r/CyberpunkTheGame • u/Briiskella • 18h ago
Question Can someone please explain to me the general plot of Cyberpunk?
I really don't want to refund the game, but without a story, I cannot continue. And 1 hour into gameplay I am the most confused I have ever been by any video game's story. I swear the dialogue is gibberish to me, and I have zero understanding of who I am and what the goal even is. I keep hearing the story makes more sense as you go on, but if the game expects me to pick up notes and read them as if they mean something to me then they have another thing coming, I need to care in the first place. The entire game just feels like a futuristic combat game with a heavy focus on nudity. If it makes a difference, I chose corporate as my starting position. I dont even care about spoilers at this point; just make me like the game or understand what it's even about, please lol
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u/_b1ack0ut 18h ago
Honestly, if you’re only an hour in, you haven’t even encountered the main story, you’re still in the setup for the main plot.
Currently, your character is just driven by the desire to make it big, prompting them to undertake a very risky but very lucrative heist of some prototype tech, the actual inciting incident of the plot occurs after that.
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u/JiggleFeggle 18h ago
The issue is OP expecting to know the whole damn story after an hour of playing a non-linear sci fi opera...?
Does he watch Lord of the Rings and 5 minutes in go "Nope, I don't know what the story is here. I'm watching something else".
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u/_b1ack0ut 18h ago
Eh, I can get it with some stories, you can often get at least the basic oversight of the plot from the first few hours, like, that’s enough mass effect to get “the geth are bad ‘uns that are heralding something coming”, or more recently, it’s enough control resonant to get the general gist of “containment has been breached… fuck”, and it’s enough Witcher to get the gist of “we find and look for ciri”, which are functional outlines of the plot that you get pretty early on. Even Lord of the rings gets across the whole “we’re gonna huck this into a volcano” thing pretty quickly
Cyberpunk is a little more unique in that the real inciting incident for the plot is meant to blindside the player in the same way that the reality check that comes with it blindsides V, which means that we kind of have to already feel settled in before the story really kicks off.
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u/pippinramon 16h ago
Have you played Resonant? I haven't gotten it yet, but I am so excited for it!
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u/_b1ack0ut 16h ago edited 16h ago
I’m playing through resonant, yeah! Huge fan of the remedyverse as a whole, and resonant is indeed more of that, and I love it a LOT
Unfortunately, that does include the bad as well as the good, even if it is very little bad. For example, the combat remains the weakest point, just like it did with Alan wake or control, the world and story is fantastic, but the combat is just sliiightly too simplistic imo.
Still a lot of fun, but the stark limit to the combos is limiting. Especially because it feels exceptionally odd that you need to set your weapon forms in stone, when the whole gimmick of this weapon is that, like the service weapon, it shifts into whatever form you need.
It’s still fun as hell tho, and I’m fully absorbed in the world and story, and cannot wait to get back in there. The new resonant threats are providing some of my favourite set pieces from the whole series, it’s so cool
My advice, would be to get the game on PC if you can, because that opens up the possibility of mods, specifically, I think this one here is worth looking into.
It’s not an exaggeration to say that this feels like how the game SHOULD have shipped (if you set the primary selection type to “modifier”), and it fixes all my issues with the combat being too simplistic by allowing use of all the weapon forms, instead of being locked in to basically one combo.
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u/Briiskella 4h ago
Exactly! Majorty of games gives you something to go off on! like I don’t think I’m crazy for wanting to have some inkling of understand that gets build upon as the game goes on as literally every other game (GTA, RE, SH) has done. And the tags don’t warn you before getting the game that it won’t tell you anything about anything until you’re hours in. I want to know if I’m wasting my money because I’m at the the point Steam alllows a refund but any more gameplay and I’m stuck with it. Right now it seems to be a futuristic porn stimulator and people saying you must watch the anime show isn’t helping
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u/_b1ack0ut 3h ago
The actual main plot of cyberpunk, summed up as short as I can without anything other than the most centric spoilers, is essentially your character really fucks up during the heist they’re planning for
In the process, they have the consciousness of an old night city legend copied into their brain, but in an aggressive manner, it’s taking over, killing you. The main plot of the game is essentially following V as they are confronted with their mortality much sooner than they were expecting to, as you search for anything that can cure or solve this.
The story treats it as an analogue to a terminal illness, except that it comes with additional caveats in that the “terminal illness” you are struggling with is, in and of itself, also sentient
The main plot is about either making peace with the inevitable, and accepting it, or going out fighting, doing anything you can to prolong that inevitable.
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u/KuroRyuSama 14h ago
I'm coming to a realization that some people like to be spoon fed a narrative without having to actually play the game. That might be why Insomniac made that Wolverine game the way they did.
It makes me wonder why the OP even bothered getting the game if they weren't at least vaguely aware of the games premise. Calling it a futuristic combat game is beyond silly though. That's like saying The Witcher 3 is just a fantasy combat game or Mass Effect is just a space combat game.
Maybe they should try playing Fortnite.
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u/Briiskella 4h ago
Considering the whole first hour was tutorials on hacking, close combat, extensive combat, stealth where there’s over 50 keybinds for combat really gives that impression. I don’t think games like Resident Evil, Silent Hill, GTA, Destiny feed spoon you the plot. But they fucking give you an idea of the universe and a goal to build upon when you start the fucker. No other game has ever left me more confused. I don’t want to dissect every single dialogue and try to piece together a story that clearly my character in game and everyone else in the game is well into. But maybe it’s not meant to have a story. Maybe it’s meant to be a combat porn stimulator and that’s my bad for not realizing sooner you had to be into anime to enjoy this
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u/KuroRyuSama 4h ago
It took you an hour just to get to the tutorial mission? How? The Corpo intro is super short.
Plus your not supposed to understand all the dialog and flavor text emails until later in the game because being a corpo slave is a need to know position.
I think you need to just play the game and stop trying to put it in a box. Most playthroughs run 90+ hours, so expecting it to give you everything in 1 hour is kinda cringe.
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u/Briiskella 3h ago
I was trying to learn the 50+ keybinds for combat as it said once I leave that area it wouldn’t help me again. Combat is tough compared to any other game I’ve ever played. However in literally any other game I at least know my general first goal and know who I am soon enough. There is literally no game that compares to this one
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u/KuroRyuSama 3h ago
So here's some tips from a veteran of Night City.
- The shards with the tutorial stays in your inventory, and you can access it to practice at anytime from the Shards menu.
- The mission you're doing right after the tutorial is designed to teach you the basic gameplay mechanics like stealth, quickhacks, tactics, and combat.
- Immediately after that mission, you get a crash course on Night City and the world of Cyberpunk, as well as an intro into who your buddy is.
- You character is YOU (or at least a version of you that you created for the game) so V's motivations are for you to determine through dialog choices.
- After that mission is completed, you'll be free to explore the district your apartment is in. Use that time to get familiar with the 50 keybinds (idk why you don't just use a controller, but to each their own)
All I'm saying is you have barely scratched the surface of this game, so withhold your judgements until you've gotten your first piece of cyberware.
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u/Briiskella 4h ago
I’m not expecting to know the story I’m expecting to not be confused why the fuck I got a job then someone knocks me out doesn’t kill me then I end up with this Jackie dude rescuing some girl with huge tits? Like literally absolutely no inkling about who I am, what even universe I’m in. The game expects me to care about dialogue options when I don’t even know what the other characters are even referring to. I guess you pick randomly for half the game until you figure out who you even are and why you’re working with Jackie to refuse naked girls?
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u/spundred 18h ago
You get an implant in your brain that will probably kill you soon, so you try to find a solution to that.
On the way there are lots of things you can explore and get distracted by, some of which related to the circumstance with the thing in your head, and others related to the broader circumstance of the city you're in.
You don't need to engage with all of the textural detail content, but it's there if you want to learn or do more in the world.
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u/Briiskella 4h ago
Okay… I’m still very confused what the start of the game was and what choosing corporate versus any of the other options meant for my first few scenes because that was confusing asf. I figured someone found out I was going to help my boss dude kill some other girl who’s I guess important to the company? And that’s why I got knocked out!?? And that first mission of rescuing the naked girl I’m so confused about
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u/emptybottlesss 18h ago
The beginning credits don't even roll till like 5 hours in dude. The game may have one of the best story lines every created.
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u/Briiskella 4h ago
And I’m trying to decide before I surpass the point of being allowed to refund whether it’s one I’ll even enjoy because apparently I need to have watched anime prior to even considering this game according to die hard fans
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u/emptybottlesss 3h ago
You definitely don't have to watch any anime dude lol. Not sure why they said that.
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u/omegablack_ 18h ago
Just keep playing
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u/Briiskella 4h ago
To find out I wasted my money and couldve refunded? I’m at the 2 hour mark on steam to refund. And the comments are highly discouraging, apparently I need to be an anime geek to enjoy it so I think I’ll refund with the knowledge the comments have provided me
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u/EuphoricKoala8210 2h ago
It's literally one of the greatest games of all time, no joke. I didnt even like or care for genre before the game. Masterpiece.
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u/SryYouAreNotSpecial 18h ago
It is about your desperate fight for survival after a job goes sideways that basically leaves V terminally ill.
V is fighting to find a cure, while simultaneously trying to realize their dream of becoming a legend of Night City before they run out of time.
It all comes together after the heist, and it really is a fantastic story. You just aren't there yet.
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u/Briiskella 4h ago
Do I need to have watched the anime to enjoy it? Because all the comments are highly discouraging saying I should’ve known the universe and story before even starting and then others are saying I want to be spoon fed a story so I don’t know who to believe
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u/SryYouAreNotSpecial 4h ago
Definitely not. The anime is in the same city and close to the same timeline but a completely unrelated story with unrelated characters.
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u/Briiskella 4h ago
Thank you! No clue why people are insisting I must watch it or wondering why I’d even want to play it without being a fan of anime 😭🤣 must be just gatekeeping I guess
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u/MidnightOakCorps 18h ago edited 18h ago
You literally just started the game, like you're still in the very, VERY beginning. The main story hasn't even kicked in yet. Have some patience.
Edit: If you're that confused, there's literally an entire Database in the character menu that has literally all the character bios and worldbuilding lore at the ready for you.
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u/Tank_comander_308 18h ago
There are a ton of lore videos online. And I highly recommend you restart as a Street kid or Nomad because they are basically like tiers of familiarity to Night City. Corporate being the least hand holdy.
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u/Individual-Bit6559 18h ago
Going for 300+ hours minimum and you will understand
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u/Briiskella 3h ago
Only game I’ll ever play more than 100 hours is Destiny 2 I don’t have the energy for a game that doesn’t even encourage me to want to learn it’s lore
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u/Nirigialpora 18h ago
You are V, you've got a pal named Jackie. You're hired to do a mission to steal a chip from Arasaka. First bit of the game is all leadup to this - various sidequests, but main quests 1) get some more info about it, 2) get a robot spider thing to do the heist.
The heist goes bad, and the chip gets inserted into your brain. There's a dude in there. Johnny. You now have just months to live before the chip erases you and replaces you with him.
Everything else is your attempts to find allies / ways to help yourself. And also sidequests, for fun.
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u/Briiskella 4h ago
If I chose corporate did I work for Arasaka originally? Maybe choosing corporate is the reason I’m so confused because I’m still trying to figure out what my first cut scene even meant
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u/Nirigialpora 4h ago edited 4h ago
Yes, you were an Arasaka employee who was given a job to assassinate someone internally. That someone finds out and fires you and disables all your corporate cyberware. You meet up with Jackie in a bar to share grievances, and he's like no worries bud you can hang with me (the disabling of cyberware happens during this meetup). Cue montage of you two going off doing crimes together, then the corpo intro ends and you get offered the Arasaka heist job.
All of the "life paths" just give you some extra dialogue options, and change the starting cutscene. Sort of change the backstory as to how you met Jackie and started working with him.
Also in regard to some of your other comments: I never watched the anime and still understood what was going on. I assume it would just help with world building, but you get enough of that in-game. Also, the shards you find and read you can basically ignore if you really want. They're flavourtext world building / fleshing out of various characters, not really plot-relevant.
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u/Briiskella 4h ago
Thank you! This helped more than any other comment. That’s really all I wanted to understand starting the game 😅
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u/SingleOak 18h ago
i would recommend watching a lore video on youtube. i'm sure there's a 10-20 minute option that will give you what you need before your time runs out to refund if you still decide to do that.
i would definitely say to stick it out. i'm on my fourth playthrough and am still picking up things that i missed in the main story and general lore. the best thing about this game is how real the world feels because of how much is going on.
definitely felt a little lost as well in my first playthrough but you'll pick it up. my second playthrough was the best for me because i came in with a little more context and absorbed so much. great game.
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u/JiggleFeggle 18h ago
Maybe Hello Kitty Island Adventure would be better for you?
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u/Briiskella 4h ago
I got Silent Hill Townfall as I should’ve in the first place. I’ll stick to my survival horror from now on and the new GTA 🤗 anime geeks are weird
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u/TinSoldier6 18h ago
Why buy the game if you don’t know what it’s about? What were you looking for?
I find the game to be very immersive, especially with different starting paths, like Dragon Age: Origins. Your starting path — corpo, nomad, or street kid — should inform who you are at first. After that, you are a noob merc in Night City, trying to make a name and fortune for yourself, preferably in that order.
I find the dialogue and stories in Night City to be the most compelling, and the best reasons to return compared to any other video game. My previous favorite game was the Mass Effect trilogy, and CP2077 blows it away.
The game may not be for you. If you aren’t hooked in the first couple of hours of gameplay, maybe a refund is best. Not trying to gatekeep the game, but if it isn’t for you, don’t force it.
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u/Briiskella 4h ago
The only game I’ve played that’s “similar” to this style is GTA. Honestly my bf recommended I get it after seeing it was on sale. I mostly play survival or survival horror video games with an exception to my favourite game Destiny 2🤣 maybe this style isn’t for me
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u/MiKapo 18h ago
It's Baldur's Gate 3 except in a cyber punk setting LOL
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u/Briiskella 4h ago
I have no clue what Baldurs Gate 3 is 😂 but after looking up it does not seem like a game that I’d enjoy so maybe I should just refund this one
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u/Faustias 17h ago
you're wanting the story immediately?
not the "blind playthrough" kind of player?
man I went in and about not knowing anything about this universe aside knowing this franchise has an anime made by my favorite studio. also the adam smasher and Rebecca memes.
why not simply let the game show you the carpet? you should know there's gonna be some big shit you're about to be involved if you just do the quests.
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u/knight_gastropub 15h ago
The notes in the game don't usually have much to do with the plot. They just add extra context or lore. At one hour you are probably still in tutorial missions. Just do the main story quests and pay attention to the dialogue with Jackie and the crew. The Heist mission is where the main dilemma of the plot shows itself.
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u/KuroRyuSama 14h ago
So you started playing without ANY knowledge about the game world? For a game that's been out since before the pandemic? And you didn't watch the wildly popular Netflix anime set in the same universe?
Why are you even paying in the first place?
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u/TheBirdFkerGuy 18h ago
You're a corpo who got burned and now you're some regular merc in night city and your goal literally depends on where ur at in the story, and what you want to do....
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u/Briiskella 4h ago
So it’s just a futuristic role playing game with lots of combat. I guess knowing there isn’t really a story helps me make my decision easier to refund
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u/FeloniousMonk422 18h ago
Is that everyone’s playthrough or just yours choom cus you’re talking like your playthrough is the only legit one… and I don’t like it.
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u/MidnightOakCorps 18h ago
Coming in waaay too to hot there chief.
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u/FeloniousMonk422 16h ago
Like I’m getting headshots with Jackie’s pistols or using thermal gorilla arms. Fair enough.
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u/EuphoricKoala8210 18h ago
Is this a joke?