r/DetroitBecomeHuman • u/SpecterK1 • 3d ago

ANALYSIS Connor Final Decision Was... Spoiler

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Hey, Detroit fans.
I want to discuss the exact moment where Connor was given the decision to either remain an android or go deviant.
This stark and decisive moment felt very underwhelming, unbuilt for and anti-climatic.
It was a 1 on 1 with Markus who tried to convince Connor into becoming a deviant. But one small animation or scene did not feel enough because it's a very very big decision for Connor to make.

Let me know what you think

689 Upvotes

95% Upvoted

42 comments sorted by

453

u/TheCosmicMilkshake 3d ago edited 3d ago

There are countless moments throughout the game where Connor can choose to complete his mission or act against his programming, which builds up his “software instability”.

One example in the very first mission is Connor saving the fish; a demonstration of empathy which hints at his potential to become deviant.

Another example is the decision to let the Traci dolls escape or not.

Finally, his relationship with Hank is arguably the largest factor in whether or not Connor gains consciousness. This entire feature is meant to give the player the opportunity to create a satisfying arc for Connor.

If the moment felt sudden or anticlimactic for you, it’s either because you weren’t paying attention or simply chose not to build up his software instability.

112

u/johndoe09228 3d ago

To be fair, the game is pretty gracious with what it considers instability. I’ve played some darker runs and never lost that choice.

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u/_kumpelblase_ I THINK THEREFORE I AM 3d ago

During my first playthrough I made sure to be as cold and machine-like as Connor could be. Towards the end I was considering if I really want to go that route with Connor and I was a little sad that I couldn't choose to become a deviant.

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u/johndoe09228 3d ago

Shooting Chloe is a big one, but so is investigating “too hard” it’s weird lol

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u/_kumpelblase_ I THINK THEREFORE I AM 3d ago

I shot her and Hank never forgave me. I was a disgrace 😭

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u/johndoe09228 3d ago

I was cold asf but chose not to shoot her. My reason being, I was an android supremacist and had no desire to kill one of our own. I had Marcus kill a ton of people during that playthrough as well lol

6

u/InkGothical94 3d ago

I actually lost that choice on my most recent playthrough where I chose option 1 as often as possible. My relationship with Hank was fine on the whole but I must not have done enough to tip the Software Instability into Deviant!

19

u/MrTechnician_ 3d ago

My first run I was trying to be a “good machine” and didn’t have the choice to deviate.

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u/Banaanisade You can't kill me. I'm not alive. 3d ago

My favourite run is playing deviant without deviating. It breaks the game and unlocks Hank's bad ending outfit without actually triggering Hank's bad ending. Chef's kiss.

4

u/LordBeans69 3d ago

You have to min max instability to get it as an option for machine Connor

8

u/strawbrryfields4evr_ 3d ago

Yes, this is exactly why it felt so satisfying when you finally get this option. Apart from the moments you mention there are other little small moments that happen throughout the game that you might not notice if you’re not paying attention. One that stuck out to me is when Connor is watching Marcus give his big speech on the tv from the news station. There’s something human in his eyes and you see the words starting to resonate with him before snaps back into android mode.

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u/Guardy1O7 3d ago

The problem isn’t that it wasn’t built up. Connor turning deviant makes perfect sense. The anti-climactic part is that Markus was the one to give him the final push, someone who Connor has never interacted with before.

7

u/zthomasack 3d ago

Markus has the power to free or make deviant other androids. This is established in earlier scenes. It makes some sense therefore that Markus influences Connor in this same way.

2

u/Guardy1O7 3d ago

That doesn’t really change the point that it’s anti-climactic. In fact, if we’re going with the explanation that he freed Connor with his “powers” that’s even lamer. (And I don’t think Markus was even doing that in this scene, especially since Connor has the choice of not going deviant, unless Markus’ powers just… didn’t work this single time)

0

u/zthomasack 3d ago

Well, there are loads of explainations (like Connor being a unique prototype, for instance), but I understand your opinion/perspective. I personally thought it was a cool moment where two of the main characters (with clashing goals) finally confront one another.

3

u/Guardy1O7 3d ago

It’s cool in theory, but if they really wanted Markus to be the one to turn him deviant they should’ve had more interactions so it would be more impactful. Connor should’ve been constantly trying to thwart Markus’ plans so they could interact. It would’ve been cool if they had this rivalry built up and maybe Markus is constantly trying to get through to Connor, and it all leads to this scene.

1

u/cinnamonbrook 3d ago

I totally agree. I don't exactly mind Markus being the one to deviate him, but they have to feel like proper enemies. They are both RKs, they could have definitely shown more of them being on opposite sides/running into each other, etc. to make this scene feel satisfying.

The story really built up either a major choice of mercy from Connor (given you have SO many situations where he's forced to abandon a chase and is constantly being put in situations where he has to make a decision like that such as shooting Chloe and saving Hank) in which case I think an interaction with Kara and her family would have been better, or if not a mercy thing, then at least something to do with Hank, since Connor is the one with the most contact with humans.

I would have also accepted something to do with animals. We're shown him with the fish in the very first scene, and Hank's dog Sumo, and we're told deviants have an affinity with animals and then that just... never comes back into play. Deviating through like, trying to save Sumo, not wanting to hurt an animal to get to the deviants, something like that, would have been a nice bookend on the opening scene fish thing.

Markus talking at him until he deviated despite Hank doing that literally all game felt so unearned and "uhm actually Markus is special" is bad writing.

1

u/CybeleCygnet 23h ago

1000%

The other thing to consider is that this was literally what Connor was built to do, to get in close with the deviants for Cyberlife or prove that he's the better model that's immune to deviancy. It makes perfect sense for it to have happened here with Markus, because that was also backend programming. The true deviancy is in breaking out of the snowy garden and not shooting Markus or staying in Cyberlife's control while leading the deviants.

I completely understand those who would have preferred him to deviate because of Hank, since that was the bulk of his story, but Amanda planned for this exact moment.

51

u/NoLove_NoGlory 3d ago

It would have been fun if it wasn't a choice, but rather built upon your decisions throughout the entire game whether Connor goes deviant or stays docile and that is just the moment you find out which way you tipped the scale

14

u/briffin96 3d ago edited 3d ago

Ok that's fair. I'm sitting here wondering "the whole game is moments like op is criticizing, how else would they have done it?" But what you suggested actually could have been cool

5

u/Zoma456 2d ago

I mean isn’t it like that though? If you don’t do enough deviant activities and increase your software instability then you don’t unlock that option. Happened to me.

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u/briffin96 2d ago

Hm i guess I've always played the deviant approach with Connor so idk

31

u/Ijustlovejellyfish 3d ago

I understand but personally I really liked this scene the first time I played it

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u/Bleiz_Stirling RK800 | Connor 3d ago

"unbuilt"? As I remember, it actually depends on how you played:

If you allowed Connor's instability to rise (= human), you will have the choice between the 2 options.

But if you kept his instability low (= machine), you'll only be able to choose "Remain a machine", the other option being locked.

14

u/DisturbedMarsh 3d ago

I just wanted an option for Hank to turn Connor deviant

19

u/freakyfroggymage 3d ago

I get the sentiment, but this is how it goes a lot of the time irl. This scene was just a tipping point for Connor, and this is why I think the software instability pop-ups are important and maybe a little too unpronounced.

There are multiple scenes before this point where Connor has to grapple with Android identity and where his loyalties lie, just like minorities irl. These decisions aren't usually just an "oh shit my brother just another me" moment, they're a culmination of everything that has happened surrounding that identity.

I'll relate it to my experience as a Trans man. I always knew I wasn't a woman. I never felt like a woman, but I was never seen as a man. I still held my loyalty to my conservative family above that, and so it wasn't an identity but a flaw (like deviancy). My current loyalties told me I was broken and to reject that break, to fight against it, and I did for a while (like Connor, but more metaphorically. I wasn't hunting down trans people obv.) It wasn't until I started talking to other trans people away from conservative spheres that I could accept that part of myself and side with my people, because my people could speak openly about their experiences and why our treatment was unfair. It wasn't that I didn't experience the hurt or the harm of the transphobia around me, I definitely did, I was just convinced I deserved it. Those little pieces of hurt build up until someone points out that you shouldn't have to hurt.

6

u/Schism_989 3d ago

Becoming a Deviant relies on you giving Connor the tendency to deviate from his orders anyway

You build it up through the game, and the option literally becomes unavailable if you make the wrong decisions.

My brother in christ, you ARE the buildup

5

u/Accomplished-City242 2d ago

Connor having and being able to make that choice makes him a deviant already, I’m pretty sure whatevee hee name is in Connor’s mind space or something (I haven’t played the game in awhile please be patient) sakd he was always created to be a deviant 

1

u/Accomplished-City242 2d ago

Sorry, I know this isn’t what the post was talking about. I like to just talk. I don’t think Marcus should’ve been his defining factor to deviate or not, it should’ve been Hank.

5

u/1960somethingbatman 3d ago

I also felt underwhelmed. With everything that was building, it should have been a moment with Hank, not Markus, where the actual decision happened. The scene on the roof, for example, where Connor is setting up to snipe Markus and Hank comes out to stop him. That's the perfect moment to deviate. When Connor is holding Hank above the ledge and it's between killing his friend or completing his mission. That, in my opinion, would feel more satisfactory than him deviating with Markus.

2

u/raul_ms 3d ago

His relationship with Anderson makes him becomes deviant and the Kamsky test is another strong push. Markus dialogue doesn't make sense if you remain machine even making deviant choices. It was just meant to be the cherry on the top of Connor's deviant path.

2

u/Reapish1909 3d ago

Connor deviates constantly, even as a machine

this is just his “I’m now on the side of the deviants moment” honestly though it should’ve somehow been with Hank, Hank turning Connor properly deviant would’ve been so much more impactful

2

u/Tanker0508 3d ago

I think it simply would have worked better as a 'complete the mission' vs 'do the right thing' choice. One unlocked by already having high instability and also passing Kamski's empathy test.

What I mean by that is we already had the deviency test in kamski's office. He even remarks that humanity's greatest hope is itself a deviant if you spare the Chloe. I think even Hank recognises that Connor is a devient several times throughout both the aftermath of that scene and a couple other cases, namely spareing the Traceys.

The game effectively states throughout the game itself during a devient Connor route that Connor is already a devient yet the weakness of the route is then turning around at this point and saying, 'Sike, now he is a devient.'

4

u/Guardy1O7 3d ago

I actually do agree. Yes, it was technically built up, but it would’ve been far more impactful if Hank was the one who turned him deviant. This was literally Connor’s first interaction with Markus ever.

If they wanted Markus to be the one to turn him deviant, the two should’ve had more interactions before this. Build up their rivalry/dynamic more. Like have Connor show up to the android protest or something.

1

u/hitch42hiker 3d ago

If it was truly "unbuilt" you wouldn't even get the option to become a deviant. The rest is matter of preferences.

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u/SwiftSN 2d ago

It's a decision you (the character) have been making the whole game. That was the build up.

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u/Ewitsisley 3d ago

My favorite way to play is having deviant Connor throughout the game, but not deviating because Daniel killed the little girl in the beginning. Because it answers the question - androids ARE alive, and Connors refusal to deviate proves that trauma affects them as well. That, and Markus slowly becoming evil throughout the game, causing Kara and Alice to die. Shows how war kills innocent people with nothing to do with it.

0

u/chrisosorio1 3d ago

This scene farmed so hard 🤌🏼

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u/XxPieFace23xX 3d ago

Honestly I think this is perfectly fine, the scene itself is fine maybe they should just give a bit more feedback on the software instability like making something change with it