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Cyberpunk Broke Me

My Experience With Cyberpunk 2077

By Dristin VanderleiPublished 10 months ago 6 min read
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"Cyberpunk 2077" was the last story game I played, and it had a profound impact on me. It was the game that broke me and left me sitting in tears after it ended. I immersed myself in the full story, completing all the side missions and exploring every corner of Night City. However, once it was all over, I couldn't shake off the feeling of emptiness. I was genuinely saddened by the fact that my adventure with V and Johnny Silverhand had come to an end. It was as if they were actual friends I had embarked on an incredible journey with.

But it wasn't just V and Johnny; the relationships I formed throughout the game with characters like Panam, Judy, Jackie, Kerry, and many others felt just as real. Every character I encountered and spent time with within the game felt like genuine friends, and in a way, they were.

When I started to create and play as V, I was struck by how much I related to the character. V felt like a friend to me, perhaps because I had the freedom to choose most of his dialogue throughout the game. The ability to shape the relationships with other characters had a profound effect on my immersion in the world. I found myself genuinely caring about many of the characters I encountered, which further deepened my connection to the game.

The game really picks up after Jackie's death during the heist at Konpeki Plaza. When Jackie dies, you really hear the emotion in V's voice. You hear his heart break. This was a really huge, heartbreaking moment, but that's not even the saddest part.

The saddest part for me was after Jackie's death, V had to put the biochip in his head, which was the whole purpose of the heist. After Jackie's death, you go to see Dex Deshawn, and he essentially betrays you by shooting you in the head. However, the biochip ends up saving you, but it also comes with a death sentence.

So, pretty much, the chip inside V, known as the Relic, starts to overwrite V's brain to make room for Johnny Silverhand. This is indeed the saddest part when V realizes that his body is being taken over by Johnny Silverhand and that he will lose all control. It's like he has sentenced himself to death. Throughout the game, you see Johnny Silverhand, and he talks to you and gives you advice. He starts off as a bit of an asshole, but the more you play, at least in my playthrough, Johnny starts to become a friend.

You even get to play as Johnny in quite a lot of moments in the game, and those moments are some of the most beautiful moments in the game. Especially the moment when Johnny goes on a date with Rogue, there was something about that moment that felt so real. Johnny was no longer seen as a terrorist; he was just a man on a date. Something about that felt incredibly beautiful.

But probably the most hard-hitting moment for me was when V took Johnny to his grave in the scrapyard. I call that the existential moment. Hearing Johnny being upset that there was nothing there, as if he never even mattered, was incredibly impactful. I think that moment was meant to remind us that when we die, people will forget we ever existed. It's as if we never even mattered. That part of the game was the very first part that made me cry. It made me sit there and contemplate what our purpose even is in this world?

The answer to that question, I believe, can only be revealed when we die.

Yes, the game does have plenty of shootings, sex, violence, and explosions. However, those aspects of the game felt like an added bonus. The main focus of the game, and what I felt I paid for, was the story. It was the story that truly impacted me the most.

Even the moments where I simply sat with the characters and had deep conversations with them. From going scuba diving with Judy to building a relationship with Panam, sitting on a boat with Kerry while he played me a tune, and engaging in conversations with Johnny about life and deep topics, these were some of the most memorable and impactful parts of the game. And that's just the beginning, as there are many more profound moments that hit you hard within the game.

One of the parts of the game that deeply affected me was when V was on the verge of passing out, unsure if he was dying. As V fell to the ground, you hear V say, "Johnny," and in that moment, Johnny appears and holds V, reassuring him by saying, "I got you," just as V passes out.

I believe this scene essentially conveys the message that the only person you can truly rely on and trust to be there for you is yourself. In the end, we are often left with only ourselves and the internal struggles we face. The ghosts in our head symbolize those inner voices and personal demons we grapple with. That small moment in the game reminded me of that.

Now once I got around to the end of the game you get to basically choose between a bunch of different endings.

I played through them all, but I am only gonna go over my favorite one, the one I feel impacted me the most.

The ending I chose, letting Johnny Silverhand take over V's body, indeed contains one of the most heartbreaking scenes in the game. It's a difficult decision to make, as keeping V's body would mean a certain death sentence for him. By allowing Johnny to take over, it offers Johnny a second chance at life. The emotional weight and sacrifice involved in this ending make it a deeply poignant and bittersweet moment within the game.

After Johnny takes over V's body and starts his new life, he bids his final farewell to V at the columbarium, creating another beautiful moment. Johnny then boards a bus, symbolically riding off into the sunset, embarking on a fresh start as a reformed and enlightened man. The closing words of the game, "Haven't forgotten a thing, never will," serve as a powerful testament to the profound impact that V's journey had on Johnny, ensuring that he will carry those memories and experiences with him forever.

That was my experience with Cyberpunk 2077. This game left me in tears after that ending, and I am glad it did. I played Cyberpunk at a certain moment in my life where I wasn't very proud of myself, and this game showed me that life can be a mean horrible monster. It really helped me gain perspective. If you are currently going through a existential crisis, or anything like that, and you enjoy playing games, I highly recommend giving Cyberpunk 2077 a try.

MY FAVORITE QUOTES FROM THE GAME:

"Fear Isn’t A Weakness. It’s There To Protect You." - Skye

"We Shouldn’t Fear Change Itself, But Only Who We Might Change Into." -Misty

"I Just Want The World To Know I Was Here. That I Mattered." - V

"It's The Code You Live By That Defines Who You Are." - Johnny

"The Heart Never Changes. It Wants What It Wants." - Lizzy Wizzy.

"He Burned Down Half The City Just To Prove He Was Right." - Johnny's Information Entry Bio

"I got you" - Johnny

xboxrpgfirst person shooterconsoleadventure gamesaction adventure
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About the Creator

Dristin Vanderlei

I'm Dristin someone who found his passion for writing when I was kid and fell in love with movies, once I figured out I could basically just tell my own stories I been writing ever since. Appreciate if you check out my writings plz comment.

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