for help felt like it would put her and the Aldecaldos in grave danger. The game emphasized that was a near certainty. So I chose what felt to be the more cautious, pragmatic path to protect the people I cared about (Accept Hanako's Offer) while still maintaining V's autonomy.
That outcome left me feeling like the game punished me. Once I committed to the path, it offered little room for my character to respond to new information or changing circumstances. I felt locked in from the start, rather than allowing V to reconsider or diverge as events unfolded. I walked away feeling as though I had been steered away from the ending I was hoping for, with the prospect of harm to Panam as leverage. And when I found out my concern was needless, I felt betrayed by the game's own well-established foreshadowing.
I’m not against bittersweet or difficult endings. I just believe the decision and consequences should feel logically connected to the risks and warnings the game itself presents, and that players should have some space to make minor adjustments to their course when new and unforeseeable information makes their original choice feel wrong. I'm not alone here and I think similar criticisms have been made by other players for different endings along similar lines.
A few suggestions that might strengthen future endings:
Even though the endings are the one area where the execution didn’t quite match the quality of everything that came before, thank you again for creating something that moved me so deeply. It was still a special experience. I hope you take my thoughts into consideration moving forward with your other titles.
Cyberpunk 2077 is the first work of art in twenty years to stir such intense emotions in me. I laughed, I choked up, I even rocked out. I found myself completely immersed in this world in ways I didn’t think possible anymore. This is what I dreamt video games would one day become when I was kid. It’s a masterclass in world-building, production quality, set pieces, open-world design, and character development all coming together. The entire team at CDPR should be proud. You created something special, and I want to sincerely thank you for bringing it to life. It’s going to be hard to find anything that measures up after this.
That said, as someone who now cares deeply about this game, I wanted to offer some feedback on the endings. When I reached the final decision, I tried to choose based on everything the game had shown me. Throughout the story, V is repeatedly reminded how dangerous it is to cross a corporation: almost certain death. Multiple characters, including Johnny, warn you about the cost of dragging the people you care about into war with a corp, even calling his decision to do so his greatest regret. With that context in mind, calling Panam for help felt like it would put her and the Aldecaldos in grave danger. The game emphasized that was a near certainty. So I chose what felt to be the more cautious, pragmatic path to protect the people I cared about (Accept Hanako's Offer) while still maintaining V's autonomy.
That outcome left me feeling like the game punished me. Once I committed to the path, it offered little room for my character to respond to new information or changing circumstances. I felt locked in from the start, rather than allowing V to reconsider or diverge as events unfolded. I walked away feeling as though I had been steered away from the ending I was hoping for, with the prospect of harm to Panam as leverage. And when I found out my concern was needless, I felt betrayed by the game's own well-established foreshadowing.
I’m not against bittersweet or difficult endings. I just believe the decision and consequences should feel logically connected to the risks and warnings the game itself presents, and that players should have some space to make minor adjustments to their course when new and unforeseeable information makes their original choice feel wrong. I'm not alone here and I think similar criticisms have been made by other players for different endings along similar lines.
A few suggestions that might strengthen future endings:
- More clarity, even subtle, around the potential outcomes of major decisions. Or, failing that...
- Greater variation based on side content and earlier choices. For example, allowing characters like Meredith Stout, Maiko, or others the player has built relationships with to influence events in minor ways as the character prepares and progresses to the credits.
- Allowing for meaningful divergence or second thoughts once a path is chosen, rather than locking the player in completely and held hostage (quite literally in my case) to their path.
- Consequences/outcomes that match the game's own logic, setting, and messaging.
Even though the endings are the one area where the execution didn’t quite match the quality of everything that came before, thank you again for creating something that moved me so deeply. It was still a special experience. I hope you take my thoughts into consideration moving forward with your other titles.
Last edited: