Book Mr. Hands Reads in Cyberpunk 2077 May be Relevant to Phantom Liberty's Plot
The detail smuggled in by CD Projekt RED is a curiosity for true connoisseurs of American literature.
When it comes to the detail of environmental elements, CD Projekt RED is a league of its own. In Night City, there are plenty of cleverly hidden easter eggs referring not only to previous games and local secrets, but also to contemporary pop culture. Catching all the cool stuff requires a careful look at every possible decoration.
We probably still haven't explored the full content of Cyberpunk 2077, with the Phantom Liberty expansion recently adding even more. Have you ever paid attention to the book that Mr. Hands is reading?
Here's how the story goes...
Mr. Hands is a fixer who provides jobs in Pacifica and Dogtown itself, whose face and identity were unknown throughout the three years of Cyberpunk 2077's existence. The businessman's role has increased with the release of Phantom Liberty, in which we can finally visit him in his elegant hideout.
As a man of culture, Mr. Hands spends his free time reading a certain novel -- and not just any novel. The Chessmen of Mars he holds have strong connections with the DLC, which is impossible to know without reading it, obviously.
Chessmen of Mars is a book by American writer Edgar Rice Burroughs, which is a continuation of the series presenting a dystopian interpretation of the Red Planet. The novel begins with an accident during which Princess Tara loses control of the ship and lands in a dangerous region of Mars. The prince Gahan, who's in love with her, sets out to rescue her, all the while hiding his true identity.
Remove the romantic thread and place the action in a futuristic universe, and the beginning of Phantom Liberty becomes confusingly reminiscent of the first chapters of the book. President Myers, representing the authority, ends up in Dogtown due to an accident, from which we have to get her out before she's killed by local mobsters.
Night City as a great chessboard
The similarities to Chessmen of Mars do not end with the first mission, however. At one point in the novel, Burroughs introduces the concept of human chess, in which -- as you might guess -- the pieces are prisoners fighting to the death. Cyberpunk 2077 doesn't offer such cruel entertainment, but in the game itself, we can find an allegory to Mr. Hands himself.
The fixer's plan is to take over Dogtown using others as leverages. The orders received for the DLC are aimed at disrupting order and getting rid of, or helping, people who could sooner or later undermine Mr. Hands' position. Just like in human chess, it is about using someone else's life.
It seems obvious, especially considering how Phantom Liberty begines, that this particular book was placed on purpose in the fixer's desk. Maybe it inspires Mr. Hands to be the man he is?
