This is the first theory-centric video I've made on this channel, so I hope you all enjoy it! Let me know if you'd like to see more such videos in the future. I've got plenty more lore content on the way as well, so thanks to everyone for sticking around, and I hope you'll look forward to it!
I said this before but So Mi gave me a lot of flashbacks to Evelyn Parker and your video helped me realize why in more ways than I initially realized. This was great, I’d definitely check out more! 👍👍
I love this game so much. It's deeper than the mariana trench. Mike Pondsmith made such an interesting universe, and CD Project translated it to a game so well.
Something to think about too - if you do PL before the part where you talk to Alt in Cyberspace the second time, I think when Johnny is not there, she will comment on the bunker and Project Cynosure. She/it says something to the effect of that if one was able to connect to the AIs beyond the Blackwall, they would write themselves over your consciousness without you even realizing it. Alt says they would "become" you. What's holding this back now is the Blackwall itself, but Alt says current tech isn't there yet and the only thing that saved us. So I have to wonder, what if the Neural Matrix / So Mi were needed by Blue Eyes to advance tech to the point AIs can begin taking over humans plugged into the net directly. What if the Peralzes and So Mi are the first gen with behavior conditioning without realizing it? Plus Johnny states many times the worst thing that can be done to a person is change them to someone else / losing yourself.
Very interesting, yea giving her to an AI like Mr blue eyes and sending her off to the moon tot he unknown feels like we’re playing to the AIs hand. Giving her to MYERS although bad feels like the lesser evil. At least she could escape or become free in the future, figure out a cure or someone else becomes president.
Nice one :) also, I wonder if by the time Songbird contacts you, the process for her had already reached point of no return... That would explain things...
I wasn't expecting to be thrown into a horror game with betraying songbird. I particularly hate horror but fuck did I want to see the ending. This was legitimately the the last game I'd expect that sequence from because you could always fight back, defend yourself, slow time. First time I felt fucking helpless and didn't realize it before the Robot had me by the throat lol.
Once you figure it out it's really easy to avoid it, but it was really surprising to find yourself in a "Alien Isolation" kind of situation, really cool.
Correction: So Mi was not caught trying to breach the Blackwall. She was caught trying to breach a Militech data fortress, a far less serious cyber crime but still worthy of Militech siccing Netwatch on her. Remember that Netwatch takes in Eddies in the millions to provide security for Mega Corps. Reed was sent to recruit So Mi through coercion & blackmail so Myers could order her to breach the Blackwall. To be clear, I'm not saying Song So Mi is a "good guy" or that Reed is a "bad guy" because honestly both of them are no more than pieces on Myers's chess board.
It's also not that relevant how good of a person is So Mi as by the time we meet her it's questionable if that's even original So Mi, not whatever modified by the AIs version of her. Akin to Peralezes.
I sided with Song because as much as I didn’t trust her I trusted Reed even less. I think Reed himself isn’t evil or untrustworthy but it’s his loyalty to the NUS and Meyers that pushed me away. He’s like Takemura but even worse. A loyal lap dog who will do whatever he is told. And o didn’t trust Myers with a super weapon like song
If you've done the Peralez questlines, I dunno how anyone could look at So Mi and not be terrified of what could be influencing her, or even cohabitating in her body. She is very much a weapon, and returning that sort of power to someone as amoral as Myers is dangerous in the extreme.
On one hand yes. On the other hand - literally everyone pokes at Blackwall at this time in Cyberpunk. Arasaka, Militech, VooDoo boys, Night Corp - everyone has projects for trying to weaponize or use in some way AIs from beyond the wall. And Blackwall itself is an AI. So Mi being in the hands of someone or dead doesn't really change much at this point. Hell, V in most endings gets help from Alt, currently an AI from beyond the Blackwall. So we do it too.
She makes a deal with mr blue eyes , when you go to meet her in the van you see a homeless person with blue eyes, also she tells you she had to give up secrets about blackwall and other things in order to get to the moon. I think maybe Mr Blue eyes is even AI or controlled by AI. Clearly they are already influencing Peralez. I’m just interested in what the endgame is here.
@@yorhaunit8s Yeah, and Alt even says outright that she is not really Alt any longer... and I'm skeptical of her explanations for what is and is not possible in some of those endings as well. What is particularly concerning about So Mi is that her remarks throughout PL indicate that she often feels like she is no longer alone, which raises questions about if she is becoming a vessel for something beyond the Blackwall. What changes things is that while V retains some semblance of agency, So Mi has very, very little and the idea of turning her over to the custody of individuals with deeply suspicious motivation is a frightening prospect. That said, one of the things that I have come to really appreciate about Cyberpunk is the questions it raises about individual autonomy-- it's some heavy and really relevant stuff.
This is something I pondered after killing her the first time around. My encounter with the A.I in Cynosure only showed me that So Mi is not in control.
Lots of folks say betraying Songbird was the obvious choice for them and I certainly can see why. During my first play through though, it wasn't so obvious for me. Sure Songbird was dodgy as heck throughout the plot so I knew some plot twist was gonna happen sooner or later. That said, I found Reed even more dodgy. Dude was paranoid as hell to start off(understandably) but more importantly, he was clearly loyal to Myers above all and which president isn't dodgy haha. I mean he took the fall and became a scapegoat for 7yrs only to return to her service, rather willingly I might add. He didn't tell you much at all either for pretty much the first half of the plot. What was more obvious to me(than Songbird's betrayal) was that there would inevitably be some loyalty conflict at the end where Reed would have to choose orders over Songbird and as it turns out I wasn't exactly that far off. Reed was fighting for some ideal that he ultimately had no power over, Song was just tryna survive, something she come clean about quite quickly, so the choice to help her was the obvious one for me. Funny thing though, I set out on my 2nd playthrough intending to experience the horror game that everyone was talking about by betraying Song, but ended up reloading the save and betraying Reed again at the factory cos I realized Alex dies if I betrayed Song lol. Duno about you guys but Alex is ultimately the only true choom from PL..
Alex is funny thinking she’d get the credit for killing V yikes chose the path of glory ending good luck with that Alex lol but I chose so mi first time around also with my corpo v I was skeptical of her throughout the game but when she took you to her spot trusting you it shows so mi has no other options as she knows V still has some options in the meeting with Hanako so it makes sense why so mi would withheld information as so, but damn I really wanted to be on the moon lol regardless that ending was beautiful sending her to the moon and be free as corpo v would want and killing reed setting him free from nusa hands mans was conflicted within himself like V said he prolly knew he would die that day when talking with Johnny at the end
To be honest Reed might be dodgy for sure but he never straight up lies to you. He is a man of principle but this doesnt make him a manipulator or liar. Unlike So-Mi who gaslights us throughout the game. I sided with Reed the first time bc I already played the main game once and it felt wrong to help someone that is heavily under the influence of an powerful AI. Your first encounter with the Chimera should give you the first red flags. Im not saying to trust Reed fully no just stick to Reed until you get to the end and then free So Mi for good by killing her. Nightcorp wants her , NUSA wants her her freedom is only one way ticket and thats death. It sounds hard but I think its the best outcome for everyone. Nightcorp doesnt get So Mi, Myers cant abuse her no longer and Reed finally starts to question his place in the world and his loyalty towards Myers. Its a outcome that everybody can live with I think. Full So Mi Road youre an gonk that gets used and not even a proper Thank you. Full Reed road youre the newest FIA Agent Lapdog for Myers congrats. All in All every decision has its pros and cons but this outcome I think has the most balanced one.
Do remember that V is also doing a heist up on the Crystal Palace so they could definitely cross path. Plus if the sentiment that Songbird always gets in trouble and always lands on her feet then I don't think her fate is sealed. If Geralt can beat the literal Devil at his own game and save another as well, V can beat some up-jump C++ codes.
So Mi lied and hurt so many people over the years, it was bound to catch up with her sooner and later. The only reason V would even let her go in one of the endings was because of sympathy, but she was banking on their trust. A huge gamble she made.
i think it's understandable tbh. when you look at it with context, everyone in the fia and nusa has second intentions, no one is "real" if you get what i mean. she probably thinks that the only way to get what she wants (the cure) is using us and lying her ass off.
she was that desperate to run away 😿 she actually thought she could help us, until she met Kurt Hansen and worked on the neural matrix thing. she made a mistake and she still ran with it, risking everything. quite a desperation.
I dont think you guys really get it tbh. So Mi told you intentionally that she lied to you, precisely because she hated having to deceive people to get anywhere. She wasnt forced to, but still ultimately left the choice up to you, if anything, that was her biggest flaw given how many people would rather screw her over instead.
@@dars1961 It is also the undercover/spy business. Everybody lies and nobody is really candid about their motives. Like Reed disposing of loose ends - killing instead of kidnapping and wanting to send you/Songbird to a clinic in Europe ... while in the end being loyal to Myers. Songbird to me seems like the only one, thats sick of this lying shit owns up to it and leaves you with a choice.
@EnkeEnkhtsogt If you play the killing moon quest, she actually reveals that she lied about the cure. There was only one cure and she had no intention on giving it to us. V would have still helped her if she didn't lie. I do sympthathize with her in the FIA and Myers using her, but some of that was her own doing.
Funny thing is, my first play through I was so convinced that both sides (So Mi and Reed) were going screw me over I became convinced neither one would keep their promises. So I thought who do I have the most to gain from and one of the character motivations placed on you is the desire for fame and -as Johnny says- what could be more legendary than going toe-to-toe with a country. Felt bad though as So Mi was giving me flashbacks to Evelyn Parker, both of whom were not nearly as clever as they thought.
I also want to point out that Blue Eyes can be see twice around the spaceport. One, looking out of a window as V is sneaking through Tycho Terminal and again on another platform when V and So Mi take the monorail.
In my mind the Game really has three endings when it comes to consequences. The Corpo ending where you help Arasaka maintain power. The AI ending where you help ALT (who is more than likely a rogue AI masquerading as ALT) become more powerful. And the FED ending, where you enabled the NUSA to continue with there sketchy Blackwall experiments. Im generalizing a bit yes, but none of these endings are really a "good" ending. Its hard to know the full consequences of any ending, but I prefer "saving" songbird and raiding Arasaka with the Aldecaldos. It screws over both the corps and feds and ultimately you get to go out on your own terms. Unfortunately you cant do much to go against the AI and Mr Blue eyes, but that seems to be the theme of the game. Maybe it will be expanded on more in a sequel.
@@colteradamson5188 Alt is not alt as she is a soulkillered engram. There was a video discussing this theory and there are some dialog options with Alt, if you ask here about her appearance that she chose Alt as an appearance because it is least irritating to you. You could infer from this that she is an AI from behind the Blackwall which merged/uses Alt Cunninghams engram.
@@bodhi3796I think, there may be a cure with Mr. Blue Eyes and my belief in this is reinforced by PL. And if "they" are as bad as they seem, the easiest way to defeat them would be from th inside ...
This only reinforces my thought that the "good" ending is helping So Mi to die (King of Cups), as she's either already partially taken or fragmented by a Blackwall AI, or simply being used as a carrier for the Matrix. Mostly because sometimes, good outcomes in general can disguise themselves as bad, and viceversa. Good theory video! One can only hope we get another DLC that expands Mr. Blue Eyes, even if CDPR said they will not continue development.
Honestly her plan being so shitty just makes me want to help her even more. It’s so desperate and she even says “I might become their lab rat but better than being a slave to the FIA” if she’s so desperate then I have to help her, I’m also not weak minded so I don’t mind her betraying me as we know deep down V is a merc and wouldn’t do a job for free
19:41 the reason V has to get it removed is because he’s so late stage into the relic his body is being rewritten, it’s basically Johnnys body and V is a parasite, Songbird keeps all her DNA just loses her memories she’s just a vessel for Cerberus
I love the mystery around Mr. Blue Eyes and what we may know and what we assume about this guy, or thing. He’s like the Half-Life G-Man of the Cyberpunk universe. Dream On was a really eerie mission that didn’t have any definite closure on who actually is making the plays behind the scenes, so I hope we get to see more of this in the new Cyberpunk game.
I firmly believe that the games Canon ending is "Don't fear the reaper" and Phantom Liberty storyline intends for you to send So Mi to the moon. She is a deeply scared person who had ben manipulated into becoming a weapon for the FIA and wanted an out. Song was just unfortunately willing to the same thing done on to he but she wanted to eat her cake and have it too by saving everyone she put in danger and when she couldn't she regretted doing so. Needless to say she is a deaply faceted character that will most likely be used in the Mr. Blue Eyes agenda.
There is never going to be a canon ending to this game, although we can most definitely cross off Devil and Temperance as them not fitting for canon at all. Every other ending Arasaka is losing significant power in Night City and Johnny is not alive. Either way I headcannon that what happens in the tower ending, not including V, so how NC looks in 2079 is very much how we should be expecting Night City to be found in Orion.
@@AngRyGohanthere will be , because they have to choose a strong build up for the Orion and the most obvious choice would be rogue AI and the only way to do that is take the endings that involve Mr blue eyes , although we don’t know if Mr blue eyes is an AI or is just a projection of some mysteries person just like the way Hanako project herself into that doll in the motel , she had red eyes soo it could be the same thing with me blue eyes.
judging by the story passing over the head of the main character, the sequel will definitely be about AI. Which I honestly wouldn’t really want, because few people come up with such a story in an interesting way and without nodding towards the banal “robots are people too and deserve freedom.” but at the same time, I am sure that CD Project will make another great game. I just wish there were more street level quests about bandits, robberies and all that stuff, like the beginning of the game with Jackie :)
Plus half of Gary’s stuff has yet to be definitively proven. We know his mind broke and he was confused but what he says is true if misinterpreted Gary knew to much that he had to kill him. Mr blue eyes dos not do that he tricks others into offing themselves or gets others to do it. How much did Garry see and hear of blue eyes for it to both break him and bring blue eyes down on him. What is alpha centari. Is that the ai’a name? Its location? The blackwall? What did he see
It's pretty much obvious we are headed towards AIs getting through Blackwall and new corporate war where corps try to use those AIs, while AIs try to use it all to their advantage, whatever their goals are. One giant mess. But given how AIs are written in this universe, I don't think there will be much "oh nyo, cute AIs want freedom". This isn't Detroit: become human. AIs here are alien, ruthless and frightening forces beyond human comprehension.
This is Cyberpunk my man, they'll raise an ai just to torture it and make it evil . Just So they can place bets on which human it will kill first. Human Rights don't even really exist hear.
It might be controversial opinion for some, but Phantom Liberty really made me realise that the Cyberpunk universe and vision of the future is far too interesting and relevant to be a gangster life game like it started with Jackie. Looking through the lense of having finished other side quests, Phantom Liberty and read up on the lore and shard tidbits, I personally think that the Jackie Welles act of the game is actually it's weakest point. I wouldn't want a full on space AI conflict from the Cyberpunk's sequel either - but fuck me, there's a lot of great and varied stuff to explore.
i chose to help so mi after too much deliberation, simply because the most cyberpunk (genre wise) thing i could’ve done was keeping hope alive in a world completely deprived of it
To paraphrase Sol. Song is known for spectacular first moves, but follows with crushing defeats. Alex mentioned one of them with the Colombian job. Plus, who's to say Mr. Blue Eyes kept its word when So Mi got to Luna. She couldn't even move on her own. That A.I. has been gather resources for decades after it helped with the Black Wall. Now it'll have the neural matrix and a person who can reach past the wall and possibly the A.I's that were helping Song.
I remember in the Hearts of Stone DLC, from Witcher 3. Were there was Gaunter Odim. Back then, the Devopers from CDPR also planted him in various Cutscenes, watching you (Gerald). You would walk the street and pick up on children singing songs describing him as the Boogieman, but you would only pick up on that if you actually listened to the full text, not just by walking along. They did Portray him as simple NPC well hidden, there watching you in random main story Missions that were completely unrilated to the DLC. It was so scary, as i only realized that watching videos like this one. Definitely play this DLC, its an amazing storyline inspired by the Book: Gothes Faust.
Regardless of how you feel about any of the characters in PL individually, the worst outcomes involve the ones where So Mi is still living... If she's alive she's either puppeteered by the NUSA (the devil she knows) or the Blue Eyed space cabal that controls the world from the shadows(the devil she doesn't know). The best ending for So Mi, and arguably the world is if V mercy kills her. Minor Editorial comment, So Mi got snatched by the FIA at 19 for hitting a Militech Datafort, Blackwall came later at the behest of the NUSA.
Gotta agree with that position, I think you're right. Thanks for the edit too. I was bound to make an error of some kind, so I appreciate the correction! I'll make a edit to the description to reflect it so nobody is mislead.
A little bit late, but great video! I have a few thoughts on this though. I agree that Mr. Blue Eyes is probably an AI (or controlled by one), but I believe he's not from beyond the Blackwall. If he is a rogue AI from beyond the Blackwall, why bother to bring Song to the moon? He could just take her to Cynosure Facility and let the rogue AI's take-over on her (which is exactly what the rogue AI's try to do when she loses it to the Blackwall). Also, the Blackwall theme color is always red, while when we see Mr. Blue Eyes there is often an emphasis on color blue. I believe he is probably opposing the rogue AI's from beyond the Blackwall. If (or when) the Blackwall falls, I believe his organization (and maybe other AI like him) would be more on humanity's side. And why does he need Song? If he is from our safer side of Blackwall, he definitely wants the knowledge and experience Song has about the Blackwall and her encounters with rogue AI's. So I believe they would really cure her, but not from good of heart, they would use her for her knowledge and skills. Also, it just does not make any sense why AI would send V that pin from the moon, that's purely a sentimental matter, one that AI would not understand.
So Mi said several critical things. 1) during her final mission- when yo betraied Reed - the said that she knows that she will be a lab rat on Tychon and will most likely go through several experiments 2) Her memories start to fade and she forgot her mothers voice etc. . Where the Peralezez memories where tweaked and changed to fit into a cirtan line of thinking. During the Mission "Firestarter" when you stand infront of the Matrix together with her you see 2 personalities. On the one hand So Mi and on the other side Songbird controlled by the Blackwall AI's . And So Mi is getting weaker fighting against those AI's and is trying not to lose her mind before she get's help/cure or - during the king of cups ending - to be set free of her misery so no one can use her ever again. And my first Ending was the tower and completed Mr. Blue Eyes contract for So Mi.
I was frustrated because Cerberus bot was a stopid maintenance bot that slow crawled and cant even scan V and needs to go melee to kill We defeat Adam Smasher, THE CHIMERA, Mechas, bazillion cyberpsychos, lightning fast sandevistaners, but not this possessed fancy roomba vacuum bot? I expected them to at least have true deadly war deathbot
I have a theory that the relic is pretty much the same thing as project Cynosure and Arasaka wanted to store engrams to build an army of them to pierce the black wall and fight the AIs beyond it, but obviously the NUSA knew that very well, and here's how Songbird became a thing, V probably was the AI answer, probably they got their way in V before the engram, when he rescued Sandra, he probably isn't the only one and I guess Lucy was another, probably even David when they also tried to take stuff from Arasaka and found something within the guy they took. The Mikoshi thing was a rebellion, same with Songbird's defection, the Mr. Blue Eyes endings are the AI getting the upper hand, the other endings either Militech, Arasaka or Biotechnica end up with the upper hands, I will go even further, there was no 2 years coma at the FIA ending, they used V with Songbird to get what they wanted, those 2 years were probably the NUSA using V until it was too dangerous so they got rid of every chrome in V's body so it won't be used against them, in the Arasaka ending they did the same thing in a different way, the only different ending was the Biotechnica one, which I think they gave V a new body or something like that, in return they took the relic tech to do their stuff, no real good ending, in anyway V will ended up being explored by some corporation or AIs trying to take their hold with a corporation (supposedly night corp). Another thing that I thought lately, those probably are the newer life paths in the new game, the corpo will be the Arasaka ending, the nomad will be the Biotechnica ending and the street kid will be the secret ending, they could actually add the rockerboy with Johnny's ending and something with the new ending, which would be also interesting, but I digress.
It's made pretty clear that Saburo Arasaka delivered SoulKiller for several reasons... one was to maintain virtual immortality for himself. If this wasn't his goal, The Devil ending wouldn't have him taking over Yorinobu's body with his engram. That's why the experimental in-house Relic was developed. The commercial Relic? Used to make a ton of money and to get sensitive information from people that signed up for it. Also, SoulKiller is useful for obtaining people with that information or skills. There's a reason why Arasaka loves using SK on virtually every Netrunner they come across. (Which, by the way, is what happened to T-Bug.)
Dziwne jest to, że mają matrixa, potężnego netrunnera, V i nie potraktowaliby żadnego z nich SK. Powinnaś przejść terapię, która usunie Johnny'ego, ale zachowaj V???' osobowości. Każdy ripperdoc może to zrobić, a tutaj masz specjalistów. Dodatkowo przed i po akcji istnieje możliwość ulepszenia V. Budzisz się po dwóch latach na łasce Myersa. Mogli wymazać twoje wspomnienia, traktując SK jak w przypadku Johny'ego (zagłębiając się w temat wiesz, że pająk Murphy nadpisał Johnny'ego SK, a Arasaka mając czarną rękę miał tylko konstrukcję Johny'ego, która wyjaśnia we wspomnieniach i fakt, że widać, że podkłada bombę, A on miał być dywersją). Tylko pomagając Somi odejść, rozwiążesz również przyszłe problemy (Somi mogła być już bezużyteczna dla agencji, nawet po tym, jak została poddana leczeniu SK).
I never saw it when I did the questline, but apparently Blue Eyes is watching over you as you go through the spaceport, if you know where to look, you can spot him in certain places.
I think there's at least two factions. From the statues, Garry, So Mi, Blue Eyes, Misty, etc. and I think the statues are the clues. I think the Demigurge is an AI that's actively trying to control humanity and there's another faction that's trying to remind humanity of its humanity. Idk, I started noticing which statues are around which characters.
Something we tend to forget is how little actual meat So Mi actually has. She looks about as fleshy as Adam Smasher. She looks like she's 90% of a Wiseman with a little Gemini to make her still look human (the Netrunner borg is called the Wiseman, and the human-analogue is the Gemini). You can't really dial down the chrome when there's no meat
To me, this runs along the lines of what I've been thinking, though I hadn't considered your last assertion. The Sun ending takes place months after Phantom Liberty, so it's possible the AI that controls Blue Eyes was able to assimilate the AI in the neural matrix and create copies that could be used to "cure" So Mi, and later be offered to V as the prize for successfully carrying out the Crystal Palace gig. Why do I think it was assimilated? Again, using our experience with Delamain, AI that assimilate others become larger and stronger. Plus if you read the lore in-game, you find that the rogue AI inside the Blackwall constantly seek out weaker AI to expand themselves. And there's a good reason why the AI would want to "cure" So Mi-to stop the penetration of the Blackwall and risk other, more powerful AI from coming over and ruining their plans. They agree to save So Mi, but who they are really saving is themselves
Plus with the whole Garry and paratzas thing we know he has access to things most people believe to be legends or crazy talk. He definitely has something he can pay v with that would be well worth the suicide mission
I'd agree with almost all of your theory, but would add one of my own. Blue Eyes, like Delamain, was created outside the Blackwall. It wants the Cynosure AI to grow, but also to control a possible threat. Likewise, curing So Mi means shutting down the threat that the Blackwall is penetrated, allowing potentially more powerful AI in. Blue Eyes is the Night Corp AI, created to carry out the ideals of Richard Night's plan for the city. It's not Richard Night, because he dies before the ability to record engrams has been developed. And we know from Mike Pondsmith it's not Morgan Blackhand
18:52 I was relieved to get this message, but it could have been Mr. Blue Eyes. Because he knows everything about her, including the place that reminds her of home. And the unknown number... But why would he send us the cyberwear. So idk.
To be honest, being lied by Song Bird, hurts much more than getting lied by Reed, or Myers, because they are turds, and even despite of the pain, I just want her to escape, and finally leave the system, if someone gets to do so, so be it
Great job, Everberon! This video proves all the people who think the story of So Mi is shallow wrong. After watching the whole theory, my first impression is that So Mi is as doomed as V. No matter what we do, the only way to set her free is to let her die. The other endings may seem promising in terms of saving her, but the reality is that in each scenario, her fate is far worse than death. I also believe that the call was not from her, but from the blue-eyed organization and the chip was all that was left of her.
Nope the one where you send her to the moon is the best, she gets to live and even if owing to mr blue eyes we can assume he and nightcorp isn’t evil as they promise a cure to V and even with peralez they don’t exactly do anything evil they take over the mayor but we don’t even know if peralez is a good guy and the reason why he’s a non corrupt mayor is because of the rogue ai
any decently smart V would likely be a Netrunner themselves, and would be more than aware of the insanity of dealing with Blackwall stuff. Hell, you get one major example in the main storyline (involving the Voodoo Boys) and another during PL (again, involving the Voodoo Boys). So Mi's too dangerous to be let loose, and too dangerous to leave in anyone's hands in the first place. Its why I love the option that CDPR gave some players in a valid, third option.
Yeah, there are some very interesting ways to read all of PL's endings, and I agree that letting her out of sight may have some catastrophic consequences...
Thank you so much again for a great video. I have played trough the DLC 3 times now and i dont buy the "middle man" thing. When i played it the second time i was left feeling like Mr Blue Eyes was after Mi for what she had in her head, not curing her. My first thought was that whatever she has in her head is valueable enough for Mr Blue Eyes to come out of the shadows again, which led me to think it could be connected to the mind control aspect earlyer in the game, which is the only other time we know of him comming out of the shadows to oversee thing. And he dont seem like the public kind a fella hehe. Quick Edit: I dont hold much to the theories that Mr Blue is someone from the past no matter who it is. I was chatting to some people on twitch when i was playing the game, and one asked the question "can he be a aspect of Alt?" Which i thought was more interesting, but there is nothing to support it at all just like with the rest of the theories.
@@PricelessBinkey1337 after completing the alien isolation gamemode (and getting the best cyberdeck in the game lol) you get to kill her. which I chose, since then she won't be used by anyone.
The addition of Blue Eyes as this shadowy influence that can't be interacted with kind of cheapens the whole Songbird-Reed narrative, doesn't it? While playing through Phantom Liberty, not knowing anything about Blue Eyes, I had the impression that So Mi was a pawn of the AI trapped in the neural matrix thing. Her attempt to "break free" makes much more sense if she's already being overwritten by the AI, in a way not dissimilar to the whole Silverhand-V situation. In this scenario, Songbird's mysterious illness is just another lie she tells. The neural matrix doesn't contain a cure of any kind - she just wants to release the AI trapped there, presumably so that it could fully integrate with her in meatspace. The moon lab could have been arranged by her ahead of time for the integration procedure to take place. If So Mi is just a secret agent trying desperately to quit her job, I can imagine ways of telling NUSA to go pound sand better than having Space Force 1 shot down over Night City. But if she is afflicted by an AI from beyond the Blackwall, manipulated into retrieving the neural matrix, then the ridiculous "I'll have my own shuttle shot down" gambit makes much more sense.
Learning that So Mi was planning on double crossing V anyways just makes me feel better I handed her off to the FIA. I was in it to secure V’s life as what was promised, then felt bad for the situation Songbird gets left in. However, I had a sneaking suspicion that she was full of shit the entire time. This just affirmed my feelings and now I don’t even feel bad.
I think giving So Mi back to Reed would be the natural choice for V. If our ultimate goal is to survive. Yes, NUS and FIA are shady AF but hey, they weren't lying about they can save us. While Song lied to us from the very beginning. Even Johnny didn't blame you when you sold Song out to Reed, until we decided to go with the surgery of course 🤣
Especially if you wait to give So Mi to Reed until you're at the spaceport. I mean she's in rough shape by that point. It seems pretty doubtful that she'd even survive a trip to the moon, traveling solo, no less. And, as shady as Reed is, he at least seems to be generally honest and does do what he says. It's not a prefect answer, but at least So Mi has a chance to survive, even if she's still a government pawn. Better to be a government pawn and have a chance to escape another day than dead or the puppet of a shady, unlikely plan by people/AI who are probably just as bad as the NUSA.
@@ccoder4953 Given how she ends up if you hand her over at the first chance though I don't think that handing her over is actually good for Songbird. It's just if you hand her over at the spaceport you don't have to see what is done to her.
Sytuacja taka jak - nie mam do ciebie pretensji za tę decyzję. To też twoje życie i szanuję to. Żegnaj Vincent, to był dobry dzień. Johnny nie czuje się urażony, ponieważ jest pogodzony z tym, że w końcu znalazłeś lekarstwo.
I always sided with So Mi thinking the cure was a success for her, because to me V will always be the legendary merc that's cursed to perish by the relic. Tho now adding the fact that blue eyes would be even more integrated to the Phantom Liberty plot is making me think that blue eyes contract with So Mi was all about retrieving the AI to gain more power, but also get some more crucial datas about NUSA in exchange of giving So Mi the cure she wished for. So far your theory is very good and I truly think something bigger was always going on in Night City. Edit 1: I also find it very weird that nowhere in the Phantom Liberty story, Alt is never mentionned even tho in the base game she is presented as a blackwall/net goddess
@@2VL2And only that is enough to be named one of the greatest of all time. Soulkiller is the biggest AI weapon/netrunning program that exists in the cyberpunk universe that’s why companies like Militech have been trying to copy it for decades now.
A very interesting idea. Love it. Wanted to add one more thing. So Mi was working for NUSA for a long time, as close to the top as possible + she probably has more knowledge of the Black Wall than anybody. So, basically, the amount of intel she can feed them is probably priceless. It can save them years in achieving whatever "THEY" want to achieve. My point is that maybe they don't even need to make her a puppet, especially if she won't have any tech installed which will make her useless as a netrunner
One thing I notice about every Theory video that brings up the Dream On gig. Everyone assumes Blue Eyes is behind the events or working for/with those who are. I get it. There's a ton of circumstantial evidence that he is. Now, if I were a writer (and I am), and it was my story (but it's not), I'd be thrilled to have everyone running down the path that links Mr. Blue Eyes to rogue AI. Imagine the reaction when everyone realizes the guy they were sure was a bad guy is actually a good guy, trying to keep humanity from becoming extinct. His job is monitoring threats - specifically Corpo threats- looking for talent and raising funds for physical world ops. Brilliant misdirection... Maybe. If this Alternate Blue Eyes is real, then Songbird will have been cured - likely resulting in the removal of all cyberwhere - with replacement for the parts she has to have (the non-combat specific stuff) - in much the same way as V was treated in the Tower ending. It's also possible that she was "cleaned" of her blackwall infection and retains most of her equipment - we have nothing to base either option on other than hope. The Songbird ending I'd like to see is one where you still wind up in Cynosure and learn about what really happened to Song So Mi. Then you can get her out and aboard the spacecraft without Reed tracking you down because he thinks So Mi is dead. This, of course, would still end with the NUSA telling V to go pound sand. - Then again, without the matrix, they wouldn't have any way to actually cure V. You'd still be wondering if you made the right choice, and you'd still be looking for another way. Since you've already talked with Alt - you think you have a cure, it just won't be easy. So when you learn that Songbird has played you the entire time, you can look at her as the victim of NUSA abuse she really is and take pity. Alas, 2077 is a cautionary tale, and happy endings are not the way to show people that caution is not only warranted but critical for the survival of humanity. I'm going to discount the whole Morgan Blackhand thing - Pondsmith specifically refused to let Morgan be part of the game - and I think the Blackhand Asset is a holdover from early development that was repurposed - which happens a lot.
to help aid that theory, in the clouds quest line with evelen, the doll V interacts with's eyes shft and glow pink as a result of being under the influence of the doll program, and once that program ends, the glowing ends and they go back to acting like there actual selves once more. the effect of Mr. Blues Eye's eyes is the exact same effect as the dolls, but tinted blue instead of pink.
She prolly assumes he’s a proxy but in reality it’s prolly something much more sinister after all he is behind a brainwashed personality program to obey him and his puppets would listen, blue eyes is against arasaka after all only appears when saka is defeated in the ending, appearing during the killing moon as so mi and the matrix would benefit him, also the peralzes are pro nusa so it would help getting rid of Arasaka influence by controlling a mayor what blue eyes wishes
You can actually add your previous limbs or manufactured limbs back to your body she could get her back and brain back but that’s if they can even get her original skin or manafactured limbs
One more bit of info... Songbird is a full cyborg. She would have to get completely new, non-cyber body to be cured by the Neural Matrix. So I would also subscribe to the idea that you aren't helping So Mi in any of those endings...
first of, nice video, tho i disagree quite a bit with the characterisations of songbird and reed. songbird was pretty much groomed to be the perfect spy from the moment she was "urged" to join the fia. reed seems to almost take pride in how efficient she is as he is the one who trained her to be so. lying and manipulating are things she has been taught to do. i feel like shes a product of her environment, the fia. hell, she isnt the only one manipulating us. myers is nothing but deceitful. reed lies to us as well, saying he wont let the nusa take her songbird and, during the killing moon, that he wants to help songbird, where you can reveal you heard the whole rooftop convo and he just blurts "fuck" or smtn before changing his story. he uses us as much as so mi, but unlike her never comes clean about it. the fact that she reveals her deception in the end, giving us the choice of her ultimate fate makes her way better, at least imo. and then about blue eyes. i dont know too much abt rogue ais in cyberpunk but from what ive seen thru out, ais seem to act very binary. when they say yes, they mean yes, when they say no, they kill you. alt for example keeps her word, despite it not being of any benefit to her after we've already uploaded her to mikoshi. delamain, though not a rogue ai, also keeps his word afair. erebus shoots the people we tell it to, despite being snarky. i dont know, i just tend to side with so mi. also, fuck nusa. idk maybe im just an autist projecting traits onto the ai's but eh, i had a long as discussion with my bf about it so i found it interesting, sorry for the long as comment.
I actually agree with that quite a bit. I'm also very much against the NUSA in this DLC, and though I suppose I respect Reed as a character, he's hard to side with if that makes sense. The reason that I refer to Reed so favorably in the opening of the video is because at the point of the big decision, I feel many people still weren't 100% sure of his true motives or involvement. It's when siding with him that you learn more of his dilema and why he may not be such a favorable guy, at least from how I saw it.
Damn! As a Nomad V, I was so happy that there was Nomad dialogue when I put Songbird in the shuttle to the moon. My Nomad V values freedom over all things but if your theory was true then the only real freedom is to kill her :/
Nie jest do końca wyjaśnione, co stało się później. Czytając komentarze widziałem wiele opinii i lore na temat całej sytuacji. Somi w głębi duszy wybacza nam, że nie ufaliśmy jej całkowicie. Łącząc się, miała przebłyski świadomości, w których na krótką chwilę przejęła kontrolę. Z tego powodu czujesz, że zabicie jej daje jej wolność i pozwala uniknąć dalszej krzywdy.
I totally agree with your opinion about theory crafting. I actually think that it is a sign of good writing lore / world building is to leave just enough room to allow people to do theories
This is a very interesting theory. Mr Blue Eyes is a really fascinating character with all the mystery around him. He definitely knows a lot about V too. I wonder if SoMi meets Lucy in Moon.
Your alternate interpretation seems likely to me. Songbird is screwed. Mr. Blue Eyes is playing upon her desperation, so his corp. (probably Night Corp.) can get its hands upon either Songbird's ability to pierce the Blackwall, the Cynosure tech, or both. Songbird's "mysterious benefactor" is spending more money than she can afford to pay (on an FIA salary), and his corp. isn't helping her out of the goodness of their corpo hearts. Your primary theory, however, has some holes. Mr. Blue Eyes is clearly perpetually connected to the net. Hence the blue eyes. But he's not just a meat puppet for an AI. Even as a stiff and sleazy corpo, he's still more human than the AIs that we meet. Even Alt Cunningham (who used to be human) and Delamain (who spends his time observing and interacting with humans) are noticeably inhuman. I find it impossible to believe that a rogue AI from beyond the Blackwall has somehow mastered the nuances of human behavior and interactions without getting caught during any step of the process. Some of the other theories that you mentioned are even less plausible. The idea that Mr. Blue Eyes is AI Richard Night is just preposterous. Arasaka (through the efforts of Alt Cunningham) pioneered the technology that made Alt in 2013 and Johnny Silverhand in 2023. Richard Night, on the other hand, died in 1998. Did Night Corp. invent time travel technology as well? And Morgan Blackhand was a soldier in the 1980s and 1990s. He would be over 100 years old when we meet Mr. Blue Eyes. As a final note, there *are* multiple black clinics on the moon (relying on the table-top RPG lore). But Songbird might not be destined to find a cure in any of them ... which is the point you were trying to make.
I put together a lot of different information that brought me to basically the same conclusion as your video for me Somi was already too far gone over 7 years, according to the trailer. I feel like Somi would have too much information while working with the NUSA and Milatech because she has a lot of connections to the black wall and a lot of information that Mr. Blue Eyes and Night Corp could use alt AI even mentions Somi in one of the ending I feel like they are just using her to break the black wall down and cause a Skynet level disaster that's why I hand her back to Myers even if it only saves a few years I feel like their are connections to Sandra Dorsett the Peralez family and and the shot by both sides mr hands mission with bree also corpo v beginning with the moon with Arasaka might give some clues
Fly free little bird. I mean no offense to Reed but he puts his trust in people who constantly betray him. What has the NUSA ever done for a street kid? Yeah she lied to get your help. That was annoying but again a street kid who has been in sticky survival situations might understand. Personally I think the new ending is a bigger or at least sell out ending than the Arasaka ending. Besides I told Dex I would rather die a legend in a blaze of glory.
Slight correction: You can still have the Tower ending at By Siding with So Mi initially, your brief seemed to imply that is not the case. You could say the same thing for V too. V was easily hooked by So Mi and the risks were always very high, mainly that Meyers of all people cannot be trusted. There never was any guarentee that Meyers wouldnt just flat out flatline V ( or maybe put her into a coma or make just enough damage to her brain so V cant use cybernatics ) while on the operating table, even if V did everything for her. My only point of contention is your assumption that we are going to get an answer in Orion. While im a very big fan of the idea that Blue Eyes is going to be a major player in the next game, i dont think there is any guarantee of an answer because either 1) CDPR risks making a canon version of what happened in 2077 or 2) We will be able to save transfer or whatever our choices. Of course 1) doesnt have to be a failure if we take your ( also mine ) assumption that So Mi wont survive or be relevant one way another ( dead, captive by NUSA or Blue Eyes ). I sincerely hope that its the case otherwise 2) speculation was kind of a wasted thought. One thing i wish was more elaborated upon: The neural matrix. How was the FIA able to make it work, was it really that simple to give it a directive, was it even used to cure V? You could say its also suspicious that even though V and So Mi's condition isnt the same but one of them did get a 2 year coma while the other didnt, which could hint ever so slightly at that So Mi was never treated to begin with to be able to send a present so soon.
V mogło też zostać w jakiś sposób wykorzystane przez Myersa, bo najemnik tej skali jest teraz dobrowolnie pod naszą kontrolą? NUSA mogła również leczyć V SK i ponownie bawić się pakietem Memories. Macierz zawiera sztuczną inteligencję, która umiera, gdy cykl zostanie przerwany, a zadanie zostanie wykonane. Jak długo trwa montaż furtki w czarnej ścianie??? Zgraj dostęp i przebij się przez wszystkie ICE??? Kilka sekund. Somi można było wyleczyć, zwłaszcza, że wiedzieli już, co robić na Księżycu, ale nie tak bardzo na NUSA. Wysyłany jest kod PIN, który jest odczuciem, którego sztuczna inteligencja nie rozumie. Mam nadzieję, że to zmieni sytuację.
I like siding with Reed and killing So Mi myself. I felt like that fit my empathetic Merc V who was hired to retrieve her and being aware of the Blackwall and Rogue AIs.
it sounds like you didn't follow the betray songbird line as you will actually see what is going on with songbird then. that line shows that the blackwall ai, or some other ai, is devouring her...she's losing her memories over time and eventually she will ask you to let her die as it's her only way out. imo, that is the best ending for songbird and, while it doesn't lead to best ending for V, it does also lead to the best ending for Reed.
I agree that siding with Reed is the best option for the most people, including the world at large. I didn't talk about it too much here, though, because aside from the ending cutscene, the theory is sort of meant to play off the context of the save songbird ending from Songbird's own perspective at the time it was chosen. Don't know if that clarifies my thinking, but I hope it helps a bit :)
I think Mr. blue eyes is a rogue ai from the blackwall that has decided to assist humanity against the other rogue ai. In dream on I think he was monitoring V to see if they would back down or put a stop to the ai orchestrating the perales' lives. He seems to take interest in people who have had contact with the black wall and shown some sort of resilience to it, then tries to get them to the moon or space which may be out of the reach of the rogue ai for now. Alternatively, he's trying to put the people who would put up the most fight against ai in space where they could easily be dealt with.
This is Cyberpunk - there are no happy endings, for any party involved. Reed is not loyal to Myers, but to the country (or an ideology more likely), he is principled to fault Myers is a schemer, one has to be in her position. So Mi fucked up more than once, Mr Blue is just capitalizing on that, gaining "something" in return - it even could mean they extracted her and made her AI (just like Alt or Johnny) which would make sense on sending you the "gift" as away to cut all ties with the past.
Can yall stop with this fucking edgy doomer bullshit, Johnny tells you no happy ending in night city but he legit gives you a good ending by sacrificing himself so you can go to the crystal palace, V can get a good ending Lucy got a good ending so mi can get a good ending
Just finished PL yesterday and I've decided to fulfil Song's wish. And your opinion is not a leap, judging by the info from the Cynosure bunker...... It's quite possible.
Regardless of the fact So Mi route is my prefered ending, the ramifications it has to the rest of the world are just as worrying, if not more than handing her over to Myers, specially if -Gman- Mr. Blue Eyes really is an AI controlled meat puppet (which is why the 'good' and safest option for the world is to kill her in the bunker). I will say, this and The Sun ending for the main game do make for one hell of a setup for a sequel (if it's even centered on V again that is) and a future AI invasion. Regarding Songbird cure. I do believe she did get cured. There really is no reason to contact V after he puts her on that rocket, you say it is so V doesn't think to look into it but let's be real, clock is still ticking for V and it's barely enough time to follow the leads you get in the main game to add to that looking for someone on an unknown moon colony lol. Also she doesn't neccesarily lose access to Cyberware like V. Their problems and therefore the treatments are different, but it's highly possible there was some sort of consequence for her too.
Love that you mentioned the G-Man references. This video actually started as an examination of Blue Eyes as a whole, but I wanted more time on the script so I went with a backup in the form of talking about this theroy, but that script currently has a whole lot of talk about the parallels between Blue Eyes and the G-Man. Great stuff!
@@everberon Oh yeah, there definitely are quite a bit of parallels, i'm convinced CDPR have some HL fans in their writing team seeing there is also a HL3 reference in a shard ('No Life 3' iirc). I would definitely be interested to see that script become a video :)
Speculation is a funny thing... We know Mr. Blue Eyes connected to Peralez family and to So Mi, but don't actually know how he connected to AIs that condition Peralez. As far as i know some AIs are if not good, then benevolent. What if he wants to help? We don't actually have 100% evidence that he's actually evil. I think Autor of this videos had said that some AIs helped building the Black Wall, so they aren't all evil.
Looking at the videos of me blue eyes, it becomes more and more clear to me that he’s an Easter egg apart being Mr blue eyes. The Easter egg is he looks a lot like g man from half life
Really man ? I thought the unknown number after her ending is a sure thing that she was taken a part and gutted scaver style. Especially as we hear nothing from her directly but from the shady Mr.blue eyes organization. Who third time speaks through unknown number.
I have a thought. What if Morgan Blackhand as you said is being used as a vessel by rogue AI and or the engram of the creator of night city? I imagine Alt, Johnny, and Saburos stories all merge into one to create his. Alt being used in the black wall introduces the rogue AI/Night cities creator, Johnny being soul killed as a trial for what is to come for blackhand, and finally Just like Saburo taking over his sons body in one of the endings, what if a rogue AI had taken over Blackhands body which inspired Saburo, OR Saburo had used blackhands body to give to creator of night city?
Not likely or possible. Richard Night died via assassination before the invention of soulkiller, when the city was still under a different name(think it was Del Coronado or just Coronado but feel free to correct me). What I would believe is that an AI approximation of his mind was created by Night Corp, as it's within the interest of the company, city, and it's founder Miriam Night to have "Richard Night" back among the living and driving the city toward a better tomorrow, an "Eternal Night". It lines up with how it's making the Peralez's behave, making decisions that will ultimately lead toward NC's independence and full self dependence. I imagine having the body of the world's (previous) best solo as a proxy body for this AI construct would be highly beneficial.
@@Dankmemeslover69 That's exactly the reason. For him to have 0 story relevance tells me he's going to be heavily involved in DLC and with the Blackwall ramping up in the most recent DLC, something tells me Blackhand and the Blackwall are going to have some very interesting content.
Well, I think to attempt to get at what Mr. Blue Eyes's goals are we might want to highlight his connection to Night Corps. I haven't been able to find a very causative relationship, but many people are taking the similarities in the "Operation Caroe Noctem" shard received by Sandra Dorsett to the Paralez's situation as the link to justify this claim. So, one would need to look at the actions of Night Corps to find out what their goals are. My hunch from the little I've brushed up on is that they seem to want what is best for Night City on paper. (I say on paper to point out that there is likely an alignment problem aspect to this whole thing not to mention a dissonance between human and AI ethics.) Oh, the reason that V can't have more implants was due to the invasive (on the nerves) surgery to get the implant out and not because of the AI , so there is still a likelihood that So Mi could still be used to help whomever she is indebted to. Although a runner as competent as So Mi could be used for more than just the Blackwall. I sort of doubt that anybody other than Songbird would send something to assure V that everything worked because getting to the moon is generally speaking no easy feat. Not to mention sending something like that back to earth in that exact location seems a bit tedious. The more sinister side of this is why she wasn't allowed to talk to V via text message or identify herself. (This could be explained away as trying to avoid detection from NUSA though.) There is also a likelihood that one of the AI wanted to integrate another AI within this whole process. My understanding is that there are many AI beyond the Blackwall that aren't necessarily aligned. So it is possible that the AI see the Blackwall in a similar manner that many humans do in this universe. Save that instead of new technologies, you have the physical systems that many of these AI live on in the physical world. An Asymmetrical warfare if you will of AI. But yeah, this is all just speculation of course.
If blue eyes was an AI in a body, what use would the matrix be? The ability to capture and hold an AI is sort of the point; he obviously has that tech in him already. However, if you flip it around... say blue eyes was an AI that was imprisoned in a body /w a matrix by cynosure. He wants to escape to beyond the black wall. Songbird has been crossing over all the time. That's what he wants, not the matrix. Though, it's not like it wouldn't be nice to have.
After the last fight and you get so mi onto the train there is a man in a black suit holding an umbrella on the right side of the station. Creeped me out
Okay so for me this theory is only partially true. I belive that Somi was indeed cured but now she has to work for blue eyes in exchange, maybe do some high risk gig like the one which V does in one of the endings. I believe she is alive because of this exact souvenir from space. It is possibly that it wasn't sent by Somi but then why would anyone send anything. For V there would be no difference in either situations on what would he do. Blue Eyes won't send souvenir to V because there would be no reason for that
Or, and hear me out, it's O'Dimm who gained consciousness since the witcher is an in game cannon thing. Why wouldn't a rouge AI who is basically a god and a agent of pure chaos not want to bring a invasion into the cyberpunk world
What is more valuable to ai’s beyond the wall? A new ai from beyond the wall or a new ai from beyond the wall plus access and maybe communication with the black wall. Songbird have got direct access to the black wall. I think that’s what she would bring me blue eyes value.
I dont know if I'd call Reed that straight forward choice. Between Stryder and the French twins i wasnt 100% sure he wouldnt try take me out once we werent useful anymore. Not to mention his loyalty was to Meyers and she was shown to be pretty ruthless. Both choices are uncertain and require a lot of trust and assumption. Which is why i enjoyed it so much. Everything was uncertain 😊
Ngl there was no part of So Mi’s story that made me empathize with her. It was almost annoying how frequently she compared her situation to V’s when they were completely opposite. She didn’t have to lie to V, she didn’t have to kill so many people. But it was her choices that lead her to these paths. And they all suck.
Except songbird is objectively good and reed objectively bad, songbird wasn’t recruited but legit kidnapped and forced into the force, she isn’t responsible for any of her action when working for the fia While reed chose to serve the army and then the FIA
I wonder whos voice that was in the call you got during the Perales quest. Surely they would use that to hint somewhere if they had anywhere to hint to.
I feel like mr blue eyes may be or is in league with the angels on the crystal palace.. and I think the mission to the crystal palace in the legendary ending is a form of recruitment for V .. Mr Blue eyes even says if you succeed you have everything to gain.
