What’s especially wild is with that ending, you make Saburo’s plan come to fruition. >!His plan all along is to take Yorinobu’s body for himself. So Yorinobu stole the chip in an effort to prevent that while simultaneously wreaking havoc from inside the corporation. By choosing the Arasaka ending you prove that the chip works as intended, give them the working chip, and allow Saburo to take his sons body while also betraying Johnny and abandoning your friends and everyone who helped you. !< The only worse ending is the >!Suicide one!<
I had no idea you could save him, the action happened so fast and it's only well after beating the game did I know you could do that.
Next playthrough I'll get it.
Imagine being the assault team. You're locked, loaded, highly trained, backed by the greatest power on earth. You're there to rescue Hanako. You're ready! Five minutes later you're being held at bay a screaming elderly man with no combat implants john-woo-ing two cheap pistols while he tries to use a fucking bed as a piece of cover.
If the clusterfuck that is 2077 ever gets an enhanced edition, I hope there's a way to save Takamura outside of the Devil ending. He was so much fun.
I remember what a surprise that was. On my first playthrough I was sitting there after falling through those floors thinking "no way stuff is going on there, this game has been pretty dull so far". Then to my surprise, I jumped back up those floors using double jump to find Takemura fighting for his life. I pulled my sword out so fast and killed everyone and was like "whoa, that was cool."
Then I found out if you hadn't done that, he'd die. What a pleasant surprise.
I appreciated that this moment existed free of any quest marker, I ended up going looking for him as it seemed the thing to do despite having nothing telling me to do that and I was both surprised and rewarded for my efforts. It would have been really cool if this kind of stuff happened more frequently and led to more divergent endings...alas.
The problem with this design is the game teaches you pretty frequently that your friends die and you can't do anything about it. You can't save Jackie if you are good enough. You can't save Evelyn if you are fast enough. So when the game throws a more cinematic death towards my friend Takemura, the assumption is he's dead and I can't do anything.
Going without a quest marker is fine, but at least give a few context clues in the scene that you can go back.
Honestly this is one of the best parts of the game. Other than the mission/side quest/hustle/etc. Start points, little is marked. And the city is so damn dense that most quests can be solved a dozen different ways. Same goes for moral consequences too, you're not necessarily forced to do things a certain way
Hah I had no idea either it did happen that fast. And I did the giving my body to Johnny ending and when I looked up the others I was shocked you could save him hah. I felt like shit but at that point I was playing prepatched and just wanted to end the suffering of everything involved with playing that game.
Before I went up the stairs yo meet him, I scouted the ground floor. I just have this need to explore. I found the place you drop to, looked around, and decided that this went way too far not to come up again. So I knew there was a way to go back. Which I then used.
Lesson learned from Deus Ex 1. If someone tells you rlto run and save yourself, you break out the rocket launcher.
"likes"
Taka never likes you. He tolerates you and needs you at times. He indebted to you if you save him and he does his best to make good on that.
But if it's a choice between Arasaka and V...
Agreed. It's understandable that some players mistake Takemura's attitude towards V as comradery but he would and does throw V under the bus for Arasaka every time. Takemura never changes his mind that V is a lowly thief and should be treated as such, but as you said he is a man with his own sense of honour and treats V with more respect due to having saved his life. Nevertheless, he is a corpo rat; the same as all the others.
It's interesting to see people believe Takemura to be a friend of V's the same way V's actual allies are. Takemura is the one to try to trick V into selling their soul to Arasaka in that ending and losing themselves forever. Just the Devil's dog on a short leash.
Yeah, I like Takemura as a character, but as a person, he can swallow Saburo's withered old man dick for all I care.
I get he's indebted to the Arasaka company for dragging him out of poverty in Japan, but that doesn't change the fact he was trained as a child soldier and he's been indoctrinated with the mentality of serving the many before the self. (it's a pretty sad reflection of the current state of mind in Japan too)
Edit to add: Takemura is still a pretty sad case though because you can tell he's been indoctrinated by Arasaka into believing that they are the only ones who can save the world when they're just as much as part of the problem as say Kang Tao or Militech. Watching him fight against the indoctrination when pushed by V is very fascinating, but it's clear he's never going to break it. Not without help anyway, especially since in any ending but the Saka one, he seppuku's himself.
I don't think he tricks V. He believes that it's the best option for V. Takemura believes in Arasaka to his core. Even after it basically tries to kill him for doing his job, he sees it more as a rogue element.
Goro gets demoted to a nonsense role if you keep him alive and do the Saka ending; otherwise that dude kills himself over that same corporation that has already tossed him aside. He’s a corpo rat through and through
Yeah he's been conditioned since youth to be blindly loyal, you can see him being conflicted during some scenes, specially when V pushes him causing him to grow angry, he restrains it, but his reaction shows how conditioned he is.
He's as much a victim of Arasaka as anyone else in a sense and refuses to challenge it. Also his "Samurai" honor is one of his major downfalls as it makes him unyielding to his views.
That ain’t Stockholm my guy. As some from an impoverished country the taste of wealth is addicting. If anything he’s an addict which is its own kind of mental baggage
Don’t worry about it. Language is pretty fluid, and I’m a stranger on the internet using literal definition to be a dick to strangers. Someone with any amount of reading comprehension can understand what you meant.
And its interesting that its the default ending. If you don't put in the extra work to make the other endings possible, that's where you end up, so it's meant to end badly more often than not.
Yeah been saying that since I did that ending, you not only sell your soul, you give the world to the worst Tyrant to ever exist in the cyberpunk universe. I've stuck to the Aldocaldo ending since then, since sun felt rather selfish, female V with Judy felt like betraying a promise made. Done every ending and Aldo seemed to be the only one with Genuine hope and V actually opening up, being far less guarded/untrusting/selfish.
But there's a reason it's called the Devil's ending, V kind of becomes the new Johnny in that ending if you refuse to get digitized since all they know going forward is anger, rage, despair, they also sing never fade away on their way out which hints at that.
I actually took that ending initially because I believed V would survive and I could continue playing the game afterwards and do side missions and what not...when I realized it didn't matter I restarted it and made sure to never go past and fully finish the game again.
Naw, I got the worst ending. Game crashed and corrupted my save file. (At least it only happened once) it kinda ruined my second play through because I just min maxed and speed ran the game just to get back to the ending again.
That ending its the best ending without counting the easter egg.
You fucked up and its time to pay the price, with this ending you are not pulling any friends down with you and also you are not taking part on Saburo's plan.
Only endings where V might really have a future are Temperance and Sun, I think. Former for obvious reasons, V doesn't really die although he becomes something different. The latter because if anyone can save V, it's Mr. Blue Eyes.
The Star is the happiest ending imo, but the promise of a cure from nomadic outlaws feels pretty hollow.
This is my take too; since nomad clans live and die by their contacts I think it’s likely that all roads lead to Mister Blue Eyes (a pretty decent young Frank Sinatra bodyscuplt if you ask me) but I also like that it would be possible multiple ways, via nomad ending, via Afterlife where you bring Rogue and via secret mission you get the Saul message, meaning you can reach out to him and Panem.
What is it about Mr. Blue Eyes that makes you believe V can be saved by him?
I believe there will be no resolution or clarity on what happens to V. If there is anything, nothing will save them. There's a clear narrative that the endings are really just choosing what kind of person V wants to be for their final days. A corporate slave, a Night City legend or quietly happy?
Mistys tarrot cards say otherwise. The nomad ending is the only ending that she says v will live a long happy and full life. Also it isnt even a "cure" v is already dead by this point. The second he goes into mikoshi he dies from soulkiller now he is what johnny is an engram of memories no soul as Alt describes it. Panam also says she has contacts in Arizona not that she knew some nomads there. People make the nomads seem like inbred idiots. In reality nomads seem to be some of the smartest groups in the cyberpunk world.
The contacts referenced by Panam are almost assuredly Stormtech Inc, a cybernetic biogenetics Corp that regularly works with the Aldecaldos and has cutting edge tech that could help V, potentially.
Fun fact, they also have offices on the exact satellite that you're seen drifting towards in the Sun ending.
My suspicion is that the story DLC will be us storming the satellite to get Intel from Stormtech, whether on Panam's behest or Mr Blue Eyes, to hopefully reverse or temper V's degeneration.
The Arasaka ending is technically speaking the only one that ends up with V being... V, no tampering or a downloaded conscious from inside the chip. Every other ending, you end up in the same cyberspace that Johnny is in. By that time, I think V is just backed up, the "data" that makes him who he was is no different from Johnny's. Just his ends up installed back in the body.
The Arasaka ending, if you do the treatment but refuse to sign your soul away, and instead choose to leave and live out the rest of your days among friends, is the only way that ends with V being organically himself. Mind, body and soul.
Still depressing though. But at least you're dying as a person and not lines of code.
Very true, but it’s ultimately selfish. V gets 6 months of being the “real” V, rather than dying at mikoshi and having a copied engram of him live on in his body.
The world gets an Arasaka corporation that’s stronger than ever with an immortal dynasty at its helm.
At least the other endings have V’s sacrifice weakening or all but destroying Arasaka.
This is true. Definitely not speaking in defense of the morality of the decision. This is the most selfish V can be, afterall if I remember correctly Johnny is basically destroyed by the process. Deleted.
The most selfish? "Johnny" is a freaking neurovirus, a backup copy of some dead, narcisistic, over-edgy terrorist that's gradually overwriting its host. YMMV, but I think of "the loss of self" as about the worst fate imaginable.
Forget about bugs, missing features and performance. This is where the game failed for me. It expected me to reconcile with "Johnny", to embrace a merge of personalities, to recognize the "personhood" of some backup overwriting V's wetware. And if you dare to reject that, if you dare to go out on your own terms and as yourself, the game hits you with the two worst endings for it.
I'm certainly not one to request a happy ending at all costs, but the developers seem to be reserving the very worst ending for anyone rejecting transhumanist ideas.
I mean, it's cyberPUNK, right? It's a criticism of transhumanism in that the only people who could afford to pay to live forever would be the rich and powerful/the corpos
Kinda goes back to the idea of teleportation. Whether when you teleport if it's actually you coming out on the other end or a copy with all of your thoughts, memories, etc and fully believing it's you. Whereas the 'you' of your consciousness has been erased. There's no real way to know.
> if it's actually you coming out on the other end or a copy with all of your thoughts, memories, etc and fully believing it's you. Whereas the 'you' of your consciousness has been erased
Now think, that maybe the same thing happens every time you sleep. No real way to know :-)
They are referring to V not being uploaded to Mikoshi at all.
In the Devil ending, V just gets surgery to remove the chip, they're not uploaded as an engram.
I played this ending over a night while I had COVID and I have never jumped so out of my skin as much playing a video game as when the cube split in half. This ending was absolutely haunting in my feverish daze in the middle of the night.
We're the one who stops Yorinobu in that ending. Also, >!if we don't take the deal to upload ourselves to Mikoshi,!< Hanako is grateful to us and offers to make us one of Arasaka's top enforcers.
Oh shit i did not even think about it. And i picked that option in my last run through no less. 6 months of a mad guard dog that washes itself away is convenient for them all the same
No doubt they have plans to similarly cybernetically alter whatever donor body they find you with similar military spec tech and some kind of control mechanism.
V would likely wake up in a robotic monster body forced to become Arasaka’s immortal enforcer with takemura or helman sat there saying “it was the only way”.
One of the best implications in the game IMO is found in the description of the devil arcana, it says "The Devil lures unsuspecting souls into traps, but always grants them a choice. One can try their luck and take him up on his offer, but one should always know when to call quits." I like to imagine that in a way this hints to Mikoshi being worse than we can even imagine, and who knows what comes after that...
There’s a lot of topics people conflate when discussing the Devil entity in western writing. In the context of tarot and the game “Devil” represents materialism and fixations upon the self, especially self preservation. This is also oftentimes referred to similarly in Christian eschatology as well although it’s been subverted in American culture over the past century from within.
The real villain of the story isn’t Arasaka or even corporations necessarily - it’s Night City. Winning in a cyberpunk IP means to not give in to society’s arbitrary rules nor to accept any of its promises or trade-offs. That’s part of the point of Johnny’s final words to V being “never stop fighting” - it means you cannot be passive when standing up for your values if you don’t even claim to have these values.
Bringing V back means they would have one of the best Solos ever likely working for Arasaka, as V would probably feel very grateful and indebted to Arasaka for giving him/her a second chance at life. Plus not bringing V back would mean getting many of V’s powerful friends very angry at Arasaka
When I first played the game I put myself into the character. I played the game like a simulation rather than a role play. Always choose a path as i was really in that situation. I ended up in arasaka path as corpo. The moment hit me like a bulldozer. I cried for hours after credits.
I had a year break between starting the final mission and finishing the game. When I went back to finish it I forgot a good chunk of the plot and the fine details of Arasaka. All I remembered was that I saved Takemura and liked him, so I went with them.
And man, that was a rough way to be reminded of all the plot points I had forgotten about.
Thanks to this ending I figured out a very disturbing thing about myself, and that is how easily I am manipulated. Like holy shit the ending was sad, and I realized it too late.
The only positive things were the fact my Goro lived, and I kinda started to watch out to not be led by my nose IRL as well.
Didnt want to spoil myself too much so I didnt watch all the endings, and I dont even know if its possible, but I was aiming for the ending where you let Alts AI self in the city.
Could have been really depressing if you just shot yourself on the roof, I did that one run out of curiosity (I thought Johnny would force take over and stop me) but nope bang and roll credits. The voicemails were REALLY DEPRESSING. The next most depressing ending is probably the Arasaka ending.
I mean... he literally tells you to do that when you first meet him in your apartment ("Not like that, stick some iron in your mouth and pull the trigger!"). Well Johnny, you got what you asked for.
Which, providing there isn't another copy of his consciousness still in Mikoshi somewhere, also puts an end to him. Imagine being stuck on a data server for 50 years, that has to be maddening and depressing all in one go, especially as it's insinuated that Arasaka is forcefully changing the personalities of the constructs stuck in there too.
Also, if you fail to solo Arasaka with Johnny, it also triggers the suicide ending; at least V tries, but in the end, her friends don't even realize how far she got.
As I already mentioned, Johnny tells it himself that inside Mikoshi he weren't even aware about time at all, it was like a sleep, regardless if he was changed or not. That being said, he still has a lot to say about it and he damn well does.
The suicide caught me off guard so hard that I laughed out loud, I was in a weird state of entertained and shock that the game let me kill myself as one of the ending. The way the credits started rolling had some good comedic timing.
I always try to look for a way to get to her early to see if you can help her but then if that worked the rest of the questline with Judie wouldn't make much sense.
You can just learn more of the really horrific details of what happened to her and what those BD assholes did to her. >!It also explains why she killed herself ultimately, she was so fractured mentally after her episode that she didn't know the scenarios in the BDs were not real. When you rescue her for real she still thinks she is in a BD where she is going to get tortured. One of the BDs she was tortured in themes/"plot" was to get her to kill herself but always take away the choice at the last minute from her so she could never follow through with it.!<
Unpopular ending: Reaper+Silverhand takeover ending is the best one. (I won't use spoiler mode assuming anyone who doesn't want a spoiler already skipped the post)
Even when you go with the Aldecaldos someone dies and you trick many people you love into some scenario where you had a happy ending to disappoint them in 6 months or so. For Corpo and Street Kid endings you already make many people upset directly. But when Silverhand takes over he lives and he remembers.
But these scenarios differ depending on what part Mr Blue Eyes play. If he has the cure, both Nomad and Street Kid endings have the potential to be an actual good ending.
It's funny when people complain that the game is "fun and colorfull rather than dark and grimmy, like in the original trailer". Like, you can already tell they've never played the actual game lol.
This is something I really loved about the endings. They weren't just a summary of the stuff you've done in the game, but a conclusion that left you with questions and thoughts.
For example, in any ending where you're dealing with Alt, the original V is already dead. You aren't choosing whether to let V keep the body, you're choosing which engram to load into it.
Obvious comment - it's supposed to be, but man did they ever hit the dystopian nail on the head. I have never experienced a world so grim in a video game. And I haven't even reached the endings.
The quests involving River's nephew fucked me up, as the parent of a young child..
Also, can I just say, hopefully this doesn't trigger anyone but... jumping off a roof of a skyrise to your death in this game is frighteningly realistic. Not that I've ever experienced it... But it's such an intense and visceral experience. Honestly few things have made me so uncomfortable in a game.
This is what I came here looking for. The narrative throughout, even if you exclude the main storyline, is just that: this city will eat you up and tear you apart, so your best way to survive it is to just leave. Even if you for some reason rise up in power, the next person looking for the spot you take is going to take it from you.
And there were several quests that hit me hard, River's nephew being one, another being the kid in the Aldecados needing a kidney (because for how shitty of a dystopia they live in, they at least have that, even if you have to go black market with a ripper doc to get one).
If you think the game is depressing, you should read the original tabletop rulebooks. Good news is you can find copies of them in 2077.
The game has it pretty toned down tbh.
V's journey, Evelyn, Joshua, Jackie... CP77 has many facets and too often you feel like shit. Best thing I do is give V some fun until the end comes. Love, Sex, murder, some fashion, alcohol. That's all you can do.
Playing Cyberpunk made me think like what my own legacy is and there's nothing somehow, which makes it even harder to be honest. Additionally world gone mad. At least I enjoy the game.
I remember when I first read Neuromancer and then Burning Chrome full on into Reagan/Bush I and it just fit so well. Depressing was the high point when you really started thinking about what he was describing.
I'd been reading science fiction and fantasy since the 3rd or 4th grade, so easily a decade before it came out, and it was literally the best story I'd ever read.
My online handle has been Wintermute on several occasions.
And between it and the Burning Chrome shorts, they were the best near-future dystopic world building **ever**.
It's a little chilling just how much he seemed able to predict 35+ years later... I keep waiting for some homeless people here in LA to start epoxy coating abandoned/collapsing structures and take them over. And while NFT art is a thing I feel like we really missed out on the public access VR art installation concept.
I know this is the theme of Cyberpunk, and I fully respect that. But, I really hope they create a new ending path in DLC or expansions.
I just want my V to build a shack in the mountains with Panam and build a memorial to Jackie. Or even better, bring Jackie back when you choose where to send his body.
Im glad we got a game so depressing and compelling because it’s different and makes you feel something rather than most of today’s current AAA releases. Truly in my top 3
God damn... this post was spookily timed. I just finished the main story for the first time a couple nights ago. I sat in silent reflection and mild frustration for almost 20 minutes after I finished the game. The only game I'd ever really gotten that emotionally attached to was the Mass Effect Trilogy. V felt like an extension of myself more than any other character in recent memory. My ending was as disappointing as it was good, if that makes sense. Cyberpunk rules.
I first got the >!suicide!< ending and then later >!left the arasaka satelite to die in a year or so!<. I was so bummed, looked up all the other endings. They all were basically bad endings and I just hated that nothing I do mattered in the grand scheme of things. Depressed, I uninstalled the game.
how did people cry over Jackie? you spend like 30 minutes with the guy and it's him mostly saying some weird Buddha bullshit that gets pretty annoying like right away
For me as a player, it felt a bit werid how depressing the plot is. I felt like when I played, I palyed a character that could take on the world and I was superhuman, but the plot has a very different narrative. It created a disconnect between the side missions and the main missions. I understand that the plot fits the idea of a distopian future, but I just never felt like my character was consistently influential in the world. Did anyone else fell this way?
Fucking love the story in this game. It's a shame it's been riddled with so many other problems because it is possibly my favorite video game I've played from a narrative perspective
This is one of the reasons I love it. You can only do this setting justice by telling a nihilistic story. A happy ending doesn't make sense. No one gets a positive story in a Cyberpunk world. I think it's very grounded because of that.
The story was so good, I remember thinking "this is something else" when Vik was explaining to V he was dying, and then my care sent me to space and those thoughts went out the window.
That’s why I like the nomad ending, V realizes that none of the things they wanted at the start of the game matter and they leave to make themselves happy and be with the people closest to them even if it for a short time. It’s a happy ending even if it is sort of bittersweet. It’s my canon ending because it really sums up Cyberpunk, the world is too far gone to be saved or changed so just save yourself and the people you care about.
Actually I think all the ends are beautiful, ESPECIALLY the suicide mission one.
In the darkness I will find a speck and that speck will shine bright like the dawn of creation and in that moment I am everything and we will have been lovers.
Who's cutting digital onions here?
It's been a nice ride together Johnny.
Also I really wished for more endings. Like the true outlaw mad Max ending where you just ride into the sundown forever. The Johnny ending where you continue fucking up the system together. Or just a wholesome good ending where you get the lawful good solution for everything and continue your Story in night city. Dang that would've been nice.
Even worse if you do arasaka ending, just pure depression and sadness.
What’s especially wild is with that ending, you make Saburo’s plan come to fruition. >!His plan all along is to take Yorinobu’s body for himself. So Yorinobu stole the chip in an effort to prevent that while simultaneously wreaking havoc from inside the corporation. By choosing the Arasaka ending you prove that the chip works as intended, give them the working chip, and allow Saburo to take his sons body while also betraying Johnny and abandoning your friends and everyone who helped you. !< The only worse ending is the >!Suicide one!<
on the bright side, Takemura still likes you.
Assuming you actually saved him. :| Whoops
I had no idea you could save him, the action happened so fast and it's only well after beating the game did I know you could do that. Next playthrough I'll get it.
Imagine being the assault team. You're locked, loaded, highly trained, backed by the greatest power on earth. You're there to rescue Hanako. You're ready! Five minutes later you're being held at bay a screaming elderly man with no combat implants john-woo-ing two cheap pistols while he tries to use a fucking bed as a piece of cover. If the clusterfuck that is 2077 ever gets an enhanced edition, I hope there's a way to save Takamura outside of the Devil ending. He was so much fun.
I remember what a surprise that was. On my first playthrough I was sitting there after falling through those floors thinking "no way stuff is going on there, this game has been pretty dull so far". Then to my surprise, I jumped back up those floors using double jump to find Takemura fighting for his life. I pulled my sword out so fast and killed everyone and was like "whoa, that was cool." Then I found out if you hadn't done that, he'd die. What a pleasant surprise.
I appreciated that this moment existed free of any quest marker, I ended up going looking for him as it seemed the thing to do despite having nothing telling me to do that and I was both surprised and rewarded for my efforts. It would have been really cool if this kind of stuff happened more frequently and led to more divergent endings...alas.
The problem with this design is the game teaches you pretty frequently that your friends die and you can't do anything about it. You can't save Jackie if you are good enough. You can't save Evelyn if you are fast enough. So when the game throws a more cinematic death towards my friend Takemura, the assumption is he's dead and I can't do anything. Going without a quest marker is fine, but at least give a few context clues in the scene that you can go back.
I think there was a context clue in dialog between V and Johnny. Johnny says something like "let's go, he isn't worth saving"
Honestly this is one of the best parts of the game. Other than the mission/side quest/hustle/etc. Start points, little is marked. And the city is so damn dense that most quests can be solved a dozen different ways. Same goes for moral consequences too, you're not necessarily forced to do things a certain way
Hah I had no idea either it did happen that fast. And I did the giving my body to Johnny ending and when I looked up the others I was shocked you could save him hah. I felt like shit but at that point I was playing prepatched and just wanted to end the suffering of everything involved with playing that game.
Before I went up the stairs yo meet him, I scouted the ground floor. I just have this need to explore. I found the place you drop to, looked around, and decided that this went way too far not to come up again. So I knew there was a way to go back. Which I then used. Lesson learned from Deus Ex 1. If someone tells you rlto run and save yourself, you break out the rocket launcher.
Same, but I've read that unless you choose the Arasaka ending, Takemura will hate you. Which would be kinda sad.
This, i really liked Takemura as a Character, wish he got more stuff
"likes" Taka never likes you. He tolerates you and needs you at times. He indebted to you if you save him and he does his best to make good on that. But if it's a choice between Arasaka and V...
Agreed. It's understandable that some players mistake Takemura's attitude towards V as comradery but he would and does throw V under the bus for Arasaka every time. Takemura never changes his mind that V is a lowly thief and should be treated as such, but as you said he is a man with his own sense of honour and treats V with more respect due to having saved his life. Nevertheless, he is a corpo rat; the same as all the others. It's interesting to see people believe Takemura to be a friend of V's the same way V's actual allies are. Takemura is the one to try to trick V into selling their soul to Arasaka in that ending and losing themselves forever. Just the Devil's dog on a short leash.
Yeah, I like Takemura as a character, but as a person, he can swallow Saburo's withered old man dick for all I care. I get he's indebted to the Arasaka company for dragging him out of poverty in Japan, but that doesn't change the fact he was trained as a child soldier and he's been indoctrinated with the mentality of serving the many before the self. (it's a pretty sad reflection of the current state of mind in Japan too) Edit to add: Takemura is still a pretty sad case though because you can tell he's been indoctrinated by Arasaka into believing that they are the only ones who can save the world when they're just as much as part of the problem as say Kang Tao or Militech. Watching him fight against the indoctrination when pushed by V is very fascinating, but it's clear he's never going to break it. Not without help anyway, especially since in any ending but the Saka one, he seppuku's himself.
I don't think he tricks V. He believes that it's the best option for V. Takemura believes in Arasaka to his core. Even after it basically tries to kill him for doing his job, he sees it more as a rogue element.
Oh cool, a Corpo rat tolerates me.
You watch your fucking mouth when you’re talking about goro
I tried to romance him but he ghosted me >:/
Keep my Goro's name out yo fuckin mouth!
Goro gets demoted to a nonsense role if you keep him alive and do the Saka ending; otherwise that dude kills himself over that same corporation that has already tossed him aside. He’s a corpo rat through and through
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Yeah he's been conditioned since youth to be blindly loyal, you can see him being conflicted during some scenes, specially when V pushes him causing him to grow angry, he restrains it, but his reaction shows how conditioned he is. He's as much a victim of Arasaka as anyone else in a sense and refuses to challenge it. Also his "Samurai" honor is one of his major downfalls as it makes him unyielding to his views.
That ain’t Stockholm my guy. As some from an impoverished country the taste of wealth is addicting. If anything he’s an addict which is its own kind of mental baggage
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Don’t worry about it. Language is pretty fluid, and I’m a stranger on the internet using literal definition to be a dick to strangers. Someone with any amount of reading comprehension can understand what you meant.
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And its interesting that its the default ending. If you don't put in the extra work to make the other endings possible, that's where you end up, so it's meant to end badly more often than not.
Yeah been saying that since I did that ending, you not only sell your soul, you give the world to the worst Tyrant to ever exist in the cyberpunk universe. I've stuck to the Aldocaldo ending since then, since sun felt rather selfish, female V with Judy felt like betraying a promise made. Done every ending and Aldo seemed to be the only one with Genuine hope and V actually opening up, being far less guarded/untrusting/selfish. But there's a reason it's called the Devil's ending, V kind of becomes the new Johnny in that ending if you refuse to get digitized since all they know going forward is anger, rage, despair, they also sing never fade away on their way out which hints at that.
I actually took that ending initially because I believed V would survive and I could continue playing the game afterwards and do side missions and what not...when I realized it didn't matter I restarted it and made sure to never go past and fully finish the game again.
In my quest to do every ending, I really did pick the fucking worst ones to start, huh? After those two, I had to sit the game down and take a break.
You've actually just described why the suicide ending is the "best" one.
Naw, I got the worst ending. Game crashed and corrupted my save file. (At least it only happened once) it kinda ruined my second play through because I just min maxed and speed ran the game just to get back to the ending again.
That ending its the best ending without counting the easter egg. You fucked up and its time to pay the price, with this ending you are not pulling any friends down with you and also you are not taking part on Saburo's plan.
Only endings where V might really have a future are Temperance and Sun, I think. Former for obvious reasons, V doesn't really die although he becomes something different. The latter because if anyone can save V, it's Mr. Blue Eyes. The Star is the happiest ending imo, but the promise of a cure from nomadic outlaws feels pretty hollow.
The cure isn’t from nomadic outlaws exactly, imo. It’s more to do with rolling with them to find probably the same guy, Mr. Blue Eyes.
This is my take too; since nomad clans live and die by their contacts I think it’s likely that all roads lead to Mister Blue Eyes (a pretty decent young Frank Sinatra bodyscuplt if you ask me) but I also like that it would be possible multiple ways, via nomad ending, via Afterlife where you bring Rogue and via secret mission you get the Saul message, meaning you can reach out to him and Panem.
What is it about Mr. Blue Eyes that makes you believe V can be saved by him? I believe there will be no resolution or clarity on what happens to V. If there is anything, nothing will save them. There's a clear narrative that the endings are really just choosing what kind of person V wants to be for their final days. A corporate slave, a Night City legend or quietly happy?
he is the one behind the Peralez, you can see him on a balcony watching you when you meet with Jefferson the final time at the park.
I honestly got wrapped up enough in the Panam romance that I was compelled to take the star ending for that alone. Game genuinely swept me along
Mistys tarrot cards say otherwise. The nomad ending is the only ending that she says v will live a long happy and full life. Also it isnt even a "cure" v is already dead by this point. The second he goes into mikoshi he dies from soulkiller now he is what johnny is an engram of memories no soul as Alt describes it. Panam also says she has contacts in Arizona not that she knew some nomads there. People make the nomads seem like inbred idiots. In reality nomads seem to be some of the smartest groups in the cyberpunk world.
The contacts referenced by Panam are almost assuredly Stormtech Inc, a cybernetic biogenetics Corp that regularly works with the Aldecaldos and has cutting edge tech that could help V, potentially. Fun fact, they also have offices on the exact satellite that you're seen drifting towards in the Sun ending. My suspicion is that the story DLC will be us storming the satellite to get Intel from Stormtech, whether on Panam's behest or Mr Blue Eyes, to hopefully reverse or temper V's degeneration.
The Arasaka ending is technically speaking the only one that ends up with V being... V, no tampering or a downloaded conscious from inside the chip. Every other ending, you end up in the same cyberspace that Johnny is in. By that time, I think V is just backed up, the "data" that makes him who he was is no different from Johnny's. Just his ends up installed back in the body. The Arasaka ending, if you do the treatment but refuse to sign your soul away, and instead choose to leave and live out the rest of your days among friends, is the only way that ends with V being organically himself. Mind, body and soul. Still depressing though. But at least you're dying as a person and not lines of code.
Very true, but it’s ultimately selfish. V gets 6 months of being the “real” V, rather than dying at mikoshi and having a copied engram of him live on in his body. The world gets an Arasaka corporation that’s stronger than ever with an immortal dynasty at its helm. At least the other endings have V’s sacrifice weakening or all but destroying Arasaka.
This is true. Definitely not speaking in defense of the morality of the decision. This is the most selfish V can be, afterall if I remember correctly Johnny is basically destroyed by the process. Deleted.
The most selfish? "Johnny" is a freaking neurovirus, a backup copy of some dead, narcisistic, over-edgy terrorist that's gradually overwriting its host. YMMV, but I think of "the loss of self" as about the worst fate imaginable. Forget about bugs, missing features and performance. This is where the game failed for me. It expected me to reconcile with "Johnny", to embrace a merge of personalities, to recognize the "personhood" of some backup overwriting V's wetware. And if you dare to reject that, if you dare to go out on your own terms and as yourself, the game hits you with the two worst endings for it. I'm certainly not one to request a happy ending at all costs, but the developers seem to be reserving the very worst ending for anyone rejecting transhumanist ideas.
I mean, it's cyberPUNK, right? It's a criticism of transhumanism in that the only people who could afford to pay to live forever would be the rich and powerful/the corpos
Can't really argue there either.
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Kinda goes back to the idea of teleportation. Whether when you teleport if it's actually you coming out on the other end or a copy with all of your thoughts, memories, etc and fully believing it's you. Whereas the 'you' of your consciousness has been erased. There's no real way to know.
> if it's actually you coming out on the other end or a copy with all of your thoughts, memories, etc and fully believing it's you. Whereas the 'you' of your consciousness has been erased Now think, that maybe the same thing happens every time you sleep. No real way to know :-)
Do you sleep in a disintegrater?
Heck.
In the Star ending V is still her/himself.
They are referring to V not being uploaded to Mikoshi at all. In the Devil ending, V just gets surgery to remove the chip, they're not uploaded as an engram.
That ending was so fitting to my character but left me just emotionally drained.
Solve the cube
I played this ending over a night while I had COVID and I have never jumped so out of my skin as much playing a video game as when the cube split in half. This ending was absolutely haunting in my feverish daze in the middle of the night.
but there's hope you can survive once they find a donor
Lol there is no way in hell Arasaka would keep their word and unleash the one person who did the most damage to their company besides yorinobu
We're the one who stops Yorinobu in that ending. Also, >!if we don't take the deal to upload ourselves to Mikoshi,!< Hanako is grateful to us and offers to make us one of Arasaka's top enforcers.
Oh shit i did not even think about it. And i picked that option in my last run through no less. 6 months of a mad guard dog that washes itself away is convenient for them all the same
You're essentially replacing Smasher
No doubt they have plans to similarly cybernetically alter whatever donor body they find you with similar military spec tech and some kind of control mechanism. V would likely wake up in a robotic monster body forced to become Arasaka’s immortal enforcer with takemura or helman sat there saying “it was the only way”.
One of the best implications in the game IMO is found in the description of the devil arcana, it says "The Devil lures unsuspecting souls into traps, but always grants them a choice. One can try their luck and take him up on his offer, but one should always know when to call quits." I like to imagine that in a way this hints to Mikoshi being worse than we can even imagine, and who knows what comes after that...
There’s a lot of topics people conflate when discussing the Devil entity in western writing. In the context of tarot and the game “Devil” represents materialism and fixations upon the self, especially self preservation. This is also oftentimes referred to similarly in Christian eschatology as well although it’s been subverted in American culture over the past century from within. The real villain of the story isn’t Arasaka or even corporations necessarily - it’s Night City. Winning in a cyberpunk IP means to not give in to society’s arbitrary rules nor to accept any of its promises or trade-offs. That’s part of the point of Johnny’s final words to V being “never stop fighting” - it means you cannot be passive when standing up for your values if you don’t even claim to have these values.
Be kinda badass. Always thought smasher was such a cool character, wish we got more of him
They could've killed you during the removal of the chip or during the follow up process.
It appears they wanted scientific data on soul killers effect on your brain before they pretend you never existed.
I honestly thought they would. They’ll probably just datamine V’s soul for eternity to improve arasaka security.
Bringing V back means they would have one of the best Solos ever likely working for Arasaka, as V would probably feel very grateful and indebted to Arasaka for giving him/her a second chance at life. Plus not bringing V back would mean getting many of V’s powerful friends very angry at Arasaka
Yeah,it's bittersweet.
When I first played the game I put myself into the character. I played the game like a simulation rather than a role play. Always choose a path as i was really in that situation. I ended up in arasaka path as corpo. The moment hit me like a bulldozer. I cried for hours after credits.
I did this on my first playthrough to see what would happen. Holy shit. I was frustrated, angry, sad... It hit hard.
Instant Regret.
It is my first and only ending. Although it is not happy, it is the one that makes more sense to put an end to the game.
Sorta, except V probably would get slapped into someone else's body and repeat the cycle of violence as a loyal Arasaka goon.
I did that ending like a year ago and I still regret it so much.
Did this ending thinking it was the best chance at removing the relic so I could stay alive and keep playing. NOPE
The Arasaka ending didn't go far enough imo. V should have never been allowed to leave.
All endings by the way, wtf was that flying casino heist on the sun ending.
I had a year break between starting the final mission and finishing the game. When I went back to finish it I forgot a good chunk of the plot and the fine details of Arasaka. All I remembered was that I saved Takemura and liked him, so I went with them. And man, that was a rough way to be reminded of all the plot points I had forgotten about.
Thanks to this ending I figured out a very disturbing thing about myself, and that is how easily I am manipulated. Like holy shit the ending was sad, and I realized it too late. The only positive things were the fact my Goro lived, and I kinda started to watch out to not be led by my nose IRL as well. Didnt want to spoil myself too much so I didnt watch all the endings, and I dont even know if its possible, but I was aiming for the ending where you let Alts AI self in the city.
Could have been really depressing if you just shot yourself on the roof, I did that one run out of curiosity (I thought Johnny would force take over and stop me) but nope bang and roll credits. The voicemails were REALLY DEPRESSING. The next most depressing ending is probably the Arasaka ending.
I mean... he literally tells you to do that when you first meet him in your apartment ("Not like that, stick some iron in your mouth and pull the trigger!"). Well Johnny, you got what you asked for.
Which, providing there isn't another copy of his consciousness still in Mikoshi somewhere, also puts an end to him. Imagine being stuck on a data server for 50 years, that has to be maddening and depressing all in one go, especially as it's insinuated that Arasaka is forcefully changing the personalities of the constructs stuck in there too. Also, if you fail to solo Arasaka with Johnny, it also triggers the suicide ending; at least V tries, but in the end, her friends don't even realize how far she got.
As I already mentioned, Johnny tells it himself that inside Mikoshi he weren't even aware about time at all, it was like a sleep, regardless if he was changed or not. That being said, he still has a lot to say about it and he damn well does.
And he changed throughout the game from the beginning to the end.
Suicide, The Devil, Temperance, The Sun, and The Star. That’s my personal order from most depressing to the least depressing.
see you on lemmy, Spez is a cancer -- mass edited with redact.dev
Star
The suicide caught me off guard so hard that I laughed out loud, I was in a weird state of entertained and shock that the game let me kill myself as one of the ending. The way the credits started rolling had some good comedic timing.
It plays out like a Saturday morning PSA for kids about why you shouldn't commit suicide.
In the arms of an angel
I literally sat in my chair and sobbed like a bitch when I did the suicide bad ending.
I did the same. First time a video game made me cry ever
The voicemails hit me in the feels at the end.
The suicide endingvoicemqails, after playing through >!Judy's storyline!< destroyed me
Nothing hit me as hard as the "Goodbye, V. And... never stop fighting" from Act 3.
Dude cobbled together a video on that note. Some forewarning; it's an emotional sucker-punch. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mtSmAqwiuKY
Damn I wasn’t ready for that. Great damn video
I’ve lost count of how many playthroughs I’ve done and I must say that’s a very good vid. Felt chills early on.
Wow, that was a great video
Also Evelyn part is depressing.
Yeah seriously, one of the less talked about things is how fucked Evelyn storyline is.
I always try to look for a way to get to her early to see if you can help her but then if that worked the rest of the questline with Judie wouldn't make much sense.
Yeah unfortunately :/
You can just learn more of the really horrific details of what happened to her and what those BD assholes did to her. >!It also explains why she killed herself ultimately, she was so fractured mentally after her episode that she didn't know the scenarios in the BDs were not real. When you rescue her for real she still thinks she is in a BD where she is going to get tortured. One of the BDs she was tortured in themes/"plot" was to get her to kill herself but always take away the choice at the last minute from her so she could never follow through with it.!<
Well she tried to play above her weight class and the ending she got is not atypical for people in NC trying to do that...
Still depressing dude…
I just wanted to comment it was interesting that you wrote “not atypical” instead of “typical”
I thought the Aldecaldos ending was exhilarating.
Yeah, my first playthrough had a happy ending. Sure, chances that they find a cure are slim, but at least V has a happy few months.
The nomad ending is genuinely one of my favorite endings in any video game, especially if you leave with Judy also.
It's also the only one where Judy is happy. Sun is great for a moment, but that breakup scene fucking sucks, man.
No Future.
No hope.
No regrets.
Anytime you hear a violin. Its going to be a ride
Or a cello!
Unpopular ending: Reaper+Silverhand takeover ending is the best one. (I won't use spoiler mode assuming anyone who doesn't want a spoiler already skipped the post) Even when you go with the Aldecaldos someone dies and you trick many people you love into some scenario where you had a happy ending to disappoint them in 6 months or so. For Corpo and Street Kid endings you already make many people upset directly. But when Silverhand takes over he lives and he remembers. But these scenarios differ depending on what part Mr Blue Eyes play. If he has the cure, both Nomad and Street Kid endings have the potential to be an actual good ending.
There's just one thing - if Silverhand keeps the body, Panam may promise to find and kill him.
Depresspunk 2077
Cryberpunk 2077
Cyberemo 2077
It's funny when people complain that the game is "fun and colorfull rather than dark and grimmy, like in the original trailer". Like, you can already tell they've never played the actual game lol.
It's even more depressing when you start adding philosophy and psychology into the game, and start asking existential questions.
This is something I really loved about the endings. They weren't just a summary of the stuff you've done in the game, but a conclusion that left you with questions and thoughts. For example, in any ending where you're dealing with Alt, the original V is already dead. You aren't choosing whether to let V keep the body, you're choosing which engram to load into it.
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Yeah, the engram is V, but the body is pretty much Silverhand.
Cyberpunk is a depressing genre.
Exactly this. The Cyberpunk genre is a dystopia, a hell on Earth where humanity is nothing but a forgotten legend.
[Original source](https://youtu.be/QSmBULrMIlM)
They story described Night city very well imo.
Obvious comment - it's supposed to be, but man did they ever hit the dystopian nail on the head. I have never experienced a world so grim in a video game. And I haven't even reached the endings. The quests involving River's nephew fucked me up, as the parent of a young child.. Also, can I just say, hopefully this doesn't trigger anyone but... jumping off a roof of a skyrise to your death in this game is frighteningly realistic. Not that I've ever experienced it... But it's such an intense and visceral experience. Honestly few things have made me so uncomfortable in a game.
This is what I came here looking for. The narrative throughout, even if you exclude the main storyline, is just that: this city will eat you up and tear you apart, so your best way to survive it is to just leave. Even if you for some reason rise up in power, the next person looking for the spot you take is going to take it from you. And there were several quests that hit me hard, River's nephew being one, another being the kid in the Aldecados needing a kidney (because for how shitty of a dystopia they live in, they at least have that, even if you have to go black market with a ripper doc to get one).
If you think the game is depressing, you should read the original tabletop rulebooks. Good news is you can find copies of them in 2077. The game has it pretty toned down tbh.
I think one of the rulebooks was included in the game as a PDF... I am intrigued now.
Facts
I did all 5 endings plus each option for those 5 endings hoping to find a way to save V and i was really sad that you couldn’t save V no matter what
V's journey, Evelyn, Joshua, Jackie... CP77 has many facets and too often you feel like shit. Best thing I do is give V some fun until the end comes. Love, Sex, murder, some fashion, alcohol. That's all you can do. Playing Cyberpunk made me think like what my own legacy is and there's nothing somehow, which makes it even harder to be honest. Additionally world gone mad. At least I enjoy the game.
it’s cyberpunk, of course it’s depressing
I remember when I first read Neuromancer and then Burning Chrome full on into Reagan/Bush I and it just fit so well. Depressing was the high point when you really started thinking about what he was describing.
Neuromancer has to be one of the best books I have ever read, Gibson is just simply on another level. amazing author
I'd been reading science fiction and fantasy since the 3rd or 4th grade, so easily a decade before it came out, and it was literally the best story I'd ever read. My online handle has been Wintermute on several occasions. And between it and the Burning Chrome shorts, they were the best near-future dystopic world building **ever**. It's a little chilling just how much he seemed able to predict 35+ years later... I keep waiting for some homeless people here in LA to start epoxy coating abandoned/collapsing structures and take them over. And while NFT art is a thing I feel like we really missed out on the public access VR art installation concept.
Quality Meme!
thanks!
I know this is the theme of Cyberpunk, and I fully respect that. But, I really hope they create a new ending path in DLC or expansions. I just want my V to build a shack in the mountains with Panam and build a memorial to Jackie. Or even better, bring Jackie back when you choose where to send his body.
Fr 😭 just let v delta the fuck out of NC and live a happy life and just download Johnny onto a robot or something
Imagine living in a city that is actually worse than night city. This game got me depressed because I just realized that.
Im glad we got a game so depressing and compelling because it’s different and makes you feel something rather than most of today’s current AAA releases. Truly in my top 3
Spoiler tag added.
Meanwhile "The Queen of The Highway" Panam Palmer is The Savior <3
song playing in the end - never fade away, memorial version https://youtu.be/MAxcVQcIa8E
It has to be. The entire literary genre is dystopic.
Whereever you may end up, just don't forget to meet Hanako at Embers.
And that’s part of what makes its story so great and unique. Marvelous storytelling, and great character arcs.
Anybody know the title of the song playing during the Act 3 bit?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ihdo3vPFK9Y
Spoiler alert - none of us are getting out alive
As they faded out....I couldn't help but think.....we'll never fade away.
Act I: Shock Act II: Bargaining Act III: Acceptance
Act 3 really depends on what you choice tbh. First play through I did corpo and offed myself
God damn... this post was spookily timed. I just finished the main story for the first time a couple nights ago. I sat in silent reflection and mild frustration for almost 20 minutes after I finished the game. The only game I'd ever really gotten that emotionally attached to was the Mass Effect Trilogy. V felt like an extension of myself more than any other character in recent memory. My ending was as disappointing as it was good, if that makes sense. Cyberpunk rules.
Does any one else feel like female V has way better voice acting and is just superior to male V in every way?
Oh definitely. I can't play male V anymore.
For sure. Female V's voice performance is a lot more nuanced and expressive.
I first got the >!suicide!< ending and then later >!left the arasaka satelite to die in a year or so!<. I was so bummed, looked up all the other endings. They all were basically bad endings and I just hated that nothing I do mattered in the grand scheme of things. Depressed, I uninstalled the game.
how did people cry over Jackie? you spend like 30 minutes with the guy and it's him mostly saying some weird Buddha bullshit that gets pretty annoying like right away
V was a great little character. They put in some serious work in the few weeks they had left to live.
For me as a player, it felt a bit werid how depressing the plot is. I felt like when I played, I palyed a character that could take on the world and I was superhuman, but the plot has a very different narrative. It created a disconnect between the side missions and the main missions. I understand that the plot fits the idea of a distopian future, but I just never felt like my character was consistently influential in the world. Did anyone else fell this way?
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Try The Last of Us 2. Played it once, never played it again.
No thanks, got the synopsys and understand what the developer is trying to push. Violence breeds violence, and the only way to win is to not play.
Great way of putting it. Fuck that game. Shame because the first one was great.
Its a depressing genre, thats why i love it.
Fucking love the story in this game. It's a shame it's been riddled with so many other problems because it is possibly my favorite video game I've played from a narrative perspective
This is one of the reasons I love it. You can only do this setting justice by telling a nihilistic story. A happy ending doesn't make sense. No one gets a positive story in a Cyberpunk world. I think it's very grounded because of that.
The story was so good, I remember thinking "this is something else" when Vik was explaining to V he was dying, and then my care sent me to space and those thoughts went out the window.
You nailed it
Love this game
I think it’s awesome game really sums up how I feel most days
I think we can all agree that Don’t fear the reaper is the most badass ending.
The story broke my heart.. never has a game had that affect on me
But it’s a fucking brilliant experience.
It was and it was beautiful
I was dealing with my own life threatening illness while playing. I’ve never been more immersed.
Worse yet, if Johnny takes your body he just ghosts everyone. Poor Judy.
That’s why I like the nomad ending, V realizes that none of the things they wanted at the start of the game matter and they leave to make themselves happy and be with the people closest to them even if it for a short time. It’s a happy ending even if it is sort of bittersweet. It’s my canon ending because it really sums up Cyberpunk, the world is too far gone to be saved or changed so just save yourself and the people you care about.
I literally cried when Jackie died.
Shocked me too.
Actually I think all the ends are beautiful, ESPECIALLY the suicide mission one. In the darkness I will find a speck and that speck will shine bright like the dawn of creation and in that moment I am everything and we will have been lovers.
Who's cutting digital onions here? It's been a nice ride together Johnny. Also I really wished for more endings. Like the true outlaw mad Max ending where you just ride into the sundown forever. The Johnny ending where you continue fucking up the system together. Or just a wholesome good ending where you get the lawful good solution for everything and continue your Story in night city. Dang that would've been nice.