Since its launch, developer CD Projekt Red has worked hard to release patches, but it has yet to deliver on its pre-launch promise and many gamers have been turned off Cyberpunk 2077 for good. But if players can look past the technical issues, Cyberpunk 2077’s story is still well worth a look. With surprisingly melancholic elements to the mercenary narrative, the game features compelling characters and emotional story beats that succeed in hitting home. But there are definitely some more disturbing elements hidden among the tender moments.
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Disturbing Quests and Questionable Characters
In a world as cynical and cutthroat as Night City, there were bound to be things that pushed the boundaries. In V’s quest to become a hotshot mercenary in the shady city, Cyberpunk 2077 litters the narrative with more than a few disturbing moments to fully demonstrate how dangerous the setting is. Or sometimes, how downright weird Night City can be.
One of the side quests that caused a lot of talk among the gaming community was one involving a death row prisoner and his wish to be crucified, called Sinnerman. Not only that, but a company wanted to sell this macabre experience as a braindance – a form of entertainment that lets people experience events in virtual reality. Players have the choice to participate in this twisted fantasy of retribution and can even hammer Joshua to the cross.
In addition to some heavy and dubious side quests, the world of Cyberpunk 2077 is full of weird and wonderful characters – most the former rather than the latter. There are a number of gangs in Night City which V has regular run-ins with, and some are definitely more palatable than others. One of the creepier groups is Maelstrom – a violent gang obsessed with body modification with nightmarish results. Unpalatable looks aside, it is how the gang operates that makes them even more terrifying. Their violent methods of dealing with their victims – including skinning them alive – is one of their more disturbing attributes and one of the Watson Gigs called Rite of Passage gives an even more brutal glimpse into what it takes to become a gang member.
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Braindances - Harmless Or Harrowing?
One of the best characters in the game, Judy Alvarez, is a skilled braindance technician and helps to introduce V to this interesting and often incredibly dark side of Night City. Braindances can be used for more benign experiences, but there is a rotten core to the industry that helps to peddle ultra-violent and illegal BDs as well. One of the most horrifying instances of braindances and their uses is the Evelyn Parker storyline. Evelyn is a doll – a sex worker whose personality is programmed to suit each client before their memory is wiped after every session. After a heist mission goes south Evelyn is hacked by the Voodoo Boys in retribution, which leaves her comatose but aware of her surroundings.
Discarded by her creepy boss after he is unable to “fix” her, she ends up with a sinister group of Scavengers to be used in the production of their snuff BDs. But once they realize Evelyn’s potential as a high-end doll, the Scavengers have other plans, and submit her to endless tortures and unspeakable cruelty, all in the name of recording top dollar BDs for their twisted customers. Eventually, Evelyn is rescued from her ordeal by V and her friend Judy, but her trauma is so severe that she ends up taking her own life. It’s a harrowing and bleak moment in the game and shows how corrupt the system of Night City is and how it preys on the most vulnerable.
Mindless Violence and Casual Cruelty
Cyberpunk 2077 is chock-full of violence – either perpetrated by or aimed at V, or sometimes as a direct result of V’s actions. NPC civilians can often get caught in the crossfire, but players can also choose to mow them down indiscriminately if the mood takes them. Of course, this will draw the attention of the NCPD, so players are advised to exercise caution unless they’re prepared to fight off the militaristic police. Gamers can even choose to beat other people to death with a sex toy, which seems needlessly harsh and macabre.
Player choices can have significant impacts in Cyberpunk 2077, and more often than not they can lead to violent ends. Elisabeth Wissenfurth, known professionally as Lizzy Wizzy, is one of Night City’s top celebrities. In one of the side jobs, she asks V to find out if her new boyfriend is cheating. But the truth is far worse, as V discovers him chatting with a corpo about making an engram copy of Lizzy. If the player tells her the truth, the boyfriend later ends up dead and V can even help get rid of the body. What’s most disturbing about the mission is Lizzy’s reaction – her dismissal of the crime, her musings on how her fans would eat it up if they found out, and her enjoyment of the whole affair.
The world of Cyberpunk 2077 can be gruesome, cruel, and endlessly disturbing, and it’s no wonder why some characters wish to leave so desperately. Some elements feel out of place, but some fit the harsh environments of Night City perfectly.
Cyberpunk 2077 is out now for PC, PS4, Stadia, and Xbox One, with PS5 and Xbox Series X/S versions in development.
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