Night City's no-bird policy in Cyberpunk 2077 isn't the only abnormal aspect of the game's open world, as a talking S.C.S.M. (Spontaneous Craving Satisfaction Machine) adds to the overall weirdness of life depicted in the game. Moreover, that same machine has the capability of being more than a piece of technology that just spits out food and drinks to fulfil human needs.
[Warning: The following article contains spoilers for Cyberpunk 2077.]
In Night City's Westbrook district, right outside of Megabuilding H8, an S.C.S.M named Brendan sits and waits for customers to purchase food and drinks. Originally installed by a tech engineer from the store chain Softsys, Brendan was meant to be different from others like it: the machine's objective was to give customers a better buying experience by using algorithms to help pick a snack or beverage without a hassle. This kind of technology is commonplace in Night City because companies such as Cyberpunk 2077's Araska corporation, among many others, are out to make as much profit as possible. However, Brendan's advanced algorithm sured what Softsys thought it could do, and customers began complaining that the S.C.S.M was creeping them out with its precise data and robot-sounding voice. Following the three-part questline that's associated with Brendan, V gets a chance to witness all of what the machine is, and why it makes some customers uncomfortable.
Although the side quests that follow Brendan's journey don't play a massive role in the overall story, they still offer a light-hearted and comical break from the fast-paced nature of tasks in Cyberpunk 2077's Night City. The S.C.S.M.'s sense of awareness makes for in-depth conversations and analyses of current drama within the city. By the end, Brendan's algorithmic and detail-oriented dialogue creation makes the machine seem more like a human rather than a piece of advanced equipment.
Brendan Offers More Than Typical Cyberpunk 2077 AI Technology
V has many interactions with the S.C.S.M known as Brendan, but the best part of those encounters are funny lines that the machine spits out. During the first quest, V is simply tasked with moving the dumpster to the side that sits in front of Brendan because the machine can't see the views of Night City, which it apparently loves, "Could you move it a bit to the side? I'll reward you with my undying gratitude... even though technically I don't stock that..." After V moves the dumpster out of the way, it's no longer one of Cyberpunk 2077's easy-to-miss quests. The machine is also quite the philosopher as it makes deeper claims about the nature of reality during the second part of the quests: "You're not supposed to be here, and yet you are! Like a glitch in the system..." However, Brendan's advanced speech eventually ends.
In the last episode of the three-part questline, Brendan gets taken away from his spot outside of Megabuilding H8 to be reprogrammed. Speculation has it that the S.C.S.M. knew too much confidential information about the owner's marital relationship and was telling customers about it, so Softsys used the excuse of the machine being "too creepy" as a front to get it off the streets. Nevertheless, every sentence that the S.C.S.M. uttered was put together through its algorithm, not scripted to answer plainly, and that's what makes Brendan so unique. If Cyberpunk 2077 releases a new gig DLC this year, having more quests like this would be a great addition.
