Around the end of the Cyberpunk 2077 prologue, fans of Keanu Reeves will be able to spot a subtle little nod to one of the illustrious actor's most iconic roles. I'm speaking, of course, about Johnny Mnemonic (joking - it's Neo from The Matrix).
If you've seen The Matrix, or are even vaguely aware of its existence, then you've probably already heard about the movie's most famous dilemma: do you take the blue pill and live in blissful ignorance, or take the red pill and embrace chaos?
The scene in question transpires when Neo meets Morpheus - played by Laurence Fishburne - for the first time. Here's what Morpheus has to say:
"You take the blue pill, the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill, you stay in wonderland, and I show you how deep the rabbit hole goes. Remember: all I'm offering is the truth. Nothing more."
There are slight spoilers for the early hours of Cyberpunk 2077 ahead.
Shortly after pulling off the heist in Cyberpunk 2077's prologue, V takes a bullet to the head. However, the biochip relic - the one you retrieved from Yorinobu Arasaka's penthouse as part of the heist - mysteriously keeps V alive. When you wake up, you'll be with Vik and Misty in their ripperdoc clinic. Misty will help you to your room, and present you with two options.
Misty pulls out two different kinds of medication - omega blockers and pseudoendotrizine. The former come in a blue container, and are designed to slow down the rate at which your new guest - Johnny Silverhand, played by Keanu Reeves himself - assumes influence over your thoughts and actions. The latter, however, are in a red container, and can be ingested to speed things up - "free the demon, so to speak."
Once Misty leaves the room, rockerboy Johnny Silverhand will make his entrance. Boasting Keanu Reeves' famous swagger, this guy is a bit of a dick, but one you can't help wanting to hear more from. You'll need to take the omega blockers at this point to progress the story, as Silverhand, well... tries to kill you. However, you won't live in blissful ignorance for long, and as the story proceeds, you'll be given more and more opportunities to free the demon and embrace Silverhand.
It's a nice little touch that Keanu's character - or, more specifically, the amount of Keanu's character you're exposed to - is tied to choosing between a red or blue pill. It's a small detail, but a clever one that pays homage to the role that made him into who he is today. It's fair to say that Johnny Silverhand's ties to the red and blue pills go way further back than Cyberpunk 2077.
Cyberpunk 2077 is available for PC on GOG.COM, Steam and Epic, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and Stadia from December 10, 2020. When you buy Cyberpunk 2077 on GOG.COM, 100% of your money goes to CD PROJEKT Group and supports their future projects.
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