The Problem with Jackie’s Death in Cyberpunk 2077
Night City, the futuristic setting of Cyberpunk 2077, is a brutal and unforgiving place. The game starts with the death of protagonist V’s close friend, Jackie. However, many players, myself included, don’t feel particularly attached to this character.
Within a couple of hours into the story, Jackie dies and V is left traumatized. We are shown a montage of their crime sprees and fast cars, emphasizing their relationship. But as players, we don’t have enough time to form our own opinions of Jackie.
Reddit user protossvoid shared their disinterest in Jackie’s fate, and many agreed. They felt that if the heist had taken place midway through the game, players would have had more opportunities to connect with Jackie and engage in multiple missions with him.
The Need for More Jackie Content
Other users on Reddit also expressed their disappointment with Jackie’s early departure. They believed that the six months V spent with Jackie should have been playable missions rather than just a cutscene. They wanted an entire chapter dedicated to him.
A Larger Issue with Cyberpunk 2077
This sentiment highlights a broader criticism of Cyberpunk 2077. The sense of urgency that V feels due to their impending death from a Relic in their head doesn’t align with the time spent on side quests. Players question the importance of spending countless hours on these quests when V’s life is at stake.
Instead of installing the Relic right at the beginning, it would have been better to introduce it around the midpoint of the game. This would have allowed players to establish V’s reputation and made the side quests more about tying up loose ends rather than just starting the journey as a mercenary.
A Common Open-World RPG Issue
This problem is not exclusive to Cyberpunk 2077. Many open-world RPGs, such as Fallout 3 and Horizon Zero Dawn, also struggle with balancing urgency and side quests. Hopefully, the upcoming Phantom Liberty DLC will address these issues.
Related: All Cyberpunk 2077 feature additions with upcoming Phantom Liberty expansion
Note: This article was automatically generated using OpenAI’s GPT-3 language model.
Cyberpunk 2077, Night City, Jackie’s death, protagonist V, side quests, playable missions, Relic, urgency, open-world RPGs, Fallout 3, Horizon Zero Dawn, Phantom Liberty DLC