When it finally debuted at the end of 2020, the highly anticipated Cyberpunk 2077 received thunderous cheers from gamers over the game’s now infamously failed, bug-ridden rollout. But despite the ignominious beginning, Cyberpunk 2077 has recovered quite well and has become one of the most replayable open world games on the market.
Much of the game’s appeal has to do with its excellent story and dialogue. For those who enjoy memorable lines in their video games, Cyberpunk 2077 offers no shortage of insightful quips, witty retorts, ridiculous jokes, nonsensical throw-away rules, and other great quotes.
“It’s the code you live by that defines who you are.”
— Johnny.
As the rebellious rocker who advises V through Night City on various quests and side missions in the great open-world game, Johnny Silverhand gives a clear mission statement at the start of the game that references his anarchist ethos.
During one of their first meetings, Johnny urges V to become everything she wants to be, saying, “Swap flesh for chrome, live a BD fantasy, whatever, but in the end it’s the code you live by that defines who you are.” Johnny is often prone to foul-mouthed outbursts and hilarious one-liners that provide comic relief, but here he articulates the anarchist movement as more than just a form of violence adhering to code of honor and integrity.
“We shouldn’t be afraid to change ourselves.”
– Foggy.
In a profound quote reminiscent of FDR’s iconic “nothing to fear, but fear yourself” speech, Misty’s New Age spirituality leads to her existential awakening. Speaking to V during one of their meetings, Misty says, “We shouldn’t be afraid of change itself, but only who we might change,” causing V to think twice about her path as a mutinous musician.
Indeed, for V, the evolutionary process of her in-game Lifepaths touches the core of humanity’s future. But the quote is also cautionary advice that, like Johnny’s urge to live by the anarchist code anyway, V warns that while change is inevitable, too much of it can alter one’s core. Change is a double-edged sword, which Misty articulates beautifully.
“The dead are so very, very loud.”
— Saburo Arasaka.
Also known as the Emperor, when the astute Saburo Arasaka opens his mouth in the mega-popular action RPG, players should listen best and take his worldly advice. Speaking to V, Saburo launches an unforgettable diatribe that begins with “I’ve found that most people lie and usually cheat themselves. Not so the dead.”
Saburo finishes the quote by saying, “The dead are so very, very loud. And yet lying is not in their nature.” Saburo utters the poetic line with such heaviness that shivers run down his spine. Plus, the “lying” ambiguity used to denote both sniffing and lying adds a subtle sparkle to the quote that makes that that much more memorable.
“Fear is not a weakness. It is here to protect you.”
—Sky.
As demonstrated with Misty, fear is a major thematic component and an emotional cross to bear for V and the others in Night City, one of the best open-world cities in video games. But when V has a surprisingly intimate encounter with Skye at the Clouds Dollhouse, the final offers profound words of wisdom that make each player think about how fear can be used as an advantage rather than a hindrance.
What really stands out about the quote is the fact that Skye is an AI automaton with more knowledge about V’s emotional state than V even understands. When Skye feels V’s crippling sense of fear as he takes on the NUSA government, Skye lifts V’s spirits with encouraging advice: “Fear is not a weakness. It’s here to protect you.” The main character takes her helpful words to heart later in the game.
“The heart never changes. It wants what it wants.”
— Lizzy Wizzy.
One of the most famous music artists in Night City, Lizzy Wizzy is known for her signature chrome shape that dazzles and delights the area’s top celebrities. When V chats with her in the side mission Violence, Lizzy expresses her romantic feelings for V’s manager. But despite her metallic android appearance, Lizzy’s human heart still beats somewhere deep inside.
Recognizing the potential pitfalls of trapping for V’s manager, Lizzy says, “Your body may be chrome, but the heart never changes. It wants what it wants.” Paraphrasing poet Emily Dickinson’s famous line, it’s a great quote that bolsters the thriving humanity in the future crime streets of Night City and gives V a glimmer of much-needed hope.
“Give yourself time. The music will find you.”
— Johnny.
If Johnny doesn’t entertain gamers with profane jokes and inappropriate zingers, he will often provide a grain of truth that inspires V to carry on despite overwhelming odds. An example of this is V’s career as a musician, in which she often struggles to find a consistent muse to create new artistic ideas and change the world through her art.
Just when V needs to be motivated, Johnny says, “Give yourself time. Ideas will come. Life will shake you, roll you, maybe hug you. The music will find you.” It’s a great piece of rocker-to-rocker advice that also has an encouraging fatherly quality, further cementing the bond between V and Johnny. The fact that Keanu Reeves has real music experience in one of his most memorable roles makes the quote even louder.
“I’d love to kick the idiot’s balls.”
— Panama.
As the romantic mercenary, Panam V helps to rescue Hellman from Kang Tao’s clutches. But despite her in-game goals, Panam has no disillusionment with Night City’s artificial facade and the seedy underbelly that betrays the promising slogan “The City of Dreams”.
When Panam speaks to V, Panam articulates what nonsense she believes such a false slogan is, saying, “The City of Dreams. I’d love to kick the balls of the idiot who came up with that.” It’s one of the biggest laughable moments in the entire game, especially coming from the unlikely Panam.
“Truth and good are values that have been proven to cause division.”
— Delamain.
Delamain is the AI leader who runs the high-end taxi service in Night City. The creature’s sheer intelligence results in some of the most remarkable quotes in the game, the philosophical depth of which will leave players at the top pondering what it means to be human in the year 2077.
Delamain begins his address to V by saying, “If you live among people, it is essential to find a shared, fundamental point of understanding. Truth and good are values that have been proven to cause division, while beauty is universal.” .” The depth of the quote suggests that in Night City moral immaterials are trumped by sensory pleasantries.
“He burned down half the city to prove he was right.”
— Johnny’s information entry Bio.
With the flow of quotes in Cyberpunk 2077It’s easy to overlook Johnny’s brilliantly worded description in the information entry. The rebellious rocker’s bio reads, “He burned down half the city to prove he was right and burned the other half just for fun,” evoking the maniacally sadistic destruction of Keyser Soze in The usual suspects.
What makes the line so great is the context it provides with Johnny’s earlier quote about living faithfully by the anarchist code, where he paints a full picture of a man torn by his sinful sense of pride and his desire to have fun and the to see the world burn.
“I just want the world to know that I was here, that I mattered.”
— v.
V carries her soul in one of her most emotionally candid moments in the entire game when she speaks to Skye at Clouds Dollhouse. After Skye urges V to use her fear as a strength rather than a weakness, V says, “I just want the world to know I was here. That I mattered.”
The shocking confession will stop gamers and speak to almost every human being’s desire to be seen and feel their impact after a relatively short time on Earth. The comforting quote proves that in the future humanity’s deep need and desire to connect with others is still very much alive.
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