Now that Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty has been out for roughly per week, gamers are reaching the brand new ending for the bottom sport. It’s one of many enlargement’s promoting factors and one of many greatest curiosities for me.

I’ve crushed Cyberpunk 2077 a number of instances since its launch, and I like the way it handles a number of of its endings. If not outright tragic, many are bittersweet. V’s best-case state of affairs is having about six months to stay as they’re basically an engram in their very own physique. Regardless of having little time to stay, they’ll nonetheless change into a legend by taking over an inconceivable feat, with all roads main to 1 climactic finale.

My assumption going into Phantom Liberty‘s new ending was that it’d in some way tie into this last-ditch effort. I wasn’t certain how a lot sense it’d make to include the NUSA within the base sport’s climax, however I might have been right here for it.

What I obtained makes way more sense and is much extra devastating than I imagined. I wasn’t anticipating a cheerful ending, however Cyberpunk 2077‘s new conclusion is upsetting. I don’t wish to go forward and name this a “Unhealthy Finish”, nevertheless it hit in a method I couldn’t have foreseen.

As a precaution, there are heavy spoilers for Cyberpunk 2077‘s new ending since I’ll be going over most of its necessary particulars. Additionally finest to deliver tissues for this one.

Time passes and other people transfer on

I admit, I wasn’t anticipating V to discover a treatment on this new Tower ending, however they do. It’s actually the one ending V can definitively stay past their twenties, however the worth for all times is excessive.

When Solomon Reed informs V of a process for extracting the Relic, the promise is a days-long surgical procedure earlier than weeks of restoration in an undisclosed location. One other a part of this promise is that V may return to their life in Night time Metropolis after surgical procedure in the event that they wished.

Johnny and V’s final dialog is bitter as the previous expresses the pair’s journey led to nothing. He ultimately accepts V’s choice as they’re sedated.

V sadly spends two years in a coma, leaving little to return to. On prime of that, Reed informs them that harm to the nervous system means utilizing intensive cyberware dangers dying.

Reed affords a job working for the FIA, however V at most considers the place. Regardless they nonetheless wish to return to Night time Metropolis.

Afterward, they realized their mates there moved on. Judy as an illustration moved to Philadelphia along with her spouse. Panam in the meantime refuses to talk to V.

Viktor does provide to take a look at V after they get to Night time Metropolis, however upon arriving finds Misty’s Esoterica closed. As a replacement is a Zetatech retailer with Viktor working for the corp. He reaffirms what Reed stated, confirming V can by no means work as an elite mercenary once more.

A disheartened V is additional crushed down by a pair of no-name thugs who push them down a flight of stairs. It’s there they lastly meet Misty who reveals she’s leaving Night time Metropolis to seek out herself in Poland.

The sport ends after they reconcile, and it’s onerous to not really feel melancholy. But on the identical token, there’s a glimmer of hope for locating one thing new.

Selecting the quiet life over turning into a legend

V’s first dialog with Dexter DeShawn has him asking what they’d select: to stay a quiet life, or die younger to change into a legend. V turns into a legend in most base sport endings, nevertheless it’s not as if that they had a selection. They have been dragged into Johnny Silverhand’s warfare in opposition to Arasaka, and the one path to a treatment was doing what he couldn’t.

Using the bonds shaped all through Cyberpunk 2077 to take Arasaka down is empowering, and V solidifies their standing as a legend by defeating Adam Smasher. There’s satisfaction in attaining one thing this monumental even when V has little time to stay after. They make historical past in most endings. Phantom Liberty permits them to not do this.

V can lastly select the quiet life. The dialog with Misty is very enlightening as a result of V can lastly perceive how she lives. Regardless of not seeing one another for years, I imagine this second is probably the most related the buddies have ever been as a result of V now sees the world as Misty does.

Misty reassures her pal there’s a lot to this world past what they know. These adjustments could have been unexpected, however she reframes them as V’s second shot at life.

I’ve seen takes calling this ending bleak, and whereas I can see that, I disagree. Seeing V as a shell of their former self is disempowering, however their newfound potential is larger than ever. My coronary heart shattered, however not in a method I felt in a sport.

Residing with unexpected adjustments and life’s lack of pleasure

A part of what hits so onerous about The Tower ending is that V turns into relatable to somebody like me. I can’t put my footwear in a slick cyber ninja, however I understand how it’s feeling misplaced and hopeless. I additionally relate to somebody who thought that they had extra mates than they did.

V is round their mid-twenties, and so am I. It’s a decade of sweeping adjustments earlier than hopefully settling in with a satisfying function.

Amongst these in all probability embrace making radical life choices and assembly some wonderful mates. That latter half particularly is perhaps true for some time, however typically you lose contact with these mates.

It occurs even if you don’t wish to. Then life calms down. The joy vanishes. It hurts shedding contact with beforehand shut relationships.

Life can really feel pointless typically, nevertheless it usually takes a little bit reassurance to know issues will get higher. Generally that comes from a well-recognized voice who stayed with you thru the thrilling instances and the uninteresting ones. It will possibly additionally come from an surprising supply who provides consolation in a method you by no means anticipated.

That’s what I see in The Tower ending, even when I perceive why it’s upsetting. For such an thrilling journey, it’s a surprisingly boring and melancholic conclusion.

At the least, it’s these issues when in comparison with how tales inside the cyberpunk style play out. V discovered an out from the company and political warfare and took it. Even when the results have been larger than anticipated, V has a greater likelihood for a peaceable life because the world merely moved on of their absence.

There’s one thing gratifying in seeing what ought to be such a pessimistic ending have such a hopeful notice connected to it. One the place V could have misplaced a lot however can nonetheless rebuild with a brand new perspective.

It’s what even The Tower card in tarot is about, since Cyberpunk 2077 every ending’s identify comes from the deck’s main arcana. It symbolizes unexpected adjustments and even chaos, nevertheless it additionally means renewal and liberation. In each essence, that is as a lot a brand new starting as it’s a conclusion for V’s story.

My private favourite ending remains to be The Star ending, since V can lead a snug life outdoors Night time Metropolis. It’s a satisfying conclusion since they discover contentment whereas remaining a dwelling legend, arguably the very best of all worlds.

Nonetheless, The Tower is Cyberpunk 2077‘s most emotionally uncooked ending for me. It faucets into one thing not many video games deal with, and that’s others transferring on if you haven’t.

Heartbreak sucks, however ultimately, we choose ourselves again up and collect the items we’ve to create one thing higher. V did simply that after Konpeki Plaza, they usually can do it once more.