The Relatable Dystopia of Cyberpunk 2077

Night City, City of Dreams.

Why does Night City feel like home? 

The citizens of Night City are all addicted to something. Maelstrom is addicted to hard substances, body modification, and self mutilation. Citizens are often addicted to substances-- many citizens smoke and drink, and there are articles within the city describing braindance addictions, the crippling desire of being anyone other than yourself. However, almost every citizen in Night City that you meet is addicted to one thing: Adrenaline. 

It's impossible to live in Night City without constantly risking your life. You will see bodies dropping by the time you're in elementary school as an almost daily occurrence. Braindances pump you with ecstasy, and if you're brave enough to ask for a moth's head BD, even a helpless citizen can feel what it's like to kill someone -- or to die. The world around you is constantly moving, putting your brain on overdrive until it's numb. 

The misery of Night City fuels us. 

The ambience of Cyberpunk 2077 is done beautifully. Wherever you are you can hear the groaning of airborne vehicles, the creaking of buildings, the wind flowing through the streets. It drones on and on in our minds like a white noise. While in the city, advertisements and announcements blast through the silence in an obnoxious but perfect replica of any advertisements you'd hear, anywhere in real life. 

On a particularly bad playthrough of a corpo V, I managed to screw over Judy's life as well as make enemies on pretty much every path. That night, I decided I would choose the worst ending for this V-- his life was miserable, so it seemed fitting, and I was curious. But before that, I found my V onto a random rooftop, listening to the ambience. Looking down. It felt real. 

It feels like Cyberpunk 2077 understands me, in the same way it understands many of those who may have felt symptoms of depression, anxiety, low self esteem, etc. It understands the underlying feeling of being stuck in this world constantly moving ahead of us as we try to cope and push through. It is a beautiful representation of the dirtiest feelings we may have towards corporate greed, a reflection of our own society increased not even tenfold-- maybe even just twice. 

V is dead already. The life we live out throughout Cyberpunk 2077 is simply a grieving process-- whatever ending we choose, things will always have changed in ways V can never take back. His life as he knows it is gone. How you play Cyberpunk 2077 is how V grieves this change, perceives the forever changing world around them for one final fight. 

When I finally played through V's worst ending, I cried. 

To me, Cyberpunk 2077 feels like my own worst moments in addiction and mental health. It embraces it -- shows me a world full of people who struggle desperately for identity -- and rumbles through my mind like a comforting and encouraging embrace. It's impossible for me to let go of now-- it feels like it shaped me. 

How do you feel about it?

Inspired by this youtube video: