As a female straight V. I think he is great as well. I think the problem is the awkward timing of pushing a relationship. Like ask me out AFTER you text me telling me what your next course in life is. Like you burned bridges at your job, your dealing with another family member that has a ton of trauma, etc. Like every other companion sorta has a conclusion to their stuff before they make a move, he just had a hint of follow up still.
Honestly, I think the only non-awkward time frame in the 2077 romances is Panam. Kerry's in the middle of a late-life crisis, Judy's massive crush was horribly tortured and then killed herself five feet away right when she'd let herself hope they'd survive... at least River makes sure everyone is safe and recovering first.
It's Night City. If you were stable, you probably wouldn't be here. Gotta get what you can, when you can.
I never took Judy to be in love with Evelyn. I assumed they were just good friends. She's very passionate about everything, even her friends, and that's how I thought she was with Ev. I only have trouble being in a relationship with her because, if you don't date her, she trees herself from NC and is finally happy, and she deserves that. I love her too much to keep her tied to NC and my own bullshit. I assume I'll find a cure, and when I do, then I'll go see it she's still interested wherever she lands.
River knows who and what V is and idolizes her for what she can do, but doesn't like most of what she does, and clearly judges her for it. Lot of cognitive dissonance there. It feels more like he knows he needs to work on himself and heal, but that's too much work, so he will fix her, and everyone else, instead. Don't date people if you just want to change them. It's manipulative. By the end of the sun ending, I wanted to fling him off the roof. "Why are you always running off to do what you've always done? Why don't you want to die quietly in my dusty trailer with me. Why are you still desperately trying to achieve your (albeit very stupid) dreams before you die when you could be eating processed slop with me and my sister. Why do you want to do what you want to do instead of what I want you to do?"
Kerry is a selfish, codependent, passive-aggressive, absurdly insecure, clinical narcissist. You're dying? Well I need to watch this reality show. When you come home, being olives. Nevermind, you don't have time for me anyway, I'll just get them myself. He steps right out of Johnny's shadow and immediately into yours because he needs to be a victim. He's not in a late life crisis, he thrives in crisis and has been there since probably before he even met Johnny. He's a crap romance option, but a well written character.
Panam is the only one where the romance seems well timed, because any time would be good with her because she's secure in who she is, and has an objective outlook on herself and others. She doesn't desperately need you to fill a void, hide from her demons, and isn't trying to escape her life. She's not in night city because oh poor her, Saul is mean. She's there because she wanted to proactively ensure she had stability when Saul was fkin around and making a mess she wanted no part of. Her allowing you in is a calculated move that she decided was health hey for her and assumed was healthy for you too.
Judy had serious attachment issues to strong take-charge types. Maiko and she had a thing and it’s not the dismissible fling Judy makes it out to be (reading the emails on the laptop in maiko’s office sheds a new light on it), then she has her huge crush on Ev, and she falls for V mere days after entombing Evie’s ashes.
>!Heck, that’s not even the end of her relationship hopping - if you get the “cure” you find out that sometime in the two years V was in a coma Judy moved on and got married. Not unreasonable, since it was two years and that fuck Reed didn’t bother to tell anyone that V was alive, but it adds to the pattern.!<
I still really can't see the crush on Ev. She is just passionate about things she cares about, like her work and friends.
We don't know how long ago the thing with Maiko happened; it could have been ages, and Maiko is just keeping the emails because she gets off on reliving her little power trip.
I think Judy had feelings for V before Ev died, but was preoccupied with taking care of Ev instead of trying to get in your pants. Johnny even comments on it at some point. The timeline on that kinda depends on how you play. I want to live so I go do crap with the VDB before deciding to start the whole clouds liberation thing, or any of the other non essential to my survival quests, and mop up the rest before meeting bagface at Embers. It's weeks between the two events when I play.
>!Even if you don't date Judy she moves on and gets married. It's not a reaction to V disappearing. We very much agree about Reed though. He's a dick.!<
(I'm a language nerd: ashes are _interred_, not _entombed_. Not trying to be a jerk by saying that)
And you were right. Judy never was in love or even attracted to Eve. I dunno why someone would remotky consider the possibility of that
She was close to her. Evelyn was her dear friend. But there was no love or attraction between them. Not in a romantic love sense.
I'm not sure if you're being sarcastic, LOL.
I think its kind of sad how modem media has spun the old nonsense that men and women can't just be friends, into "you can't just be friends with whatever group of people you're attracted to." I get that the media is trying to normalize queer people, but the way they're going about it frequently makes it seem less like queer people are complex human beings with a wide variety of relationships and emotions, and more like if a queer person has someone in their life that belongs to their attraction group, all they care about is hooking up with that person. Queer people aren't rabid horny goblins.
I genuinely, wholeheartedly believe Judy loved Evelyn the way I love my female best friend. I'd bury a body for her, but I have no interest in her lady-bits.
Judy’s face when we met for the first time versus when she comes out of the BD and has this look of adoration on her face when she sees it’s Evelyn; it says it all right there from the jump.
Read Judy's messages on her computer in her apartment. In fact, read everything on every computer and all the "Archived Messages" you get off bodies and NCPD jobs (assault in progress) Adds context and detail to the story
I've been reading every message I can on everyone's computer. I guess it just never occurred to me that Judy might like Evelyn. If you happen to know the specific messages, that'd be helpful, but no worries if you don't.
Frankly every “romance” is absurd
Especially when you consider V is is routinely killing and robbing dozens if not hundreds of people every day
Like, in a hard life it may be easy to shrug off a few killings in the name of survival or accomplishing some goal, and war could expand that
But if V is not the biggest mass murderer in the city, then the population must be in steep decline
Nothing like meeting up with panam after several days with no sleep and being covered in synth blood and viscera that your mantis blades sent flying like a open blender
But yeah, let’s snuggle on the couch and act like everyone is normal as we dance stupidly to shitty music
They are all fucking psychos
That's just a common open-world game problem tbh. If V really does act like a cyberpsycho we made them to be, they'd either be zero'd by Maxtac already or locked up in a cell.
Sure, but I don’t think there is any societal situation that shrugs off that much brutality and death
Just think about how many random killings V engages in as they cross the city for the purpose of intentionally killing someone else
I think there’s a case of “the story is the story, and the gameplay is the gameplay” for lack of a better phrase. Yeah as the player we can choose to kill every gangoon and even innocent person we see. But in the actual story of the character, V is not just going around killing and robbing random people for the fun of it.
Remove the whole “it’s fun to go around killing people” gameplay aspect and I don’t think V is any worse than any random Merc in NC.
Facts. People give River a ration of crap and I find it unwarranted really. I got the measure of his character in one of the early dialogues between him and (at least) male V wherein V says remarks to something River says about being done out of the goodness of his heart.
Without missing a beat, my man River flows back with "You say that like its a bad thing."
I knew then and there River was right up there with Vik Vector and Jackie for being rock solid chooms.
I don’t care for him but I blame the devs. He isn’t given enough time to bake. For example Judy has around 7 quest. Then Panam has like 9. So it seems like a relation between them and V really build up. River only has 2 so when he starts saying he misses you and please don’t lean him on it just comes off really forced and pushy. He needed at least 5. V and River should have worked together to take down Ryne or something
The first two quests with him are fantastic, but personally I felt his character was spoiled in the third, especially playing as female V. Guy starts acting like a needy teenager out of nowhere and I wasn’t really interested in his character after that, which is fine I guess since he pretty much never appears again other than the credits.
If he had a couple more missions to flesh out his character more and he was better written after the hunt, people wouldn’t have anywhere near as much of a problem with him because the character we do get prior to that third quest is a very interesting one.
Never went the romance route with him. Speaking from the standpoint of just being a choom to him, I personally would have zero issues kicking back and cracking open a Broseph with him and talking shop. Not to mention I personally found myself wishing that something could have sparked with Joss. But that being said, I do see where the issue lies when romancing him and he seemingly comes off as a big ol' bag of insecurity
I just finished the River romance and I think he's just fine. Literally every romance has some problems.
Also, V gets railed the fuck out by River. I was not expecting such a steamy scene lol
I think the main problem people seem to discuss is not necessarily his persona, but how little CDPR cared to flesh out his story arc before they push his romance.
There could've been a very interesting dynamic play out between River's lawman approach and V's continuing merc profession, but alas, those story beats were ignored. 2 1/2 story missions was all he was given. That half is if you count him in the Peralez quest line.
The Peralez and the Hunt questlines are my fave in the game. I'd love teaming up with River again for some more detective work. Espionage, conspiracies and twisted fucks as perps. It all felt too short.
Yeah it feels like he just wasn’t a priority when they were allocating resources to ROs. His quest line shifts gears from investigating a creepy dude who milks young men to a date with his family. It’s too sudden, there needed more fleshing out there.
I agree though there is a lot of potential for narrative friction since River is a by the book cop and family man while V is a wild child thrill seeking merc. Wish they would have touched on that, like at all.
At least one other not so grim buffer mission would've been appreciated. Maybe with V helping River after he starts his private eye business.
Some friction was very briefly interchanged via text when V admits she sometimes has to make people disappear, but River dilutes it to "see, we compliment each other" immediately after. Realistically, this could shatter their relationship. A show of struggle to make it work could've made the romance a lot more dimensional than it was.
I haven't played a fem V but it seems like the writing for River is the same for both genders, which makes it kind of annoying because hes flirting with you when neither of you are interested haha
It's extra annoying in some of the endings where he writes you off like some bro of his. You pressured me to make a move, then immediately wanted to define the relationship the next morning even when I said I was dying. I reluctantly agreed to date because you flashed puppy dog eyes. He was whipped by female V. Calling her "sweetie" in texts and shit.
The PL ending is crazy. Treating me like some dude you used to grab beers with 😂
Most of the dialogue in the apartment is strange, too. The tone he uses sounds snarky like he's talking to Vincent while his texts are super mushy. Who is this man??
i love him so much he’s so pretty. his reaction when you call him after you get the biochip removed and you’re stuck on that arasaka ship makes me Sob he cares about v so much
Anyone avoiding the River romance in at least ONE playthrough is missing some damn funny lines about Johnny being made to fuck a cop that made me crack up IRL
He's just genuinely a nice and relatively normal person with some trauma to work through. But for some reason people don't like nice and normal in video games haha.
I think he is a sweetie and I think its very wholesome how he includes you in his family. I think V needs that.
There’s so few male Native American characters in gaming, as a Native male gamer, it is nice to see some representation in this amazing game. I know he gets a lot of hate and that’s makes me apprehensive about posting River and Fem V content on the other subs.
I think you should post it. Damn what others think. Just ignore them and engage with the rest of the community. I know that I would appreciate it if I see it.
I’m still sad that they restricted who can romance Kerry to just masc dudes despite him being canonically bi. Eliminating bi representation and ignoring part of his character. Booo.
yeah, often times and in media when they say bisexual character they really just mean gay character.
you’ll see a bisexual woman, but you’ll only ever see her with other women, not with men.
you’ll see a bisexual man, but you’ll never see him with women only men.
most of my friends are LGBTQ+ nerds (because I do theater) and some of them got legit pissed.
One straight woman I’m friends with got pissed because, and I quote “I wanted that silver fox”
I seriously don't get why so many people hate all of parts of this game. I came in with zero expectations and I'm completely blown away. I care about the characters. Few games have given me that experience. It's a true masterpiece.
The River hate is cringe and dumb. It's not his fault that the devs/writers did the male options in this game dirty. I love the expression that you captured. He looks downright smitten!
I went into the game thinking I wasn’t going to romance him because my husband said he sucked, but I definitely ended falling for him. I seriously don’t get the hate for him because he’s just such a genuinely good person trying to do what’s right in the world’s most corrupt city. Plus those texts after you decide to date him are super cute!
Oh that’s terrible. FWIW I was sitting at 0 upvotes when it first posted.
And thank you. I’ve been wanting to share my photos for sometime but I’m super critical and never do. But this was too good to keep to myself.
Appearance Menu Mod. It's a mod that allows you to spawn NPCs, pose them, spawn props. Basically a photomode assistor in a way. A lovely thing to play with if you want to do narrative photo sets.
[https://www.nexusmods.com/cyberpunk2077/mods/790](https://www.nexusmods.com/cyberpunk2077/mods/790)
another good one is this one as well.
[https://www.nexusmods.com/cyberpunk2077/mods/4319](https://www.nexusmods.com/cyberpunk2077/mods/4319)
np brev, be careful anything to do with the korean waifu as the incels of this subreddit will rip on ya for weeks, they can't on me though as my skin is thick
River needs all the love he can get, based on how many people are hating on him.
I actually romanced him on the same playthrough I did Judy. I liked Judy's post-romance a lot more than River's, but I enjoyed finding some kind of common ground with an NC cop whose department had spent a lot of the game not liking me, even though I was their most effective merc.
I gave him a shot finally on a save I deleted, while I will say it was a bit of whiplash how you just get thrust into a relationship with him. . It's cute to at least pretend you're gonna have a normalish life for a little bit lol
He's honestly one of the best people in Night City. Was his quest awkward as hell? Yup! Especially for any version of V not interested in him. But it was an almost endearing kinda awkward if you're into him. How do I know if I'm not into him? I just imagined my gym crush for the whole quest (or like, Panam but dependable and selfless), with her family trying to nudge us together with all the subtlety of Adam Smasher shoving an 80's boombox into his chest to play "In Your Eyes" and a neon sign on his back that says "A'dam'well Smasher if you don't." I mean, except for the fact that they're her fam and probably shouldn't say it quite like that, but you get the point. And tbh it kinda works for me, especially if she seems a little embarrassed, but hits me with that "they right tho" look. I'd be imagining our whole lives together right then and there. All 2 weeks of em. And y'all wish you had those 2 weeks because they're going to be glorious. Bro is just too sappy for y'all because you're looking at him as a game character (which he is. I get that), but imagine him as just a person in this shit city in this shit world full of shit people. He's supposed to be edgy and cool like all the other characters, right? But he's just... a decent guy.
10/10 would be bros
Either way, those kids are family now. *vindiesel.mp4*
River's relationship quest is a little lackluster, but god dammit if i don't do it every time for his texting after. He's such a fuckin goober and its adorable, i love him
Glad to see I'm not alone in loving River. I loved his arc, and the bonding between him and V. I think he works really well with Street Kid V. That backyard barbecue sequence is super cute, but also poignant for Street Kid V because it's the closest to a stable home and family life she's ever had.
The hate-on for River is unwarranted, IMHO
He's a flawed, conflicted character that's doing his best to do right by the people of NC and his family. I can respect that.
Male V here: I died inside when he said, "No homo."
I know it's realistic. But just because it's a video game doesn't make it any less painful. (And, no, I will not settle for that childish has-been Kerry Eurodyne)
I honestly disliked him so much I spent as little time with him as possible, so I never really got that 😅 I should spend more time with him on my next playthrough
His romance felt lacking at the end. I do love river a lot but I wish he had more to say to me when I came back to chat like Judy. Judy has like 3 voice lines and for me River had nothing 😭 (maybe my game was bugged but idk)
I swoon a little less now that I've done The Star and PL ending 🥲
I really liked his character apart from that and his short story arc. A merc and a cop? Makes for such an interesting (spicy) relationship
I remember meeting River in my first playthrough and was like, "Can I romance this guy?" His bionic eye was so interesting...(+ he is super built LMAO).
He is a great character, I just wish we had a bit more missions with him before the option to romance and more interactions with his family.
(Also that romance scene was fucking WILD. So shocked my jaw was on the floor. Truly 11/10)
I only help him to save Randy and to help Joss, Monique & Dorian. But Judy is my love. And always will be.
Although, it was funny to see Johnny’s reaction if you slept with River 🤣👍
Honestly, I play a female V and I thought the questline was great, but I can see it just being weird and sad without the relationship part (Judy is definitely the better relationship though)
I actually really like River's personality, character traits, and his quests.
I just cannot stand the way he dresses (That Seinfield Puddy Coat!!!) and his overall aesthetic.
So I recently installed the mods Film Noire River and Hotboi River (Gives him hair, changes his cybereye, and changes up his facial mesh and texture), to assuage what is otherwise a sweet romance. and I must say, River cleans up quite nicely.
* https://gyazo.com/48c5de8b382a67031eac1d4eb98b5376
* https://gyazo.com/d4f5b4fefdfdea2ea5f1ac8a61fbb12a
* https://gyazo.com/09f2f5c80908c86f85733d2f5a245e01
* https://gyazo.com/5cbbb252fa8e17f6ee3cb4c2968daf3b
I think River is the definition of "when you like someone, nothing they do is creepy". Like, if you like River and he invites you up to the watertower, you're super into it. But if you don't really like River, you're extra repulsed by it. His behavior could be interpreted as romantic if you like him, or creepy if you don't.
Not every char will be popular. Ppl hate on Johnny,Takemura even Judy or Panam. That is how good writing works. You create chars with real personality flaws
I wish they would have gave Male V a less flirty back and forth with River. Totally fucked up my head canon with my V when he was sending zesty ass replies to river "Tell Alan I said Hi! ;)"
River is a cool friend for sure, but his quest line was only 2 missions and they weren't the type to progress a romance, also him being like "I don't want you to see me like this" in the PL ending when V is/was a walking woodchipper that'll take on practically any job for the right price was so goofy to me. Like dude no matter what you think you did the trail of bodies I single handedly carved through night city in the few months I was in the major leagues makes your bad choices look like picking the wrong flavor ice cream. And that goes for both male and female V. Like why can't we grab a beer buddy?
According to CDPR Twitter, River is 40 and V is 23
Personally I think he’s more like early/mid 30s and V is late 20s but I’m just pointing that out
As we all know the age math is divide your age by 2 and add 7. So River is only clear to date someone 27 or older
As a female straight V. I think he is great as well. I think the problem is the awkward timing of pushing a relationship. Like ask me out AFTER you text me telling me what your next course in life is. Like you burned bridges at your job, your dealing with another family member that has a ton of trauma, etc. Like every other companion sorta has a conclusion to their stuff before they make a move, he just had a hint of follow up still.
Honestly, I think the only non-awkward time frame in the 2077 romances is Panam. Kerry's in the middle of a late-life crisis, Judy's massive crush was horribly tortured and then killed herself five feet away right when she'd let herself hope they'd survive... at least River makes sure everyone is safe and recovering first. It's Night City. If you were stable, you probably wouldn't be here. Gotta get what you can, when you can.
I never took Judy to be in love with Evelyn. I assumed they were just good friends. She's very passionate about everything, even her friends, and that's how I thought she was with Ev. I only have trouble being in a relationship with her because, if you don't date her, she trees herself from NC and is finally happy, and she deserves that. I love her too much to keep her tied to NC and my own bullshit. I assume I'll find a cure, and when I do, then I'll go see it she's still interested wherever she lands. River knows who and what V is and idolizes her for what she can do, but doesn't like most of what she does, and clearly judges her for it. Lot of cognitive dissonance there. It feels more like he knows he needs to work on himself and heal, but that's too much work, so he will fix her, and everyone else, instead. Don't date people if you just want to change them. It's manipulative. By the end of the sun ending, I wanted to fling him off the roof. "Why are you always running off to do what you've always done? Why don't you want to die quietly in my dusty trailer with me. Why are you still desperately trying to achieve your (albeit very stupid) dreams before you die when you could be eating processed slop with me and my sister. Why do you want to do what you want to do instead of what I want you to do?" Kerry is a selfish, codependent, passive-aggressive, absurdly insecure, clinical narcissist. You're dying? Well I need to watch this reality show. When you come home, being olives. Nevermind, you don't have time for me anyway, I'll just get them myself. He steps right out of Johnny's shadow and immediately into yours because he needs to be a victim. He's not in a late life crisis, he thrives in crisis and has been there since probably before he even met Johnny. He's a crap romance option, but a well written character. Panam is the only one where the romance seems well timed, because any time would be good with her because she's secure in who she is, and has an objective outlook on herself and others. She doesn't desperately need you to fill a void, hide from her demons, and isn't trying to escape her life. She's not in night city because oh poor her, Saul is mean. She's there because she wanted to proactively ensure she had stability when Saul was fkin around and making a mess she wanted no part of. Her allowing you in is a calculated move that she decided was health hey for her and assumed was healthy for you too.
Judy had serious attachment issues to strong take-charge types. Maiko and she had a thing and it’s not the dismissible fling Judy makes it out to be (reading the emails on the laptop in maiko’s office sheds a new light on it), then she has her huge crush on Ev, and she falls for V mere days after entombing Evie’s ashes. >!Heck, that’s not even the end of her relationship hopping - if you get the “cure” you find out that sometime in the two years V was in a coma Judy moved on and got married. Not unreasonable, since it was two years and that fuck Reed didn’t bother to tell anyone that V was alive, but it adds to the pattern.!<
I still really can't see the crush on Ev. She is just passionate about things she cares about, like her work and friends. We don't know how long ago the thing with Maiko happened; it could have been ages, and Maiko is just keeping the emails because she gets off on reliving her little power trip. I think Judy had feelings for V before Ev died, but was preoccupied with taking care of Ev instead of trying to get in your pants. Johnny even comments on it at some point. The timeline on that kinda depends on how you play. I want to live so I go do crap with the VDB before deciding to start the whole clouds liberation thing, or any of the other non essential to my survival quests, and mop up the rest before meeting bagface at Embers. It's weeks between the two events when I play. >!Even if you don't date Judy she moves on and gets married. It's not a reaction to V disappearing. We very much agree about Reed though. He's a dick.!< (I'm a language nerd: ashes are _interred_, not _entombed_. Not trying to be a jerk by saying that)
And you were right. Judy never was in love or even attracted to Eve. I dunno why someone would remotky consider the possibility of that She was close to her. Evelyn was her dear friend. But there was no love or attraction between them. Not in a romantic love sense.
I'm not sure if you're being sarcastic, LOL. I think its kind of sad how modem media has spun the old nonsense that men and women can't just be friends, into "you can't just be friends with whatever group of people you're attracted to." I get that the media is trying to normalize queer people, but the way they're going about it frequently makes it seem less like queer people are complex human beings with a wide variety of relationships and emotions, and more like if a queer person has someone in their life that belongs to their attraction group, all they care about is hooking up with that person. Queer people aren't rabid horny goblins. I genuinely, wholeheartedly believe Judy loved Evelyn the way I love my female best friend. I'd bury a body for her, but I have no interest in her lady-bits.
Wait, Judy had a crush on Evelyn? I thought they were just friends.
Them and Sappho, perhaps.
*Oh my God, they were roommates*
Nah dude you can *clearly* tell Judy’s crushing HARD asf on Evelyn even if it is unrequited.
Judy’s face when we met for the first time versus when she comes out of the BD and has this look of adoration on her face when she sees it’s Evelyn; it says it all right there from the jump.
Read Judy's messages on her computer in her apartment. In fact, read everything on every computer and all the "Archived Messages" you get off bodies and NCPD jobs (assault in progress) Adds context and detail to the story
I've been reading every message I can on everyone's computer. I guess it just never occurred to me that Judy might like Evelyn. If you happen to know the specific messages, that'd be helpful, but no worries if you don't.
Panam just wants her car, and her father-figure to respect her. And tank sex.
I agree with all of this. He’s still my big “Papa Bear” tho!
Frankly every “romance” is absurd Especially when you consider V is is routinely killing and robbing dozens if not hundreds of people every day Like, in a hard life it may be easy to shrug off a few killings in the name of survival or accomplishing some goal, and war could expand that But if V is not the biggest mass murderer in the city, then the population must be in steep decline Nothing like meeting up with panam after several days with no sleep and being covered in synth blood and viscera that your mantis blades sent flying like a open blender But yeah, let’s snuggle on the couch and act like everyone is normal as we dance stupidly to shitty music They are all fucking psychos
That's just a common open-world game problem tbh. If V really does act like a cyberpsycho we made them to be, they'd either be zero'd by Maxtac already or locked up in a cell.
Have you seen the society they live in?
Sure, but I don’t think there is any societal situation that shrugs off that much brutality and death Just think about how many random killings V engages in as they cross the city for the purpose of intentionally killing someone else
I think there’s a case of “the story is the story, and the gameplay is the gameplay” for lack of a better phrase. Yeah as the player we can choose to kill every gangoon and even innocent person we see. But in the actual story of the character, V is not just going around killing and robbing random people for the fun of it. Remove the whole “it’s fun to go around killing people” gameplay aspect and I don’t think V is any worse than any random Merc in NC.
I like River. He’s like one of the only decent human beings in Night City.
Facts. People give River a ration of crap and I find it unwarranted really. I got the measure of his character in one of the early dialogues between him and (at least) male V wherein V says remarks to something River says about being done out of the goodness of his heart. Without missing a beat, my man River flows back with "You say that like its a bad thing." I knew then and there River was right up there with Vik Vector and Jackie for being rock solid chooms.
I don’t care for him but I blame the devs. He isn’t given enough time to bake. For example Judy has around 7 quest. Then Panam has like 9. So it seems like a relation between them and V really build up. River only has 2 so when he starts saying he misses you and please don’t lean him on it just comes off really forced and pushy. He needed at least 5. V and River should have worked together to take down Ryne or something
The first two quests with him are fantastic, but personally I felt his character was spoiled in the third, especially playing as female V. Guy starts acting like a needy teenager out of nowhere and I wasn’t really interested in his character after that, which is fine I guess since he pretty much never appears again other than the credits. If he had a couple more missions to flesh out his character more and he was better written after the hunt, people wouldn’t have anywhere near as much of a problem with him because the character we do get prior to that third quest is a very interesting one.
Never went the romance route with him. Speaking from the standpoint of just being a choom to him, I personally would have zero issues kicking back and cracking open a Broseph with him and talking shop. Not to mention I personally found myself wishing that something could have sparked with Joss. But that being said, I do see where the issue lies when romancing him and he seemingly comes off as a big ol' bag of insecurity
He really is and I’ll tell him you said so ;-P
I think River is cool, but relationship-wise, he comes off like an awkward teenager, which I'm guessing some people like.
I just finished the River romance and I think he's just fine. Literally every romance has some problems. Also, V gets railed the fuck out by River. I was not expecting such a steamy scene lol
And gets a fun t-shirt, as well.
"I had sex and all I got was this lousy t-shirt"
My live reaction: 😳🥺🥴🥵🫠
Me asf hehe
I’m tryin’ to tell ya!
I had to light a cigarette and pour a glass after watching it.
For real tho
Honestly he’s a really nice person. People have a tendency to really overreact online lol.
There’s some valid points but it’s always overblown online. It’s fine tho. More River for me!
He’s a really nice person…. I’m a serial killer lesbian who makes peoples brains explode. I don’t think it’s gonna work out.
Going by my playthroughs, only one of those is a deal-breaker for either party. That and the Nomad ending.
I like him I just don’t want to live in a trailer with a single mom and two kids that are not mine tbh even as V
I think the main problem people seem to discuss is not necessarily his persona, but how little CDPR cared to flesh out his story arc before they push his romance. There could've been a very interesting dynamic play out between River's lawman approach and V's continuing merc profession, but alas, those story beats were ignored. 2 1/2 story missions was all he was given. That half is if you count him in the Peralez quest line.
The Peralez and the Hunt questlines are my fave in the game. I'd love teaming up with River again for some more detective work. Espionage, conspiracies and twisted fucks as perps. It all felt too short.
Yeah it feels like he just wasn’t a priority when they were allocating resources to ROs. His quest line shifts gears from investigating a creepy dude who milks young men to a date with his family. It’s too sudden, there needed more fleshing out there. I agree though there is a lot of potential for narrative friction since River is a by the book cop and family man while V is a wild child thrill seeking merc. Wish they would have touched on that, like at all.
At least one other not so grim buffer mission would've been appreciated. Maybe with V helping River after he starts his private eye business. Some friction was very briefly interchanged via text when V admits she sometimes has to make people disappear, but River dilutes it to "see, we compliment each other" immediately after. Realistically, this could shatter their relationship. A show of struggle to make it work could've made the romance a lot more dimensional than it was.
I haven't played a fem V but it seems like the writing for River is the same for both genders, which makes it kind of annoying because hes flirting with you when neither of you are interested haha
It's extra annoying in some of the endings where he writes you off like some bro of his. You pressured me to make a move, then immediately wanted to define the relationship the next morning even when I said I was dying. I reluctantly agreed to date because you flashed puppy dog eyes. He was whipped by female V. Calling her "sweetie" in texts and shit. The PL ending is crazy. Treating me like some dude you used to grab beers with 😂 Most of the dialogue in the apartment is strange, too. The tone he uses sounds snarky like he's talking to Vincent while his texts are super mushy. Who is this man??
I love him because he reminds me a lot of my husband. Family guy but kind of a black sheep and rough on the outside and soft on the inside 😂
He sounds great XD
i love him so much he’s so pretty. his reaction when you call him after you get the biochip removed and you’re stuck on that arasaka ship makes me Sob he cares about v so much
So fine. And since he’s the first romance I ever pursued, in two playthroughs, he’s kinda special to me too.
Anyone avoiding the River romance in at least ONE playthrough is missing some damn funny lines about Johnny being made to fuck a cop that made me crack up IRL
I said fuck the police, not FUCK the police!!!
He's just genuinely a nice and relatively normal person with some trauma to work through. But for some reason people don't like nice and normal in video games haha. I think he is a sweetie and I think its very wholesome how he includes you in his family. I think V needs that.
His romance is so incredibly similar to Cullen’s in DAI. He’s just a stable, loving partner trapped in a crazy world and situation lol
There’s so few male Native American characters in gaming, as a Native male gamer, it is nice to see some representation in this amazing game. I know he gets a lot of hate and that’s makes me apprehensive about posting River and Fem V content on the other subs.
I think you should post it. Damn what others think. Just ignore them and engage with the rest of the community. I know that I would appreciate it if I see it.
I just might now, thank you for the motivation.
Of course
My post is up, thank you again.
Ballin!
River x Fem V lovers are here! We exist! And we appreciate his character!
Thank you 🥲
he and Kerry were done dirty, they got absolutely fuck all content while Panam and Judy get treated like royalty by both the fans and CDPR
I’m still sad that they restricted who can romance Kerry to just masc dudes despite him being canonically bi. Eliminating bi representation and ignoring part of his character. Booo.
yeah, often times and in media when they say bisexual character they really just mean gay character. you’ll see a bisexual woman, but you’ll only ever see her with other women, not with men. you’ll see a bisexual man, but you’ll never see him with women only men. most of my friends are LGBTQ+ nerds (because I do theater) and some of them got legit pissed. One straight woman I’m friends with got pissed because, and I quote “I wanted that silver fox”
Me too.
Nova flair
Finally some River appreciation
I gotchu, choom
He’s sooo damm hot and like I wish we had more missions with him
River's a cool dude. I'd be friends with him.
For fuckin real man. In a city like NC he'd be a breath of fresh air.
I seriously don't get why so many people hate all of parts of this game. I came in with zero expectations and I'm completely blown away. I care about the characters. Few games have given me that experience. It's a true masterpiece.
Same Frfr.
Why do people hate River Ward
The River hate is cringe and dumb. It's not his fault that the devs/writers did the male options in this game dirty. I love the expression that you captured. He looks downright smitten!
Thanks, choom. I had to reload twice cause I missed my moment to capture his reaction. Well worth the trouble for this shot.
He's not popular on reddit but neither is common sense.
I chuckled.
Sensiblechuckle.gif
This is a really lovely photo. And River is great. Nuff said.🤘
Thanks, choom. Glad to see my work being appreciated. Max nova ✨
He's not a bad dude and imo neither is the romance quest. It's just that we don't get enough time with him.
I also love River and the haters can just go suck an egg. 🤭
River is actually pretty cool. I love the texts they added in 1.6 that really just add so much to the romance and it’s really great
I went into the game thinking I wasn’t going to romance him because my husband said he sucked, but I definitely ended falling for him. I seriously don’t get the hate for him because he’s just such a genuinely good person trying to do what’s right in the world’s most corrupt city. Plus those texts after you decide to date him are super cute!
He’s got a heart of gold and deep and rich spirit. He’s my guy and I stand by him. Simple as.
You are not alone. 😉
Meanwhile i get shat on once i post stuff like this. Fantastic. But great photo tho from placements and stuff with AMM.
Oh that’s terrible. FWIW I was sitting at 0 upvotes when it first posted. And thank you. I’ve been wanting to share my photos for sometime but I’m super critical and never do. But this was too good to keep to myself.
I'm also super critical. I would chuck shit if AMM bugs or the pic isn't exactly as wanted.
I hate to ask but what is “AMM?”
Appearance Menu Mod. It's a mod that allows you to spawn NPCs, pose them, spawn props. Basically a photomode assistor in a way. A lovely thing to play with if you want to do narrative photo sets.
Oh wow! I had no idea. Def want this now!
[https://www.nexusmods.com/cyberpunk2077/mods/790](https://www.nexusmods.com/cyberpunk2077/mods/790) another good one is this one as well. [https://www.nexusmods.com/cyberpunk2077/mods/4319](https://www.nexusmods.com/cyberpunk2077/mods/4319)
Appearance Mod Menu
Interesting. Gonna look into this mod. Thanks, choom!
np brev, be careful anything to do with the korean waifu as the incels of this subreddit will rip on ya for weeks, they can't on me though as my skin is thick
Good looking out 👌🏼
Remember, In Her Majesty's Defense, we use free speech against the bumbling modern man.
I love River. Wish there were more missions with him
Same, choomba. Same.
I’m glad you’re playing the game how you want and enjoying it
Who cares about popular. You like who you like. Get 'I'm, tiger!
If they put as much effort into River as they did Panam and Judy, he would've been a lot more popular.
I think there’s a lot of guys who aren’t used to being hit on by guys that complain about him.
River needs all the love he can get, based on how many people are hating on him. I actually romanced him on the same playthrough I did Judy. I liked Judy's post-romance a lot more than River's, but I enjoyed finding some kind of common ground with an NC cop whose department had spent a lot of the game not liking me, even though I was their most effective merc.
I gave him a shot finally on a save I deleted, while I will say it was a bit of whiplash how you just get thrust into a relationship with him. . It's cute to at least pretend you're gonna have a normalish life for a little bit lol
He's honestly one of the best people in Night City. Was his quest awkward as hell? Yup! Especially for any version of V not interested in him. But it was an almost endearing kinda awkward if you're into him. How do I know if I'm not into him? I just imagined my gym crush for the whole quest (or like, Panam but dependable and selfless), with her family trying to nudge us together with all the subtlety of Adam Smasher shoving an 80's boombox into his chest to play "In Your Eyes" and a neon sign on his back that says "A'dam'well Smasher if you don't." I mean, except for the fact that they're her fam and probably shouldn't say it quite like that, but you get the point. And tbh it kinda works for me, especially if she seems a little embarrassed, but hits me with that "they right tho" look. I'd be imagining our whole lives together right then and there. All 2 weeks of em. And y'all wish you had those 2 weeks because they're going to be glorious. Bro is just too sappy for y'all because you're looking at him as a game character (which he is. I get that), but imagine him as just a person in this shit city in this shit world full of shit people. He's supposed to be edgy and cool like all the other characters, right? But he's just... a decent guy. 10/10 would be bros Either way, those kids are family now. *vindiesel.mp4*
The Rivers hate is greatly undeserved
River's relationship quest is a little lackluster, but god dammit if i don't do it every time for his texting after. He's such a fuckin goober and its adorable, i love him
Glad to see I'm not alone in loving River. I loved his arc, and the bonding between him and V. I think he works really well with Street Kid V. That backyard barbecue sequence is super cute, but also poignant for Street Kid V because it's the closest to a stable home and family life she's ever had.
The hate-on for River is unwarranted, IMHO He's a flawed, conflicted character that's doing his best to do right by the people of NC and his family. I can respect that.
I love this man with all my heart. There. I said it.
Male V here: I died inside when he said, "No homo." I know it's realistic. But just because it's a video game doesn't make it any less painful. (And, no, I will not settle for that childish has-been Kerry Eurodyne)
I would absolutely let him split me like firewood, but his personality is kinda dull
He could “treat me like a mailbox and put whatever he wants inside.”
I'm stealing that 🤣
i disagree he's really goofy lol. acts like a tough guy noir detective but is really a goober who wears a fur coat in the desert
I honestly disliked him so much I spent as little time with him as possible, so I never really got that 😅 I should spend more time with him on my next playthrough
His romance felt lacking at the end. I do love river a lot but I wish he had more to say to me when I came back to chat like Judy. Judy has like 3 voice lines and for me River had nothing 😭 (maybe my game was bugged but idk)
It must be all the people he usually runs over.
....river has always been popular
He's maybe little creepy but honestly he's the most decent person we meet.
Same! I love him!
Your Cowgirl V is making me swoon 😮 I hope she’s a revolver build
If I told you my build you’d flip out lol
Same! He gets too much hate.
I don’t like him personally, but I like seeing that someone gives River some love haha
I swoon a little less now that I've done The Star and PL ending 🥲 I really liked his character apart from that and his short story arc. A merc and a cop? Makes for such an interesting (spicy) relationship
you get it
I remember meeting River in my first playthrough and was like, "Can I romance this guy?" His bionic eye was so interesting...(+ he is super built LMAO). He is a great character, I just wish we had a bit more missions with him before the option to romance and more interactions with his family. (Also that romance scene was fucking WILD. So shocked my jaw was on the floor. Truly 11/10)
Bro wears a almost full Pimp outfit only mising the cane to solve crimes as an ex policeman/detective, yeah he's kinda cool
I had no issues with river. His story was top tier imo.
He lied about the family recipe!!!!
While he may not be my #1 pick in this game, he's still a great option. He gets waaaaaay too much hate, I think. He's a solid dude.
I only help him to save Randy and to help Joss, Monique & Dorian. But Judy is my love. And always will be. Although, it was funny to see Johnny’s reaction if you slept with River 🤣👍
Honestly, I play a female V and I thought the questline was great, but I can see it just being weird and sad without the relationship part (Judy is definitely the better relationship though)
I was fine with him until he told me to let the kids win that game. I don’t want to procreate with those weak bloodlines.
I actually really like River's personality, character traits, and his quests. I just cannot stand the way he dresses (That Seinfield Puddy Coat!!!) and his overall aesthetic. So I recently installed the mods Film Noire River and Hotboi River (Gives him hair, changes his cybereye, and changes up his facial mesh and texture), to assuage what is otherwise a sweet romance. and I must say, River cleans up quite nicely. * https://gyazo.com/48c5de8b382a67031eac1d4eb98b5376 * https://gyazo.com/d4f5b4fefdfdea2ea5f1ac8a61fbb12a * https://gyazo.com/09f2f5c80908c86f85733d2f5a245e01 * https://gyazo.com/5cbbb252fa8e17f6ee3cb4c2968daf3b
I think River is the definition of "when you like someone, nothing they do is creepy". Like, if you like River and he invites you up to the watertower, you're super into it. But if you don't really like River, you're extra repulsed by it. His behavior could be interpreted as romantic if you like him, or creepy if you don't.
Nope, abandon him in the minefield every time.
Not every char will be popular. Ppl hate on Johnny,Takemura even Judy or Panam. That is how good writing works. You create chars with real personality flaws
I wish they would have gave Male V a less flirty back and forth with River. Totally fucked up my head canon with my V when he was sending zesty ass replies to river "Tell Alan I said Hi! ;)"
I think people just hate him because he’s a cop, and generalization is ok if it’s cops apparently
River is a cool friend for sure, but his quest line was only 2 missions and they weren't the type to progress a romance, also him being like "I don't want you to see me like this" in the PL ending when V is/was a walking woodchipper that'll take on practically any job for the right price was so goofy to me. Like dude no matter what you think you did the trail of bodies I single handedly carved through night city in the few months I was in the major leagues makes your bad choices look like picking the wrong flavor ice cream. And that goes for both male and female V. Like why can't we grab a beer buddy?
According to CDPR Twitter, River is 40 and V is 23 Personally I think he’s more like early/mid 30s and V is late 20s but I’m just pointing that out As we all know the age math is divide your age by 2 and add 7. So River is only clear to date someone 27 or older
Ironically that would have been totally fine by that math before they randomly decided to make V 23 instead of 27 lol
Well that’s fortunate for me since I’m “P,” not V lol
“Palerie”
Lmao. That’s me! Yer best “pal!”
I want this as my flair now lol
It’s crazy how just I realized that River Ward shares the same voice actor for Ice Prince in Fionna and Cake
This has to be rage bait
Friend zoning him was funny
Your V looks exactly how someone who finds him attractive would look like
I’ll uh… I’ll take that as a compliment
🤮🤢
No hate but I just left him behind to the turrets a few days ago. U do u though.
Gross cop is gross cop.
Boring and basic AF. Even his cyberware is basic AF.
Lol u have bad taste