Have you ever woken up in the middle of the night and for a brief moment not known who you are? Or felt like you really aren’t yourself? I always have this feeling. At every moment of my life. This feeling of emptiness. This feeling of helplessness. – Lizzy Wizzy
The Danger of Diluting the Game’s Story
When you think of the word “punk,” what comes to mind? Anti-capitalism? Chaos? Both are valid options, but “identity” undoubtedly holds greater significance. Early British punks wrote the phrase “No Future” on walls, a phrase borrowed from the Sex Pistols’ song “God Save the Queen,” and the clothes they wore reflected this slogan. Torn clothing held together with safety pins and duct tape. Their bodies served as a symbol of rebellion against polite society, but also represented their shared belonging.
In the first main mission of Cyberpunk 2077, you attack a scavenger den filled with killers who steal people’s body parts to sell on the black market. For them, the body is not a symbol; it is merely meat, and meat has a price. In the elevator, the phrase “No Future” is written on the elevator door, a desperate plea from a crowd whose bodies no longer belong to them.
Music helps shape our identity during adolescence. Goths, rockers, mods, new romantics, punks. Today, you can see the influence of the grime scene in street fashion in the UK. If you walk through the back alleys of Tokyo, you will witness the impact of idol pop culture on kawaii fashion. In Cyberpunk 2077, CD Projekt Red, people still rely on music as a guiding light; music is a deeply personal artistic medium upon which their identity is built. In a world where brands dominate everything, erasing your identity to the point where you are just a cog in the corporate machine is the only way to rebel and resist branding yourself. Just as music influences culture, companies do the same. They target you with advertisements from every corner and fill your mind with various songs and slogans.
Now Johnny Silverhand enters the scene, a seasoned rocker whose character structure becomes imprisoned in your mind. Eventually, you are told that his structure has completely molded onto you, and Silverhand will be in control. By the end of the game, you find yourself wearing his clothes, using his weapon, and driving his Porsche. This transformation is a two-way street. Just as music, art, and culture leave their mark on us, people do the same. People can change. They are always evolving. Are you yourself in every social situation and without a filter, or do you change yourself based on the situation you find yourself in? These short-term social changes are one thing, but long-term influence is another, like when a lover and beloved create a shared language that only they understand.
Johnny Silverhand, who takes your identity, is akin to the Ship of Theseus (a philosophical thought experiment in which the planks of a ship are replaced one by one until nothing remains of the original wood). Johnny is replacing the planks in your mind while you are infiltrating his character. If every plank is replaced, will you still be yourself? Are you a combination of two people? This theme is further emphasized through the body-modding in the game world. An act that, if taken too far, leads to “cyberpsychosis.” The quote that begins this section belongs to Lizzy Wizzy, a musician who replaced her body with chrome. A statement she made just hours before killing her partner. Perhaps she had gone too far in replacing the planks, or maybe this was the heavy price of fame.
You can give your body to Silverhand and merge with Alt Cunningham, Silverhand’s old girlfriend, and another Ship of Theseus that becomes an out-of-control AI. She tells you that she is no longer Alt, but a person after changing still remains the same person. This is merely character growth. Humans cannot just be an unbroken chain of memories over time because their memories often get pushed back and forgotten. You take control of Silverhand in your body alone, and he sorts everything out before leaving Night City. He is a completely different person. He no longer smokes, is emotional and considerate, and no longer acts impulsively. He seems at peace. He carries your character with him, not just because he wears your skin. Cyberpunk 2077 explores the theme of identity from various angles throughout the main missions, side quests, and even smaller activities in the game world.
In this cold, mechanical world, people desperately seek some form of connection to the point where braindance, experiencing someone else’s memories and feeling the emotions they had in the moment, has become one of the popular pastimes of Night City’s residents.
