History Cyberpunk2077 / TropesC

*** This isn't the first time she's voiced [[VideoGame/NierAutomata a cold-blooded mercenary]], either.

* CastFromHitpoints: The 2.0 revamp of the game introduced the "Overclock" perk in the Intelligence tree, which allows a V with a cyberdeck installed to effectively convert their health into extra [=RAM=] for a limited time, with every extra unit of RAM over their max costing 10 health.

** ''Phantom Liberty'' revolves around the theme of loyalty, either to individual people or to a greater cause. For example there is how Solomon and Johnny are {{Foil}}s of each other. Solomon is an intelligence agent for the NUSA who holds unshakeable patriotism for his country, despite how many times he's been [[MyCountryRightOrWrong betrayed by his own government]]. Meanwhile, Johnny is a former corporate soldier turned [[BombThrowingAnarchist terrorist]] who [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere immediately deserted]] when he realized all the promises his recruiters made to him were lies. Meanwhile, Songbird is [[spoiler:a BoxedCrook forced to work a job that is killing her for the FIA and subsequently resents them and by extension Solomon, being willing to sell them out if it means a shot at freedom. Solomon meanwhile only wants what's best for Songbird and goes out of his way to protect her despite the numerous times she's burned him]]. Meanwhile, V has pick their own loyalties between choosing to follow Songbird and Solomon, who have a concrete plan to remove the Relic, or Johnny who at this point has become FireForgedFriends with V but has nothing to offer them in regards to removing the Relic. [[spoiler:The climax brings the romantic and pragmatic aspects of the plot into sharp conflict, with V having to decide whether to pursue the romantic goal of giving Songbird her freedom from the NUSA (either via escape or MercyKill depending on your choices), even if it costs them the cure she's been searching for and alienates them from the NUSA, or do the pragmatic thing of watching out for themselves and giving Songbird away, even if it means cooperating with President Myer's ruthless plans and crushing Reed's spirit in the process. Rather fittingly, choosing the pragmatic option results in V getting the cure they seek, but the cost attached is so heavy they have to give up on their grandest dreams and settle for a more "realistic" life going forward.]]

** ''Phantom Liberty'' revolves around the theme of loyalty, either to individual people or to a greater cause. For example there is how Solomon and Johnny are {{Foil}}s of each other. Solomon is an intelligence agent for the NUSA who holds unshakeable patriotism for his country, despite how many times he's been [[MyCountryRightOrWrong betrayed by his own government]]. Meanwhile, Johnny is a former corporate soldier turned [[BombThrowingAnarchist terrorist]] who [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere immediately deserted]] when he realized all the promises his recruiters made to him were lies. Meanwhile, Songbird is [[spoiler:a BoxedCrook forced to work a job that is killing her for the FIA and subsequently resents them and by extension Solomon, being willing to sell them out if it means a shot at freedom. Solomon meanwhile only wants what's best for Songbird and goes out of his way to protect her despite the numerous times she's burned him]]. Meanwhile, V has pick their own loyalties between choosing to follow Songbird and Solomon, who have a concrete plan to remove the Relic, or Johnny who at this point has become FireForgedFriends with V but has nothing to offer them in regards to removing the Relic. [[spoiler:Judging by how Reed, V and Songbird end up if Songbird is returned to NUSA, it's painfully obvious the narrative wants you to get her far away from them, one way or the other.]]

** Another is what it means to be alive. Many characters debate on whether it's better to live a long and quiet life or to go out young in a blaze of glory as a legend so you can be remembered. Going hand in hand with this is how you live your life in the face of impending death. Living in Night City is already dangerous enough as you can catch a bullet to the head on any given day even if you aren't involved in any criminal activity, but it goes doubly so for V [[spoiler:who is facing impending death within weeks due to the biochip in their head.]] The game also makes numerous references to the infamous Music/NeilYoung lyric, "it’s better to burn out than fade away," including an in-game band having a song titled "Never Fade Away", and examines whether it truly ''is'' better to burn out (by fighting against fate to the death and [[DoNotGoGentle going out in a blaze of glory]]) than to fade away (accepting the cards that fate has dealt you, and [[FaceDeathWithDignity crossing the threshold with your head held high]]); One of the characters is in a remarkably similar situation as Music/KurtCobain was, seeing his legacy of anti-corpo rebellion being injected into the mainstream and "sold out", leaving him in a depression over how, despite it being decades later, the world is still the same shithole it was back in his time.

* CelebrityEndorsement: In-universe, there's ads for Kiroshi Opticals implants featuring the members of the band Us Cracks.

** Adam Smasher is first mentioned during the prologue, when Jackie name-drops several living legends of Night City.

*** In the Street Kid lifepath prologue, the magazine Kirk uses to show the Aerondight car to V contains an ad for Secure Your Soul.

** Judy first appears as an unammed NPC sitting with Evelyn at the Lizzies' bar counter when you must meet the latter prior to the Konpeki Plazza heist.

* ChekhovsGun: There's references to the Relic and the Secure Your Soul program before Dex starts setting the Konpeki Plaza heist.
** In the prologue, once you go back home after rescuing Sandra Dorsett from a Scavengers hideout, the television in the elevator plays a talk show which guests are debating about Secure Your Soul.
** In the Street Kid lifepath prologue, the magazine Kirk uses to show the Aerondight car to V contains an ad for Secure Your Soul.

* ChekhovsGun: In the prologue, once you go back home after rescuing Sandra Dorsett from a Scavengers hideout, the television in the elevator plays a talk show which guests are debating about the Relic.

** Another is what it means to be alive. Many characters debate on whether it's better to live a long and quiet life or to go out young in a blaze of glory as a legend so you can be remembered. Going hand in hand with this is how you live your life in the face of impending death. Life in Night City is already a dangerous place where you can catch a bullet to the head on any given day even if you aren't involved in criminal activity, but it goes doubly so for V [[spoiler:who is facing impending death within weeks due to the biochip in their head.]] The game also makes numerous references to the infamous Music/NeilYoung lyric, "its better to burn out, than fade away," including an in-game band having a song titled "Never Fade Away", and examines whether it truly ''is'' better to burn out (by fighting against fate to the death and [[DoNotGoGentle going out in a blaze of glory]]) than to fade away (accepting the cards that fate has dealt you, and [[FaceDeathWithDignity crossing the threshold with your head held high]]); One of the characters is in a remarkably similar situation as Music/KurtCobain was, seeing his legacy of anti-corpo rebellion being injected into the mainstream and "sold out", leaving him in a depression over how, despite it being decades later, the world is still the same shithole it was back in his time.

** The impossibility of dealing with systemic issues like poverty, prejudice, sexual exploitation, and environmental devastation. The Edgerunner protagonist, V, constantly butts heads with Johnny Silverhand over whether its possible to change anything in Night City. The player character can accomplish individual good in quests or profit from the crime in the city but they are unable to change anything on a structural level. [[spoiler:Not unless they're willing to do something just as big, like assaulting Arasaka Tower, and even then the change is temporary at best and devastating for bystanders at worst, and no matter the outcome, V will leave a ''lot'' of burned bridges in their wake, in one form or another.]]

** The impossibility of dealing with systematic issues like poverty, prejudice, sexual exploitation, and environmental devastation. The Edgerunner protagonist, V, constantly butts heads with Johnny Silverhand over whether its possible to change anything in Night City. The player character can accomplish individual good in quests or profit from the crime in the city but they are unable to change anything on a structural level. [[spoiler:Not unless they're willing to do something just as big, like assaulting Arasaka Tower, and even then the change is temporary at best and devastating for bystanders at worst, and no matter the outcome, V will leave a ''lot'' of burned bridges in their wake, in one form or another.]]

** It wasn't the first time Creator/MieSonozaki voiced the LostLenore of a [[VideoGame/DeusExHumanRevolution cybernetically]] enhanced legend who's role plays a massive part in the story where the McGuffin is misused by an Asian MegaCorp to control all cybernetics.

* CapitalismIsBad: [[ZigZaggedTrope Zig-zagged.]] On one hand, Night City is just about the bleakest portrait of unfettered capitalism imaginable, with amoral corporations using every means available to protect their bottom line while reducing their employees to virtual serfdom. Those who don't work for a corp fare even worse, with no social safety net and most of the population unable to afford even basic medical care, while it's treated as a given that the wealthy elite [[ScrewTheRulesIHaveMoney can get away with just about anything.]] No one ever offers any real alternatives, however; the rebellious Edgerunners are just as capitalistic and cutthroat as the corpos they oppose, more concerned with finding their own fame and fortune than making radical change. Likewise, the game also throws a few jabs at the Soviet Union, the NUSA's communist rivals (which has a socialistic corporate system); one news article documents the survival of a group of Soviet miners who were caught in a collapse. After crediting their survival to their implants, the reporter happily says the miners will be resuming their work ''next week.'' The main point in highlighting the negatives of capitalism is to demonstrate how out of their league V is in all this.

* ContractualBossImmunity: Higher level enemies with a skull, robots, and bosses are immune to stealth grabs. At best, some bosses are heavily chromed and vulnerable to a stealth takedown that takes out their initial 25% health.

* TheCityNarrows: Pacifica, a coastal neighborhood for the wealthy, including a giant mall and a beach resort, was completely abandoned (some buildings mid-construction) following the Fourth Corporate War. Now, it's the worst part of Night City, where nobody aside Max-Tac or elite Edgerunners dare to go and where only homeless people, down on their luck immigrants and [[TheBerserker the Animals]] live. [[spoiler:And the Voodoo Boyz]].

* CharacterCustomization: V's gender, appearance, skills and even backstory are up to the discretion of the player.