Cyberpunk 2077 might be one of the most controversial games ever created, not least because of its botched launch, but also because of the adult themes and content found throughout the game. When it launched to disappointed gamers on December 10, 2020, Cyberpunk 2077 was supposed to be one of the greatest games ever made.
Instead, gamers around the world were met with game-breaking bugs, performance issues, and desktop crashes. But looking past the issues, most of which have been resolved with hotfixes and patches, there is actually a gem of a game hiding beneath all of the controversy.
One of the things Cyberpunk 2077 does particularly well is present women as complex, capable individuals rather than simple side characters. Throughout the game, players encounter women who are intelligent, determined, flawed, and emotionally engaging.
This is most evident through:
- V
- The supporting cast
- Joy Toys and Virtues
Based on a tabletop role-playing game from the 1980s, Cyberpunk 2077 embraces many of the themes that helped define the cyberpunk genre. Mega-corporations control society, technology has blurred the line between human and machine, and violence has become an accepted part of daily life.
Dropping bodies left and right is a common occurrence in Night City, a place that seems to care very little for human life. In many ways, people are treated like disposable assets. Animals are arguably shown more compassion than some citizens and would probably even be given the courtesy of a proper burial service in a future where caskets for pets from Memorials.com would likely be booming.
Cyberpunk 2077 is an ambitious and complex video game that tackles many of the systemic issues present in modern society. Corporate greed, exploitation, addiction, inequality, and identity are all woven into the story. Because of this, it is ultimately up to the individual player to decide whether the game’s content is offensive or whether the writers are using an exaggerated future to highlight uncomfortable truths about the present.
All of the women in the game have been handled exceptionally well despite some accusations of superficial and outdated stereotypes. In fact, many of the strongest and most memorable characters in the entire narrative happen to be women.
The Dichotomy of a Protagonist
In Cyberpunk 2077, players take control of a mercenary known simply as “V.”
V can be created as either male or female depending on player preference. The character creator also offers players a considerable amount of freedom when designing their character. It is also worth noting that V can be created as a transgender character, something only a handful of games have attempted, including The Sims 4 and Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla.
Creating a female protagonist is nothing new, but Cyberpunk 2077 manages to avoid many of the clichés that often accompany female characters. Female V is strong both physically and mentally, yet she never feels like a caricature.
Many games and films make the mistake of creating women who exist solely to support the male lead or who suddenly become powerful without much depth. Cyberpunk 2077 largely avoids these traps. Female V can be compassionate, ruthless, determined, loyal, selfish, or vulnerable depending on the choices players make throughout the story.
A large part of what makes the character work comes from the excellent voice acting of Cherami Leigh. Her performance gives female V a sense of confidence and resilience without making her feel invincible. Leigh’s portrayal adds depth to even the smallest conversations and helps establish V as one of the most compelling protagonists in recent gaming memory.
Perhaps the most impressive thing about V is that players are free to shape her personality through their decisions. This freedom creates a protagonist who feels more authentic than many of the rigid heroes found in other RPGs.
The People Around You
As the story unfolds, V encounters a wide range of characters, many of whom are completely bad-ass women. One of the very first memorable examples is Judy Alvarez.
Judy is a Braindance editor, talented hacker, and member of the Moxes, a gang made up largely of current and former sex workers who seek to protect vulnerable women from exploitation in Night City.
At first glance, Judy appears to fit the familiar rebellious hacker stereotype. However, the deeper players progress into her storyline, the more complexity they discover. Judy is compassionate, fiercely loyal, and deeply frustrated by the corruption and abuse that surrounds her. She genuinely wants a better future for the people she cares about.
Braindance itself is one of the most fascinating concepts in Cyberpunk 2077. It has become the most popular form of entertainment in the city. Rather than simply watching a recording, users can experience another person’s memories through sight, sound, emotion, physical sensations, and even smell.
Neurostimulators allow people to feel what the original subject felt during the recording. It is one of the most immersive pieces of world-building in the game and helps make Night City feel genuinely unique.
Another standout character is Panam Palmer.
Panam is a no-nonsense Nomad trying to earn the respect of her peers within the Aldecaldo clan. She is fiercely independent, stubborn, and incredibly determined.
What makes Panam such a strong character is that she is not perfect. She can be emotional, impulsive, and quick to anger. Yet those flaws only make her feel more believable. Rather than creating an idealized action heroine, Cyberpunk 2077 presents someone who feels genuinely human.
Panam routinely proves herself capable of standing toe-to-toe with anyone who challenges her and quickly becomes one of V’s most dependable allies. It is easy to understand why she became one of the most popular characters in the game shortly after release.
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The Systemic Abuse of the Vulnerable
One of the more controversial portrayals of women in Cyberpunk 2077 lies with the game’s Joy Toys and Virtues. Joy Toys are the game’s equivalent of adult workers, many of whom have enhanced cyberware designed to improve the customer experience.
The term itself feels intentionally dehumanizing. It reduces people to products and serves as a reflection of the wider society found in Night City.
Like in real life, many Joy Toys find themselves trapped at the bottom of society. Addiction, poverty, exploitation, and abuse are common themes throughout their stories. It should also be noted that there are male Joy Toys as well, highlighting that exploitation in Night City is not limited to women.
Virtues are a more complex type of entertainer. Rather than working directly on the streets, they offer personalized experiences through advanced neural technology. These experiences can range from emotional companionship to therapy and entertainment.
One of the first major characters connected to this world is Evelyn Parker.
Initially presented as confident, intelligent, and mysterious, Evelyn quickly becomes central to one of the game’s darkest storylines. Following a series of horrifying events involving abuse and exploitation, her story ultimately ends in tragedy.
While some players may find Evelyn’s storyline difficult to experience, it is handled with surprising care and sensitivity. Her suffering is not used for cheap shock value. Instead, it serves as a powerful reminder of the consequences of living in a society where profit matters more than human life.
The emotional impact of discovering what happened to Evelyn lingers long after the mission concludes. Her story becomes one of the strongest examples of Cyberpunk 2077’s broader themes concerning power, abuse, and the treatment of vulnerable individuals.
Sadly, the sight of seeing Evelyn broken by the system she lived in serves as a reminder that violence and exploitation against women remain issues that continue to exist in modern society.
Final Thoughts
Despite the controversy surrounding its launch, Cyberpunk 2077 deserves recognition for the way it handles many of its female characters.
Whether it is a female V fighting for survival in Night City, Judy Alvarez standing up for the vulnerable, Panam Palmer refusing to accept limitations, or Evelyn Parker’s heartbreaking story, the women of Cyberpunk 2077 are rarely treated as background characters.
The future imagined by Cyberpunk 2077 is bleak, violent, and often cynical. Yet within that chaos are characters who display resilience, loyalty, courage, and compassion.
For all of its technical shortcomings at launch, one thing Cyberpunk 2077 gets right is recognising that some of the strongest people in Night City are its women.
