For how sprawling and rich its storylines are,Cyberpunk 2077somehow manages to give closure to many of its characters while also leaving a lot of throughlines open-ended. Night City is a big place with a lot of moving pieces thatProject Orioncould certainly explore and, with V’s ambiguous condition at the end ofCyberpunk 2077, it is unknown who the sequel will follow. That said, it’s possible that any number of characters fromCyberpunk 2077could return and cross paths with even a newly established protagonist character inProject Orionand no character is arguably more deserving than Judy Alvarez.
Judy’s Storyline in Cyberpunk 2077 is a Case of ‘Wrong Place, Wrong Time’
WhenJudy is introduced inCyberpunk 2077’s main campaign, players only truly get to see her as someone attached to Evelyn. Indeed, even when Evelyn dies, Judy’s questline is enmeshed in vengeance on Evelyn’s behalf.
The same can be said about Panam, River, or Kerry, who are all absorbed by whatever goal they’ve roped V into helping them with, but how Judy’s questline ends leaves a lot to be desired whereas the other potential love interests are more or less closed cases. Players can easily forget V’s own urgent tribulations for a while as they take rides in the desert with Panam Palmer or visitCyberpunk 2077’s nomadic Aldecaldos.
There are plenty of moments where Panam is concerned with her own ongoings with the Raffen Shiv or Kang Tao, and yet sequences where players accompany Panam are overall more pleasant or playful, let alone a respite from other story beats that land much more brutally. River’s questline is incredibly traumatic, at least for River, and even it ends with a fun NCPD simulation and a delicious jambalaya meal, while Kerry’s ends on an explosive moment of pleasant catharsis.
The same can be said of the relatively lighthearted subject matter in Panam’s questline, whereas Judy’s deals with suicide and takes place within the dark corners of Night City that illustrate it poignantly as a grimy cesspool.
Judy’s Questline Ends Right as Things Get Wholesome
Then, just when it seems like Judy is about to spiral into an irreparable descent, she invites V to experience her memories while exploring her flooded childhood neighborhood. This concludes with Evelyn being brought up once again but is immediately followed by an intimate cutscene and a full-blown romantic relationship if players wish.
Henceforth,Judy’s questline is complete and players will be able to enjoy exchanging giftswith her as well as frequently inviting Judy to hang out at any of their rented apartments. It’s terrific that players get to see Judy or any of their chosen romantic partners as many times as they’d like at their apartments, though the more players do so the clearer it becomes that their partner quickly becomes less of a well-written love interest and more of an NPC who is reduced to repetitive dialogue and interactions.
River and Kerry’sCyberpunk 2077storylinesare not only truncated but also so out of the way of the main campaign—especially Kerry’s, which triggers as late as humanly possible before players breach the campaign’s threshold of no return—that they undoubtedly lack the same emphasis as either Panam or Judy’s.
Panam’s storyline is great, and yet if she is never around in the franchise’s future it won’t feel unrequited. Her storyline delivers wonderful worldbuilding for the outskirts of Night City as well as a terrific companion, but it’s also neatly bookended without any big question marks about her character left dangling. It would be incredible to see how Judy has evolved since thegame’s events inCyberpunk 2077’sProject Orionnow, if only so that players can get to learn more about her as she explores a life free from the horrors of Night City.
