The Crushing Tragedy of Cyberpunk 2077‘s "The Sun" Suicide Ending
As a long-time fan of the cyberpunk genre and emotionally-driven stories, I found the suicide variation of Cyberpunk 2077‘s "The Sun" ending to be the most painfully heartbreaking finale to V‘s quest for glory in Night City. More than any other conclusion, it left me devastated by extinguishing any last hope for our doomed antihero.
A Gut-Wrenching Final Choice
In this ending route, V utterly gives up on finding a cure for the biochip slowly killing him. Plagued by violent glitches from the Relic, haunted by Johnny Silverhand, and exhausted after a final bloody showdown with Arasaka forces, a broken V stands at the edge of the roof.
He stares at the pills that could stabilize his condition before casting them off into the wind – it‘s suicide by proxy. Johnny can only watch in resigned sadness, saying:
"Can‘t say I blame ya. Is this really what you want, V?"
In my eyes, this tragic moment stands out as V‘s saddest end. After all the blood, sweat, and chrome, Night City finally shatters his spirit beyond repair. This single line from Johnny Silverhand clenched my heart more than any other ending scene.
Sheer Hopelessness Overwhelms V‘s Humanity
Throughout the game, we witness V‘s vibrant dreams of becoming a legend in Night City‘s mercenary underworld. He yearns to leave behind a glorious legacy, to be remembered and respected.
The biochip theft and Johnny Silverhand‘s digitized ghost represent unexpected obstacles, but V battles relentlessly to remove the chip while still chasing fame and fortune. He builds strong friendships, takes on daring merc jobs, and carves out his own corner of the city.
But in the end, the glitching chip, traumatic visions, and the soul-crushing nature of Night City slowly corrode V‘s hopes. With his condition worsening fast, all his ambitions are short-circuited.
"Can‘t even get outta bed in the mornin‘," V mutters to himself before deciding to end it all.
This sad realization – that after everything, he still couldn‘t find purpose or hope – brings humanity to Cyberpunk‘s hardcore antihero. It‘s devastatingly relatable, despite the game‘s futuristic backdrop.
Johnny Silverhand: An Unexpected Mirror for V
While Johnny Silverhand often plays the role of arrogant "rockstar terrorist", he shows real empathy towards V after their digitized brains and personalities intersect. Despite their vastly different lives, he comes to understand V‘s innermost hopes and fears all too well.
That‘s why this conclusion resonated so deeply; even the cocksure Johnny can‘t change V‘s mind. He remains uncharacteristically silent out of understanding and respect for his friend‘s final wish.
For all his defiant talk of fighting back against corporatism, Johnny knows V just wants the unbearable suffering to end after losing everything he fought for. It‘s the most humanizing moment for these two damaged souls.
Night City Takes Its Toll
As much as V wants to become the next Silverhand legend, Night City cannibalizes its heroes, commoditizing their likenesses while grinding idealists down into hollow corpses obsessed with style over substance.
In this ending path, V realizes he will never find peace or purpose in the city‘s neon-stained guts. Beyond physical exhaustion, V‘s very soul is fatigued by this epiphany.
Cyberpunk 2077 presents a fascinating but deeply unfair world where only the hyper-privileged escape the city intact. As Players, we see past the glitzy facade and recognize the economic brutality regular citizens face. For all its transhumanist wonders, quality of life for most remains bleak.
V‘s emotional unraveling shows us the human impacts from this crushing system. It exposes the spiritual toll many victims pay, comforting us that even "winners" like V end up broken casualties when their dreams slip away.
While other endings do present more hope, I found the suicide variation of "The Sun" path to deliver the most emotionally devastating finale for V‘s heroic arc. It subverts the usual power fantasy, instead bathing us in stark tragedy.
After shedding blood, chrome and tears in his ascension quest, V‘s humanity gives out. His climactic decision to throw away the pills and end it all left me hollowed, keymaping the narrative sorrows of those chewed up and spit out by Night City‘s voracious ambition.
Ultimately, Cyberpunk 2077 gives players an intensely personal look behind the designer shades, chrome augmentations, and neon-splashed decadence to uncover the human impacts of its gleaming-yet-dystopian world.
