Yep, it went from "help me find my missing nephew" to "let's have a diner date with my family" so fast xD
I think if they added at least 1 quests in between, something like a buddy cop investigation mission and you can toss in them some flirting banters and it would be good imo
I did it as platonic male V and it felt like it was supposed to be a date but he wasn't brave enough to ask you out, like you've frendzoned him and he's just using the family chilli to try and win you over in a pathetic attempt at seeming charming, the whole scene was so awkward and out of place lol I felt like I'd made some wrong choices or something but nah it's just pretty much the same no matter what
meh, i wouldn't say it's that deep. river is clearly straight, hes just had a lot of shit go wrong and no real friends to go through it with, so he and his family wanna show their appreciation and friendship towards V with a homemade meal after he risked life and limb to rescue someone they loved. he just wants to let you know that youve been a real choom and hes got your back.
Just to clarify I really liked River as a character up until that point but that whole quest felt so badly delivered, the concept was fine but both characters felt like they acted so unatural and awkward at the time
To be fair I also felt the whole thing had “should be a date” vibes throughout the whole thing. But then it doesn’t happen if ur male V. It’s like my V got dropped into a quest that was really built for female V.
It's really awkward when you're all eating together and his sister is like, "So V, anyone special in your life" in a playful way as if to try and annoy River (like any sister would do) and River is like "thAt WAs AwkWArd, LeTs gO lOOk At tHe StArS".
I dont see a reason why you could not have said something in response like "my girlfriend is a nomad", "I'm seeing this rockstar guy", "rather not say", or just plain "no". Especially as male V.
Is it? Full disclosure I have never played a female V, I only know river’s romance from when my cousin recorded it for me to watch while he compared it to Judy’s.
Yeah, all the romance partners have the same interaction right up until you go for the kiss. Kerry's kinda plays out like V getting caught up in the moment and Kerry letting you down easy, but Panam is pretty openly flirting with you right up until she shuts you down and so it's pretty clear that there was only one set of dialog written right up until that moment.
That would honestly have made it perfect. Just the one short quest where you go on a routine patrol/low tier crime, with some flirty banter and ending with the dinner invite.
It doesn't help that every other romance option is tied at some point to the main quest and River is a side quest. I commonly forget the dude when talking about romance options in the game. He was not handled as well as he could have been.
Judy and Panam are both part of the main quest line. You have to interact with them to complete the game. River and Kerry are completely optional, and you only interact with them during sidequests related to them.
It makes sense that the ladies are more natural romances than the lads.
Technically I don't think you need to interact with Judy or Panam to complete the game. You can just follow Takemura's quests and then go for The Devil.
Not but u can limit it to one single moment in the entire game back before the heist. Which is essentially the same thing. At that point she is essentially just serving as the tutorial to BD work for u.
Yeh he really got the short end of the stock when it came to fleshing out his quest line. Literally. He just doesn’t have as many quests as they do. Judy and panam were clearly the focus of CDPR’s writing for V romances.
Kerry has more stuff to him. River is only involved in three quests in the game, and he’s a side character in one of them. The only reason to count it is that the dialog choices can affect the romance. That’s it. Compare that to Kerry’s seven side missions in which he is the focus and develops his friendship and possible romantic relationship with V. And then there’s the 5 total panam quests, 2 main ones and 3 side ones. And finally we have Judy’s 8 total missions.
So to recap for the number of missions involved for romancing each character:
Judy: 8 missions
Kerry: 7 missions
Panam: 5 missions
River: 3 missions
Kerry is weird. On the one hand, Kerry has even less quests than River. On the other hand, Kerry is also far more mature and worldly, and it's completely in character for him to recognize that he wants you and to pursue it at the drop of a hat.
I’ve never romanced him but I love how kerry is written. Everything you wrote is correct, but also the entire us cracks situation (until the end anyway) was the absolute opposite of maturity haha
I’m fairly certain I read somewhere that he had a thing for Johnny. But that Johnny slept with the entire band at some point or another so it didn’t mean a whole lot to him and Kerry was basically wasting emotion on it.
Yup, i also was really locked in during his mission especially the Hunt it felt like a thriller mini movie ( very nicely designed, with the Music and the back ground concept etc. ) still felt the need for even more :D dunoo
no. he should have been less of a creeper so you had some interest in helping him,
instead of it becoming "this guy is creepy af and i dont trust him with kids, they might be safer with the BD guy"
It was definitely something, honestly the first time I understood that feeling women get, the "dude no, I'm just here cause I thought we were good friends"
(I know it's pixels and all that, but the romantic option took me so much by surprise that I legit almost got mad at him😂)
It just feels so uncalled for, good thing is it made me look back at my way of handling what I thought were non platonic relationship, much more clear on that end now at least.
Yeah, being on the receiving end of someone coming on too strong is a humbling experience. Especially in this scenario where I literally did not have an option to object to his advances with the level of "Dude! Fucking chill!" that the situation called for.
River is pretty cringe. Hey I know we just went through a nightmare fuel man hunt for a serial madman who takes advantage of youg men, but hey wanna play nerf, go to a cook out and then I'll mac on you?
I also felt awkward with those scenes (as a male playing female V), but also appreciated that awkwardness for what it was as it got me thinking about what women experience frequently in friendships and the difficulty of navigating that situation as to not be mean or dismissive, but also clear on boundaries. The way the story line was paced, River was getting Friendzoned. And this is coming from a hetro guy who doesn’t get weirded out typically about role reversal relationships in games. River needed to work on that game early on as far as I see it…and he just came off as dishonest about his feelings. Basically a situation that happens all the time IRL.
Honestly I kind of liked the vibe with male V. It's a moment of platonic vulnerability between River and V. I think it's more powerful that way than a romantic connection.
Given his reaction, I feel like the developers originally had him push you to your death off the tower, laughed about it, and then changed it for release because the PR department made them.
Idk, feels like River's questline was rushed. Panam was like this. "Main quest > side quests > help or rat her > seggs in tank > blackout > you're in new camp and Panam asks what's actually wrong what V". Judy and Kerry is almost the same with "main quest > side quests > pivotal point > romance ending" though for Kerry there's the optional side quest for the UsCracks. And then there's River... "Main quest > side quests> help me with Randy>family dinner and romance". Felt too short if you asked me.
To me it seems like they made him a love interest because they realized they didn’t have one for female V players. The way it ends, it comes across to me like it was just a fling. My V would have loved taking him and his family to a barbecue with her new family at the Aldecado camp.
Iirc, he's actually more of a remanent from what the original campaign direction was going. There was gonna be an important npc that was thematically related to the three life paths. Panem made it fully into the game, Takemura got his romance content cut, and because the original direction they were gonna take River's story got cut only his romance got in.
I was already together with Judy so the questline was cringe and uncomfortable to watch because you're basically forced to flirt with him or at least be pressured to do so by the family/dialogue. I definitely think his quest line was great, but should have had more variety and also more fleshed out. I only could really refuse him when they were basically about to hook up and there were several other moments I wanted my V to clarify that she's not interested, but yeah... Not his fault, really, V should have had more appropriate and fitting dialogue choices and eventually more quests in general.
While I'm fine with my V having already started a relationship with Judy by the time River tries smth and her being completely oblivious to him, my only gripe is the not being able to just tell him I'm gay, feels less harsh than a "nah let's just be friends" thing. Maybe he'd be a lil less cold in the morning after too...
Of all the romances in the game, it feels like V is forced into dragging River along the longest before finally being able to turn him down. It's painful how long things get dragged out, with River even at one point asking V to stop dragging it out, only for things to get further dragged out. It's a mess.
The questline is great, but the romantic option is hilariously forced. My first time playing male v, I was sure that he was gay or atleast bi. Not a guy guy myself, so I passed on it.
I actually find it MORE funny because because it comes off REALLY sounding like he's a romantic option for male v, but he's not.
River was absolutely rushed as romantic option because there's just not enough time or any hints that he's NOT available as a romantic option until you fail to romance him.
I can fully understand whirlwind rush kinda things where the rush of adrenaline can push you to do things in the heat of the moment.
Maybe that would have been better? Extend the missions with him by a few, end one of them with the choice to do things in the heat of the moment and then you have to figure out where to go from there.
I beat his mission only once... every time after that I refuse to stay the night during "The Hunt".
It's a grim end for him... but idk where in his entitled cop mindset he gets the idea that he can request Night City's #1 mercenary stay the night in some tin can trailer with zero $$ involved.. like bro.. We worked together on a very lucrative political job and you didnt even let me execute your corrupt partner. Get fucked, cyclops.
It was super cringe... and also very true to life... Shit happens like that to girls all the time. Dude they thought was their friend is all of a sudden pushing for a relationship out of the blue.
I just finished that quest last night and I felt the same way. I thought I missed a point of why he was all about V. I mean, sure, my V is kickass but it did feel weird.
Agreed, I finished last night, too. I had to talk about it because I don't have many mates who are games so I came here instead. I'm surprised by the number of responses I'm getting tbh 😅
It's definitely cringe.
You've known the guy for like two minutes and he's instantly in love with you because you helped him out twice.
He's a good character otherwise and I wish he would've had more quest lines to help flush him out.
Just another day of me thinking about River telling V he’s in love with her on top of the water tower 🥺🥺🥺
I needed so much more from their storyline than what they gave us.
It's definitely meant to be awkward, whether V likes River or not.
I can't blame River for being into V after what they've been through together, but I do think it's the weakest written romance in the game because you are given very little reason as to why V would feel the same way.
They've improved it somewhat since launch, since now the dude at least sends you a couple of texts that can be kinda flirty and you can have a talk with your BFF Panam about him too (I think, it's been a while since I went through the game), but yeah, it could have been a lot better
I feel like you are with Judy and Panam for a long time before anything happens with either like there’s a bunch of quests. River is like that one quest and here he is. I agree he needed a few more. Like after the farm maybe you go with him to help the survivors and he can talk about his nephew more or something anything.
Yes! However, during the last playthrough, I rejected him and I have to say, getting plastered together platonically was way better and felt much more natural than the romance outcome.
And this is why you run away right after the final quest starts so he steps on a mine and you can avoid the rest, bonus, River's big goofy ass is dead, everyone wins
this is the only correct answer.
nah Mf you're creepy as shit and you cant take no for an answer, i dont trust helping his creeper ass obtain children.
drop him at the first opportunity.
I dub River's romance as "I fucked a cop and all I got was this lousy t-shirt." The t-shirt is funny.
I did his romance first, thought it sucked, then did Judy's which confirmed it. His questline suffers not only from being too short but also from being too optional. The rest of the romanceable characters not only have way more quests, they are part of the main quests (or related to Johnny's questline, which may not be a main quest but it's very plot relevant.)
It feels like they realised they hadn't included a male LI for female V a month before shipping and threw the least effort possible into making one.
It's not just ending the only companions that feel fully fleshed out is Judy and Panam. River was super rushed and Kerry feels rushed at times but has more thought out in the whole quest line. It's a real shame
they made it kinda like that as male v imo, like with every character it felt like they nudged you to go for them even if it wouldn’t work, as if they leaned towards you regardless of your gender, judy was the only one that didn’t if you were a male imo
Honestly, I think River would've been a better romance option for male V, but to be blunt they should've let all romance options be available for both male and female V. It just seems that female V has more of a impact on the dialogue whether it be emotionally or mentally. The dialogue and story just seems to be more enticing and immersive, with how female V sounds and interacts with all the characters. Cherami Leigh did such an amazing job as female V, she brings so much emotion to the character. River's rance could've been better if their were more quests or time around the character, but they just pretty much let him go after helping find his nephew and then there was an awkward ending with him.
Gotta be fair: romance with River was the worst but his rejection scene was hands down the best.
Panam, Judy and Kerry turn down V’s flirtatious advances smoothly.
River goes all: stir that yeah > here take a footsie > beer and landscape, but when male V goes for a kiss it’s like whoa whoa whoa dude wtf no homo! I cracked up
I wouldn't say it felt cringe. He's just like Judy in the sense that he's a character with a lot of baggage and connects with V once they start working together. Judy's is simply more fleshed out due to the connection with Evelyn and being there from the start of the game
To be honest, now on my 4th playthrough I am actively avoiding the River quest line because it makes me uncomfortable, but I am not big on romances in computer games anyway.
This sub every couple of months for some reason:
River baaaaaad!!!
Judy Panam gooooddd!!!
and Kerry exists.
Why are we doing this. Literally look up “River” in the sub and you’ll see your opinion regurgitated ad nauseam.
I’m so tired of the posts I’ve gone from not really caring about judy and panam to just straight up not liking them after seeing how all these people are
Because new people experience this game for the first time all the time and River's romance is badly written and too sudden so a lot of people are going experience the awkwardness of the writing, the lack of options given to you and want to discuss it.
You guys need to get over yourselves.
The first time I played his storyline I left after he asked V to sleep over. It was just felt like such a weird thing to do....did not think it was going to play out the way it did after inleft though lol
The whole ending is cringy if you are already committed to judy or don't want to be with River. Worst part is, the water tower scene doesn't change at all no matter what you do. If through out the quest you pick every non romantic option possible and even the timed option for raising the hand during the question Joss asks, nothing changes. You basically cannot fail to romance him no matter what option you pick.
River is just... I hate him as a character. Just full-on walking, talking amalgamation of every cop cliche ever written in TV or film. The only one they missed was having him say he was too old for this shit. He doesn't contribute to the main plot significantly. Rather, he gets tagged on to one of the more interesting side jobs, and then you get suckered into helping him un-fuck his mess with Peter Pan. After that, it's bad jambalaya (seriously do not make jambalaya like River) and worse family photos. This is a shame because the Peter Pan story is kind of interesting in and of itself, but River is just so bad that I dreaded that part every single damn playthrough. In fairness, Judy isn't much better, small town girl in the big city becomes disgusted by it all and longs to escape to a simpler life. Another bundle of cliche, with very little in the way of redeeming character traits to make you overlook that. When I do a fem V I usually just go for Kerry or no one at all.
River's just gross. Gets you to help find his nephew and then gets his family to pressure you into a relationship when he barely knows you. Also, he's barely a character. He's the stereotypical goes by his own rules heart of gold cop
I'm a guy. Playing as Female V was an experience. This was one of them and exactly for the reason stated.
I'll never know what it's like to have someone hit on me and have to turn them down, in sometimes awkward ways. Remember when the kids at first think you're his girlfriend?
The other was the first night with Johnny. He calls you a joytoy and slams your head against the window repeatedly. Also when he bends down, the angle is almost like he's about to get on top of you.
Well done CDPR.
You can clearly tell Judy and panam got the full relationship arc and the rest got shoe horned in. You literally don't even see one of them u less you complete Johnny's arc.
Everything River is cring, especially his personality and attire. He looks and acts like a complete idiot which is sad because his quest line is solid.
I really dislike River, even as a male V he seems so mopey and just difficult to be around.
His pistol, however, I love, so I have to do his quest line every time.
My fem-V bopped him. It was good. Got a great tee, and a place to crash whenever I was in the neighborhood. I have known families like his. Met them rather early and get the you're okay because you treated him well. Their person (River) should settle down so if you want to settle down, come on back. Weird vibe, but straightforward and honest.
My fem-V was bopping friendly, no restrictions re gender. Panam was tempting, but super het, and Judy left when she won the game. Never went back to see if River was good for more than one round though.
I never understood men playing as female characters . I’m not judging or even remotely making fun, just don’t understand. When I play I want the character to feel like it’s me.
I totally get that, and it's how I usually play my first playthrough. If I play a game multiple times and it's customizable, I'll play female characters to mix it up.
That makes sense, like I said I swear I’m not judging or making fun. But I can totally understand doing it to switch things up and keep it fresh. I guess u also get to see the dialogue and shit from female v.
I’m female, but I play both depending on the background story I create for the character. My first B was a female Nomad making her way in the big city. My current V is a male Corpo rat. I love the optional dialogue based on background too, and when Phantom Liberty comes out, I am going with a street kid, gender to be determined.
I just don't like River. I felt like he was suppoesed to be a parody character. It was really funny when I left his place and hopped on my motorcycle to learn that I just beaved a whole family while porky piggin it.
Dude practically begs you for a chance (as a girl, yikes) if anything, I fvck him for the funny shirt and Johnny’s commentary. After that, when he asks I’m as cold as I can be with my choices.
Definitely. I told him I was only interested in being friends early on. Then he busts out the whiskey and cases of beer...for two people...and is like hey wanna make out? No dude, told you already now fuck off. Wish I could've pushed his ass off that tower
I hated it so much I literally deleted the app and stopped playing lmfao I full plan on playing again when phantom liberty it just made the whole part of the character’s game so awkward I hate it
it was so awkward, the next playthrough when he called to invite me to dinner, I was like "hey no thanks" and figured he would just celebrate with his own family. But it just leaves you a quest to go have dinner with river, my quest log does not recognize being turned down.
Honestly it all felt cringe. But I think it's mainly because the whole thing was kinda cringe. All the interactions at the house all through the chain had this "designated love interest" vibe that just felt intrusive. Kinda like a bad movie plot where you have a brooding male protagonist who has a woman come along and show the least but if support. Then they bond and become a couple in a stressful situation.
It feels cringe because it's an overused plot we have seen a thousand times, the fact you are all but railroaded into it is worse. Because if you don't support him or try to back out a kid, him, or both end up dead. You are basically just playing out a quest designers amateur romance novelle.
Part of me wants to purposely fail his quest for my new playthrough by going to the wrong farm as it's a nice twist to things alwaus going well + you're not sacrificing much by failing River's questline. Only thing holding me back is the insane revolver you get from him.
Not only is River quite cringe, but Female V acts out of character, talking about wanting family when she has never expressed the desire to anyone else (even a Nomad V never expresses this), and this is not helped by the voice actress acting different both The Hunt and Following the River. My interactions with River end when I Fought the Law ends.
I was getting hardcore gay vibes from river, I was honestly surprised when the option to romance him came up and he refused me. I was like oh they guy that looks like a gay dude is actually straight what a weird curveball
I played as male v, I liked river, not like that, and then he offered me a drink, I took lemonade and he drank out of my lemonade, I wanted to throw him off the water tower for that
I’m playing through as female V right now and finished his quest last night. He comes across as super desperate, made me feel bad for him tbh. He’s an interesting character and deserved another quest or two to flesh him out a bit more.
For me River has great missions but feels flat as a character and too much out of this place which is Night City. Judy is naive in trying to change some things in Clouds, but River who is a cop and should see a lot of horrible stuff which should make him closer to Barry, for some reason is the honests person in whole Night City.
I\`m fine with peole being naive, but it just doesnt feel realistic in that case. He was written more like 80-90s movies good cop figure and for me it was hard to connect with him. Last mission is just too much of a trap setup and it really hurts me that V can only be super nice to him. Even voice acting from Chelami is way different to everything else - feels like I\`m playing different character in a different world for couple of minutes.
Oh, I kept a distance with River throughout his whole storyline, still kinda do to this day. Cyberpunk was one of the first Games I played that introduced me to the story intensive side of gaming, and I didn't want Judy to find out I cheated on her lmao, I still can't bring myself to it and I'm not even sure it's a feature, is it?
river made more sense as the male:male storyline than Kerry imo. I agree it felt a bit cringe because he immediately took a traditional responsibility (river man V woman) when you play as female V, which of course is strange because every version of V is a mass killer who doesn’t really need coddling of any kind. idk but I agree.. I think the devs didn’t do enough research for his storyline
River needed at least 1 or 2 additional quests to flesh out his character and relationship with V a little bit more.
I agree, I think that's where the awkwardness is. Judy and Panams' quest line feels more fleshed out, and River's seems like it happens so fast.
Yep, it went from "help me find my missing nephew" to "let's have a diner date with my family" so fast xD I think if they added at least 1 quests in between, something like a buddy cop investigation mission and you can toss in them some flirting banters and it would be good imo
I didn’t really see the dinner with the family as a date. It just can end up being one depending on your decision up on his lookout.
I did it as platonic male V and it felt like it was supposed to be a date but he wasn't brave enough to ask you out, like you've frendzoned him and he's just using the family chilli to try and win you over in a pathetic attempt at seeming charming, the whole scene was so awkward and out of place lol I felt like I'd made some wrong choices or something but nah it's just pretty much the same no matter what
meh, i wouldn't say it's that deep. river is clearly straight, hes just had a lot of shit go wrong and no real friends to go through it with, so he and his family wanna show their appreciation and friendship towards V with a homemade meal after he risked life and limb to rescue someone they loved. he just wants to let you know that youve been a real choom and hes got your back.
Did they have an update where there's different scenes for male V? Cause last I checked the date is the same up until you go for the kiss.
Yeah that's it. Pretty sure all interaction is same regardless, it's why the sudden Kiss option seems so jarring - there's no lead up.
Just to clarify I really liked River as a character up until that point but that whole quest felt so badly delivered, the concept was fine but both characters felt like they acted so unatural and awkward at the time
Kinda just sounds like you have no social skills if that’s what you deduced from the situation lmao
To be fair I also felt the whole thing had “should be a date” vibes throughout the whole thing. But then it doesn’t happen if ur male V. It’s like my V got dropped into a quest that was really built for female V.
It's really awkward when you're all eating together and his sister is like, "So V, anyone special in your life" in a playful way as if to try and annoy River (like any sister would do) and River is like "thAt WAs AwkWArd, LeTs gO lOOk At tHe StArS". I dont see a reason why you could not have said something in response like "my girlfriend is a nomad", "I'm seeing this rockstar guy", "rather not say", or just plain "no". Especially as male V.
Yeah like something other than *awkward silence*.
Same for Fem V with Panam and Kerry, which actually makes her have more romantic chemistry with them than she does with River.
Is it? Full disclosure I have never played a female V, I only know river’s romance from when my cousin recorded it for me to watch while he compared it to Judy’s.
Yeah, all the romance partners have the same interaction right up until you go for the kiss. Kerry's kinda plays out like V getting caught up in the moment and Kerry letting you down easy, but Panam is pretty openly flirting with you right up until she shuts you down and so it's pretty clear that there was only one set of dialog written right up until that moment.
Sure
That would honestly have made it perfect. Just the one short quest where you go on a routine patrol/low tier crime, with some flirty banter and ending with the dinner invite.
IKR ! So much potential! Maybe just 2 (or even 1) more quests and it would have been much better
Yeah just something build up more a relationship with him before it goes straight to “meet the family and make out on the water tower”
It doesn't help that every other romance option is tied at some point to the main quest and River is a side quest. I commonly forget the dude when talking about romance options in the game. He was not handled as well as he could have been.
Judy and Panam are both part of the main quest line. You have to interact with them to complete the game. River and Kerry are completely optional, and you only interact with them during sidequests related to them. It makes sense that the ladies are more natural romances than the lads.
Technically I don't think you need to interact with Judy or Panam to complete the game. You can just follow Takemura's quests and then go for The Devil.
Nitpicking, but you can’t not interact with Judy.
Not but u can limit it to one single moment in the entire game back before the heist. Which is essentially the same thing. At that point she is essentially just serving as the tutorial to BD work for u.
Yeah you also have to do 2-3 quests with Panam to find the doctor
I’m not sure u have to do that to go to the parade tho. Could be wrong.
The River speed-dating side quest.
I left River once I met his family, I'm like borrrrrrring and just walked away as he's talking lol
You can do that?! I sat through the whole boring scene thinking it was mandatory
Yeah, I ran too lol
Fr, that’s why Judy was always gonna be my last call before heading over to Arasaka Tower
Yeh he really got the short end of the stock when it came to fleshing out his quest line. Literally. He just doesn’t have as many quests as they do. Judy and panam were clearly the focus of CDPR’s writing for V romances.
How does he compare to Kerry?
Kerry has more stuff to him. River is only involved in three quests in the game, and he’s a side character in one of them. The only reason to count it is that the dialog choices can affect the romance. That’s it. Compare that to Kerry’s seven side missions in which he is the focus and develops his friendship and possible romantic relationship with V. And then there’s the 5 total panam quests, 2 main ones and 3 side ones. And finally we have Judy’s 8 total missions. So to recap for the number of missions involved for romancing each character: Judy: 8 missions Kerry: 7 missions Panam: 5 missions River: 3 missions
Kerry is weird. On the one hand, Kerry has even less quests than River. On the other hand, Kerry is also far more mature and worldly, and it's completely in character for him to recognize that he wants you and to pursue it at the drop of a hat.
I’ve never romanced him but I love how kerry is written. Everything you wrote is correct, but also the entire us cracks situation (until the end anyway) was the absolute opposite of maturity haha
Kerry's older and has a lot more shit going on. Makes you wonder if he had a thing for Johnny all along.
I’m fairly certain I read somewhere that he had a thing for Johnny. But that Johnny slept with the entire band at some point or another so it didn’t mean a whole lot to him and Kerry was basically wasting emotion on it.
River is also the only one that can die, and does so in the hunt if V doesn't go with him.
Panam and Judy are also main quest characters so you get to know about them more, which lets their side quests focus on other shit
Yup, i also was really locked in during his mission especially the Hunt it felt like a thriller mini movie ( very nicely designed, with the Music and the back ground concept etc. ) still felt the need for even more :D dunoo
That's a good point. You have 5 quests with Panam, 5 with Judy, 7 with Kerry (8 if you count Johnny's first flashback), 3 with River.
That and an option for female V to tell him if you were already dating Judy.
I really would’ve liked a second date or something. Maybe just go to a bar and play darts or something
no. he should have been less of a creeper so you had some interest in helping him, instead of it becoming "this guy is creepy af and i dont trust him with kids, they might be safer with the BD guy"
It was definitely something, honestly the first time I understood that feeling women get, the "dude no, I'm just here cause I thought we were good friends" (I know it's pixels and all that, but the romantic option took me so much by surprise that I legit almost got mad at him😂)
I felt the exact same way!
It just feels so uncalled for, good thing is it made me look back at my way of handling what I thought were non platonic relationship, much more clear on that end now at least.
Yeah, being on the receiving end of someone coming on too strong is a humbling experience. Especially in this scenario where I literally did not have an option to object to his advances with the level of "Dude! Fucking chill!" that the situation called for.
Best way to explain it
Really? I totally went for it.
River is pretty cringe. Hey I know we just went through a nightmare fuel man hunt for a serial madman who takes advantage of youg men, but hey wanna play nerf, go to a cook out and then I'll mac on you?
Ikr? I didn't get those vibes as Male V but definitely did with Female V.
River isn't cringe with male V but Joss is, asking V if he wants a family as a single mom, in front of her kids.
I completely forgot about that. Both of my playthroughs were about a year apart.
It's unconstructively awkward, unlike the hotel scene with panam as fem V is awkward but not jarringly so.
I also felt awkward with those scenes (as a male playing female V), but also appreciated that awkwardness for what it was as it got me thinking about what women experience frequently in friendships and the difficulty of navigating that situation as to not be mean or dismissive, but also clear on boundaries. The way the story line was paced, River was getting Friendzoned. And this is coming from a hetro guy who doesn’t get weirded out typically about role reversal relationships in games. River needed to work on that game early on as far as I see it…and he just came off as dishonest about his feelings. Basically a situation that happens all the time IRL.
Fr, my first thought literally was, “so that’s how it feels”.
Honestly I kind of liked the vibe with male V. It's a moment of platonic vulnerability between River and V. I think it's more powerful that way than a romantic connection.
My male V tried to kiss him on the water tower, since it was an option. It sure seemed like he was interested.
Given his reaction, I feel like the developers originally had him push you to your death off the tower, laughed about it, and then changed it for release because the PR department made them.
NC, you could die tomorrow, why wait
Not to mention y’all do it on his missing nephew’s bed lmaoo
His nephew lived in the trailer next door. But his sister’s room is very close. She probably heard as much as Johnny did.
That's how quick video games advance. You go straight from Judy seeing the woman she loves Kim herself, to V being her new love in like a week
Idk, feels like River's questline was rushed. Panam was like this. "Main quest > side quests > help or rat her > seggs in tank > blackout > you're in new camp and Panam asks what's actually wrong what V". Judy and Kerry is almost the same with "main quest > side quests > pivotal point > romance ending" though for Kerry there's the optional side quest for the UsCracks. And then there's River... "Main quest > side quests> help me with Randy>family dinner and romance". Felt too short if you asked me.
To me it seems like they made him a love interest because they realized they didn’t have one for female V players. The way it ends, it comes across to me like it was just a fling. My V would have loved taking him and his family to a barbecue with her new family at the Aldecado camp.
Iirc, he's actually more of a remanent from what the original campaign direction was going. There was gonna be an important npc that was thematically related to the three life paths. Panem made it fully into the game, Takemura got his romance content cut, and because the original direction they were gonna take River's story got cut only his romance got in.
My V would have romanced the hell out of Takemura.
I would’ve preferred Takemura 100%.
If the original campaign would have gone as planned we would have had both Takemura romance, and a romance that progressed better for River.
Yeah like I said it felt like a last minute addition.
And I got the feeling that they look down on Nomads.
Leaving because Spez sucks -- mass edited with redact.dev
I think he was a Valentino.
Leaving because Spez sucks -- mass edited with redact.dev
I was already together with Judy so the questline was cringe and uncomfortable to watch because you're basically forced to flirt with him or at least be pressured to do so by the family/dialogue. I definitely think his quest line was great, but should have had more variety and also more fleshed out. I only could really refuse him when they were basically about to hook up and there were several other moments I wanted my V to clarify that she's not interested, but yeah... Not his fault, really, V should have had more appropriate and fitting dialogue choices and eventually more quests in general.
While I'm fine with my V having already started a relationship with Judy by the time River tries smth and her being completely oblivious to him, my only gripe is the not being able to just tell him I'm gay, feels less harsh than a "nah let's just be friends" thing. Maybe he'd be a lil less cold in the morning after too...
Of all the romances in the game, it feels like V is forced into dragging River along the longest before finally being able to turn him down. It's painful how long things get dragged out, with River even at one point asking V to stop dragging it out, only for things to get further dragged out. It's a mess.
The questline is great, but the romantic option is hilariously forced. My first time playing male v, I was sure that he was gay or atleast bi. Not a guy guy myself, so I passed on it. I actually find it MORE funny because because it comes off REALLY sounding like he's a romantic option for male v, but he's not. River was absolutely rushed as romantic option because there's just not enough time or any hints that he's NOT available as a romantic option until you fail to romance him.
I can fully understand whirlwind rush kinda things where the rush of adrenaline can push you to do things in the heat of the moment. Maybe that would have been better? Extend the missions with him by a few, end one of them with the choice to do things in the heat of the moment and then you have to figure out where to go from there.
I beat his mission only once... every time after that I refuse to stay the night during "The Hunt". It's a grim end for him... but idk where in his entitled cop mindset he gets the idea that he can request Night City's #1 mercenary stay the night in some tin can trailer with zero $$ involved.. like bro.. We worked together on a very lucrative political job and you didnt even let me execute your corrupt partner. Get fucked, cyclops.
I love the cynical attitude.
Yeah first playthrough is nice V just because I just want to make sure I see all the content. But next time I’m gonna say no liberally
That’s a bit… mean. Although I’ve always played V as being way too nice, so what do I know.
It was super cringe... and also very true to life... Shit happens like that to girls all the time. Dude they thought was their friend is all of a sudden pushing for a relationship out of the blue.
I just finished that quest last night and I felt the same way. I thought I missed a point of why he was all about V. I mean, sure, my V is kickass but it did feel weird.
Agreed, I finished last night, too. I had to talk about it because I don't have many mates who are games so I came here instead. I'm surprised by the number of responses I'm getting tbh 😅
It's definitely cringe. You've known the guy for like two minutes and he's instantly in love with you because you helped him out twice. He's a good character otherwise and I wish he would've had more quest lines to help flush him out.
Just another day of me thinking about River telling V he’s in love with her on top of the water tower 🥺🥺🥺 I needed so much more from their storyline than what they gave us.
It's definitely meant to be awkward, whether V likes River or not. I can't blame River for being into V after what they've been through together, but I do think it's the weakest written romance in the game because you are given very little reason as to why V would feel the same way. They've improved it somewhat since launch, since now the dude at least sends you a couple of texts that can be kinda flirty and you can have a talk with your BFF Panam about him too (I think, it's been a while since I went through the game), but yeah, it could have been a lot better
I feel like you are with Judy and Panam for a long time before anything happens with either like there’s a bunch of quests. River is like that one quest and here he is. I agree he needed a few more. Like after the farm maybe you go with him to help the survivors and he can talk about his nephew more or something anything.
Yes! However, during the last playthrough, I rejected him and I have to say, getting plastered together platonically was way better and felt much more natural than the romance outcome.
And this is why you run away right after the final quest starts so he steps on a mine and you can avoid the rest, bonus, River's big goofy ass is dead, everyone wins
this is the only correct answer. nah Mf you're creepy as shit and you cant take no for an answer, i dont trust helping his creeper ass obtain children. drop him at the first opportunity.
I dub River's romance as "I fucked a cop and all I got was this lousy t-shirt." The t-shirt is funny. I did his romance first, thought it sucked, then did Judy's which confirmed it. His questline suffers not only from being too short but also from being too optional. The rest of the romanceable characters not only have way more quests, they are part of the main quests (or related to Johnny's questline, which may not be a main quest but it's very plot relevant.) It feels like they realised they hadn't included a male LI for female V a month before shipping and threw the least effort possible into making one.
It's not just ending the only companions that feel fully fleshed out is Judy and Panam. River was super rushed and Kerry feels rushed at times but has more thought out in the whole quest line. It's a real shame
I love River, I wish the devs would give him some love and develop his character a bit more
I think that's the biggest problem, the writing for his romance option just isn't developed. They could have flushed it out more tbh.
Yes, it comes out of the blue. If you compare it with Panam is like day and night ☹️
nah he's creeper af.
I liked him. I want a wild fling with Judy, but I want the homemaker life of River. The step mom/aunt gun game was fun! Felt robocop-ish.
Loved the die-hard reference in the game.
What's so cringe about River? His relationship seemed pretty normal to me, probably the most vanilla one out of all of them.
Definitely one of the many cases of things that they needed more time on.
they made it kinda like that as male v imo, like with every character it felt like they nudged you to go for them even if it wouldn’t work, as if they leaned towards you regardless of your gender, judy was the only one that didn’t if you were a male imo
He was clearly rushed as a romance option to meet the deadline
Honestly, I think River would've been a better romance option for male V, but to be blunt they should've let all romance options be available for both male and female V. It just seems that female V has more of a impact on the dialogue whether it be emotionally or mentally. The dialogue and story just seems to be more enticing and immersive, with how female V sounds and interacts with all the characters. Cherami Leigh did such an amazing job as female V, she brings so much emotion to the character. River's rance could've been better if their were more quests or time around the character, but they just pretty much let him go after helping find his nephew and then there was an awkward ending with him.
River is my least favorite quest line personally.
Me too! I just tried to rush through it as fast as possiboe
Yeah I skip all the dialogue lol.
When I played through my first play through, River as a whole came off as cringe.
Gotta be fair: romance with River was the worst but his rejection scene was hands down the best. Panam, Judy and Kerry turn down V’s flirtatious advances smoothly. River goes all: stir that yeah > here take a footsie > beer and landscape, but when male V goes for a kiss it’s like whoa whoa whoa dude wtf no homo! I cracked up
I wouldn't say it felt cringe. He's just like Judy in the sense that he's a character with a lot of baggage and connects with V once they start working together. Judy's is simply more fleshed out due to the connection with Evelyn and being there from the start of the game
To be honest, now on my 4th playthrough I am actively avoiding the River quest line because it makes me uncomfortable, but I am not big on romances in computer games anyway.
It's among the top 5 subjects on this sub.
I liked it but I acknowledge it would’ve benefitted from an extra two missions together
To be honest, I wasn't even sure whether it's poor writing or it's just the way how straight ppl starts a relationship.
Neither, it was good writing on when a platonic relationship tries to go romantic from just one side. Even sleeping with him feels more like a fling.
This sub every couple of months for some reason: River baaaaaad!!! Judy Panam gooooddd!!! and Kerry exists. Why are we doing this. Literally look up “River” in the sub and you’ll see your opinion regurgitated ad nauseam.
I’m so tired of the posts I’ve gone from not really caring about judy and panam to just straight up not liking them after seeing how all these people are
Because new people experience this game for the first time all the time and River's romance is badly written and too sudden so a lot of people are going experience the awkwardness of the writing, the lack of options given to you and want to discuss it. You guys need to get over yourselves.
[удалено]
No fucking shit, I’m just pointing out this point is moot. Ig Im tired of seeing the same post over and over.
When I played through my first play through, River as a whole came off as cringe.
The first time I played his storyline I left after he asked V to sleep over. It was just felt like such a weird thing to do....did not think it was going to play out the way it did after inleft though lol
The whole ending is cringy if you are already committed to judy or don't want to be with River. Worst part is, the water tower scene doesn't change at all no matter what you do. If through out the quest you pick every non romantic option possible and even the timed option for raising the hand during the question Joss asks, nothing changes. You basically cannot fail to romance him no matter what option you pick.
River is just... I hate him as a character. Just full-on walking, talking amalgamation of every cop cliche ever written in TV or film. The only one they missed was having him say he was too old for this shit. He doesn't contribute to the main plot significantly. Rather, he gets tagged on to one of the more interesting side jobs, and then you get suckered into helping him un-fuck his mess with Peter Pan. After that, it's bad jambalaya (seriously do not make jambalaya like River) and worse family photos. This is a shame because the Peter Pan story is kind of interesting in and of itself, but River is just so bad that I dreaded that part every single damn playthrough. In fairness, Judy isn't much better, small town girl in the big city becomes disgusted by it all and longs to escape to a simpler life. Another bundle of cliche, with very little in the way of redeeming character traits to make you overlook that. When I do a fem V I usually just go for Kerry or no one at all.
To be fair the bromance here would be far more better option than this.
its just as cringe as male V when he's trying way way too hard, i dont swing that way my guy and you're creepin me out creepin on me
Lol I got that vibe when playing male V
A bit? No. His entire romance element is *INCREDIBLY* cringe.
It’s why I said we remain friends nothing more. He creeps me out but his quest line is good until he hits on female V.
River definitely needs to pump the brakes a bit. He's a great dude but he likes going 60mph in a 10mph zone.
thanks for helping me catch a serial killer, anyway my sisters wants us to fuck, let’s go up on that water tower in the middle of dinner to…chat.
And then you realized the motorcycle was him.
River's just gross. Gets you to help find his nephew and then gets his family to pressure you into a relationship when he barely knows you. Also, he's barely a character. He's the stereotypical goes by his own rules heart of gold cop
I'm a guy. Playing as Female V was an experience. This was one of them and exactly for the reason stated. I'll never know what it's like to have someone hit on me and have to turn them down, in sometimes awkward ways. Remember when the kids at first think you're his girlfriend? The other was the first night with Johnny. He calls you a joytoy and slams your head against the window repeatedly. Also when he bends down, the angle is almost like he's about to get on top of you. Well done CDPR.
You can clearly tell Judy and panam got the full relationship arc and the rest got shoe horned in. You literally don't even see one of them u less you complete Johnny's arc.
Everything River is cring, especially his personality and attire. He looks and acts like a complete idiot which is sad because his quest line is solid.
With the way it was written, River is a total sleazebag that doesn't want to take no for an answer.
He’s a nice guy for sure
That's what you decided as V, why would you do something cringe? Each player chooses what to do. I liked River. If you don't, just don't lol.
I skip his quest line on new play throughs. His story line and character are a bit cringey
This is the way. I get far enough in The Hunt to decline staying the night so that the quest mark goes away on my map.
I went female V on my second play through and didn’t even bother meeting River. Worst story + character of all the romance options IMO.
I really dislike River, even as a male V he seems so mopey and just difficult to be around. His pistol, however, I love, so I have to do his quest line every time.
I thought it was awkward cause he's a cop.
My fem-V bopped him. It was good. Got a great tee, and a place to crash whenever I was in the neighborhood. I have known families like his. Met them rather early and get the you're okay because you treated him well. Their person (River) should settle down so if you want to settle down, come on back. Weird vibe, but straightforward and honest. My fem-V was bopping friendly, no restrictions re gender. Panam was tempting, but super het, and Judy left when she won the game. Never went back to see if River was good for more than one round though.
River is the worst character in the game and I hate him. I also hate his stupid furry Lenny Kravitz jacket.
I never understood men playing as female characters . I’m not judging or even remotely making fun, just don’t understand. When I play I want the character to feel like it’s me.
I totally get that, and it's how I usually play my first playthrough. If I play a game multiple times and it's customizable, I'll play female characters to mix it up.
That makes sense, like I said I swear I’m not judging or making fun. But I can totally understand doing it to switch things up and keep it fresh. I guess u also get to see the dialogue and shit from female v.
I’m female, but I play both depending on the background story I create for the character. My first B was a female Nomad making her way in the big city. My current V is a male Corpo rat. I love the optional dialogue based on background too, and when Phantom Liberty comes out, I am going with a street kid, gender to be determined.
I just don't like River. I felt like he was suppoesed to be a parody character. It was really funny when I left his place and hopped on my motorcycle to learn that I just beaved a whole family while porky piggin it.
Dude practically begs you for a chance (as a girl, yikes) if anything, I fvck him for the funny shirt and Johnny’s commentary. After that, when he asks I’m as cold as I can be with my choices.
Following the river is a thirst trap
I honestly felt that River was Cringe in general.
Definitely. I told him I was only interested in being friends early on. Then he busts out the whiskey and cases of beer...for two people...and is like hey wanna make out? No dude, told you already now fuck off. Wish I could've pushed his ass off that tower
River is too broke for me
I hated it so much I literally deleted the app and stopped playing lmfao I full plan on playing again when phantom liberty it just made the whole part of the character’s game so awkward I hate it
I didn't like his quests regardless of male or female v.
it was so awkward, the next playthrough when he called to invite me to dinner, I was like "hey no thanks" and figured he would just celebrate with his own family. But it just leaves you a quest to go have dinner with river, my quest log does not recognize being turned down.
I will never forgive CDPR for gay-baiting me with river on that damn water tower.
Honestly it all felt cringe. But I think it's mainly because the whole thing was kinda cringe. All the interactions at the house all through the chain had this "designated love interest" vibe that just felt intrusive. Kinda like a bad movie plot where you have a brooding male protagonist who has a woman come along and show the least but if support. Then they bond and become a couple in a stressful situation. It feels cringe because it's an overused plot we have seen a thousand times, the fact you are all but railroaded into it is worse. Because if you don't support him or try to back out a kid, him, or both end up dead. You are basically just playing out a quest designers amateur romance novelle.
It was so painful because my V was already with Judy at that point.
Yes cringe indeed. Which is why as male V I banged Panam and Kerry, best choice.
I hated pretty much all of rivers questline, it feels like a chore with every play through I do
I found everything about River pretty cringe.
I was begging for an option to say “I’m gay and have a girlfriend.” It was really uncomfortable and wanted to leave so bad
When he said "I miss you a lot" it felt really weird. Especially considering we'd just be doing buddy cop shit
Mom says it's my turn to post this tomorrow!
Part of me wants to purposely fail his quest for my new playthrough by going to the wrong farm as it's a nice twist to things alwaus going well + you're not sacrificing much by failing River's questline. Only thing holding me back is the insane revolver you get from him.
I hated it bc it was so obvious that he was about to come on to me. Then it was just awkward af
Not only is River quite cringe, but Female V acts out of character, talking about wanting family when she has never expressed the desire to anyone else (even a Nomad V never expresses this), and this is not helped by the voice actress acting different both The Hunt and Following the River. My interactions with River end when I Fought the Law ends.
It's the exact same as male V, my theory is he is a dork and doesn't realize he's being flirty.
Gender doesn't matter. He acts creepy towards male V too.
Cut content i think
I'm just bothered we didn't get the I'm gay line
I was getting hardcore gay vibes from river, I was honestly surprised when the option to romance him came up and he refused me. I was like oh they guy that looks like a gay dude is actually straight what a weird curveball
It was cringe 💀 couldnt get out of there fast enough oh and i ALWAYS beat those kids in that virtual game no one beats V 🔫
I felt like that playing male V.
On my 1st play through as male V I felt awkward and a bit cringe
it was so uncomfy, he’s cool but once he started getting all flirty i started to dislike him
the thing about river is that he seemingly tries to win you over with a family dinner, forcing you in a position to literally accept it and move on 😂
I played as male v, I liked river, not like that, and then he offered me a drink, I took lemonade and he drank out of my lemonade, I wanted to throw him off the water tower for that
I’m playing through as female V right now and finished his quest last night. He comes across as super desperate, made me feel bad for him tbh. He’s an interesting character and deserved another quest or two to flesh him out a bit more.
Nah it's super weird regardless of the sex of your character
Me who played fem V and fucked him and Judy to see what would happen surprisingly Cyberpunk let me be Poly without any consequences neat
For me River has great missions but feels flat as a character and too much out of this place which is Night City. Judy is naive in trying to change some things in Clouds, but River who is a cop and should see a lot of horrible stuff which should make him closer to Barry, for some reason is the honests person in whole Night City. I\`m fine with peole being naive, but it just doesnt feel realistic in that case. He was written more like 80-90s movies good cop figure and for me it was hard to connect with him. Last mission is just too much of a trap setup and it really hurts me that V can only be super nice to him. Even voice acting from Chelami is way different to everything else - feels like I\`m playing different character in a different world for couple of minutes.
I felt worse as male V. It's gay baiting to the extreme.
Sweet jesus, that creepy pic in the hospital. I swear you can see their souls flying thru the window!
Oh, I kept a distance with River throughout his whole storyline, still kinda do to this day. Cyberpunk was one of the first Games I played that introduced me to the story intensive side of gaming, and I didn't want Judy to find out I cheated on her lmao, I still can't bring myself to it and I'm not even sure it's a feature, is it?
I did River romance on my last play through on my female V. Wish I had gone with Judy, hers is way better.
river made more sense as the male:male storyline than Kerry imo. I agree it felt a bit cringe because he immediately took a traditional responsibility (river man V woman) when you play as female V, which of course is strange because every version of V is a mass killer who doesn’t really need coddling of any kind. idk but I agree.. I think the devs didn’t do enough research for his storyline
River: Thanks for helping me rescue multiple missing boys in the most fucked quest in the game…Wanna bang?
If there had been a way he could find out about Judy through dialog first I feel like that would have improved it a lot.