I mean think about it. You’re thrust right in the middle of a coup between the warring factions within Arasaka, in which lead to a confrontation with Yorinobu Arasaka himself. The final conversation with Yorinobu in itself is a masterpiece of writing. He explains how his whole life he lived in the shadow of his father, being groomed to take the reins of a company he despises. He explains to V that his whole plan, joining a gang, planning to sell the Relic, and even murdering his father, was all to bring down the company he had despised for so long. We realize as V, that by working to take down Yorinobu during the events of the game, we were actually being used by Arasaka as a pawn to sabotage the one person who truly had the power to take down the company.
And of course after we turn Yorinobu in to Hanako, we finally get the cure for V’s condition, which leads to the final conversation with Johnny where he shows his disappointment for V siding with Arasaka.
After the surgery, we go through an entire sequence where V recovers aboard Arasaka’s space station. Now, whether you sided with Reed in PL, or played through certain side quests like The Hunt and Dream On, you should know by now that this game is amazing at making horror sequences in game. And boy do they sure deliver in this section. Part of the horror doesn’t even come from simple jumpscares and suspenseful moments, it’s the fact that you’re all alone now, and you have to sit and watch as all your nightmares become reality. You have no friends to talk to, and you’re caught in an endless loop of the same thing every day. One of the most terrifying things however is when you come to find out Saburo uses Yorinobu’s body to live on using his engram. You feel defeated and terrified. The corporation that owns everything now can live for eternity in total luxury while the rest of the world burns and tears each other apart. There’s no hope for humanity, just corporate oppression and seeing the worst in people from now on.
After this, you get Takemura/Hellman (depending on earlier actions) to speak to you about how the surgery didn’t even fully work. All it did was delay the inevitable for 6 months. Even after everything, you realize you’re going to die a nobody in Night City, without any of the fame or fortune you and Jackie had hoped for.
This is where you’re given a choice to sign a contract to let your body become an Arasaka engram, to let them do with you as they wish (essentially making a deal with the Devil) or you can refuse it and leave to head back to Earth, where you’ll likely die within months.
If you refuse to make the deal, you’re lead into (in my opinion) the best ending sequence I’ve seen for a game in a long time. Before leaving you’re able to stare down at the world that hated you for so long. The one where people are killed, manipulated, and used. And even after everything, when the cover of Never Fade Away starts playing ever so lightly in the background, you get to realize that the most beautiful thing, the most powerful experience, isn’t the fame or the wealth. It’s the fact that in this fucked up world that hates you, you decided how you go. Not Arasaka, not Johnny, not Hanako, you.
It’s the most emotional thing I’ve ever experienced. I couldn’t help but cry at the absolute cinema I had witnessed, and I still get emotional thinking about it.
If you read this far btw, I love you choom. ❤️
6 Comments
Well said. Love you too choom <3
Cyberpunk is just preem
❤️
Ive managed to get all endings and i still say the star ending is by far the best ending v van get.out of all endingds that are in the game. but as for the Whittier endings, this one’s a great one as well.
But after some thought and consideration. In terms.of other possible endings, I thought they couldve added one more in and im kinda disappointed they didn’t add in this one or at least very similar.
A story branch where it ends in us as V becoming capable of truly soloing entire corpo armies by ourselves and calling every one out. Over a far reaching open comms line.
In a good old. “If they want war, imma give them war!” Cliffhangar.
After the comms line call out, a quick momtage of v getting geared up and checking weapons.
Than the sound of vechilces pulling nearby as v exits the buidling, etc and immediately opening fire on whoever it was.
Than an overhead exterior view of scene of v going beast mode on what seems to be a mix of every corp and gang we’ve made enemies of, and even nusa forces just bearing down on us from all directions. Than slowly fades to black still showing v just slaughtering hordes. Than credit rolls.
Boom. Perfect cliffhanger to start the sequel off of, if you ask me.
Not really
DLC ending (when V accepts the surgery) and when V dying and gave his/her body to Silverhand are really bad endings (thank God it’s not my canon)
Love you to choom. The Devil is amazing ending and my canon. Can’t believe how much people doesn’t like it. Only difference to me if Goro is alive I sign the contract, if Hellman is there I ain’t signing it.