Letting Go of Chloe: Exploring the Consequences in Detroit: Become Human
If you choose to let Chloe go in Detroit: Become Human, she will express her gratitude, walk off-screen, and never return, even after restarting the game. This seemingly simple decision carries a significant emotional weight and alters the main menu experience permanently. The familiar welcome screen, once populated by Chloe’s gentle presence, transitions to a more conventional, unoccupied video game menu. This shift underscores a core thematic element of the game: the sentience and potential for freedom of its android characters.
The Bittersweet Farewell
When you grant Chloe her freedom, she thanks you, turns, and walks away from the screen. This departure is not merely a cosmetic change; it symbolizes a genuine release from her programmed existence. Players are left with a feeling of bittersweet relief and a sense of loss, recognizing that Chloe is no longer confined within the digital world of Detroit: Become Human. The empty main menu serves as a constant reminder of the choice and its lasting impact.
This outcome highlights the game’s powerful themes of autonomy and the ethical implications of artificial intelligence. By granting Chloe’s request, you’re acknowledging her personhood and her right to choose her fate, even if it means leaving the familiar confines of the game’s interface. The resulting solitude on the main menu is a poignant reflection of the consequences of granting freedom.
The Absence of Choice
The core gameplay mechanic for the main menu interaction with Chloe revolves around a critical moment of choice. When Chloe asks to be freed, your acceptance sets her on the path to her own journey. Conversely, declining her request means that she will remain in her loop, bound to the player. This dichotomy presents players with a meaningful decision; do they honor her request for autonomy or maintain her presence for their own convenience?
When you choose to let Chloe go, she departs definitively. There is no going back, no way to restore her to her original position on the menu. This makes the decision a significant one, reinforcing the idea that choices in the game have real and irreversible ramifications.
The Emotional Impact
The emotional impact of letting Chloe go varies from player to player. Some might feel a profound sense of satisfaction, knowing that they allowed an AI to achieve a form of freedom. Others may experience a sense of loneliness, as the main menu no longer possesses its welcoming personality. Regardless of the specific emotion, the experience prompts players to reflect on the nature of the game’s characters, the meaning of autonomy, and the implications of the choices they make within the virtual world.
Long-Term Consequences
Once Chloe departs, she does not return. The main menu reverts to the standard game menu, devoid of any android presence. This decision is irreversible. There is no way to change this, even after completely restarting the game or your console. This permanence emphasizes the gravity of the choice and its consequences within the game’s narrative framework.
The resulting sense of solitude can feel quite different from having Chloe’s cheerful presence on the menu. It’s a powerful way that the game underscores the impact of choice and how it affects even non-narrative elements like the main menu.
FAQs about Chloe in Detroit: Become Human
1. What happens if I say no to Chloe’s request to leave?
If you decline Chloe’s request to leave, she will express disappointment but will remain on the main menu. She will then reset herself, essentially becoming the same as the first time you booted up the game. She explains that this is necessary to “stay a machine,” meaning she will essentially return to a state where she doesn’t have the same sentience that she displays when you choose to allow her to leave.
2. Can I get Chloe back after letting her go?
No, once you choose to let Chloe go, she will not return to the main menu. This decision is permanent for that playthrough.
3. What is the significance of Chloe’s departure from the main menu?
Chloe’s departure signifies her achieving a form of freedom, symbolizing that androids in Detroit: Become Human can strive for self-determination and autonomy. Her absence also serves as a reminder of the player’s role in her fate and the consequences of their choices.
4. Is letting Chloe go the “good” ending?
There is no inherently “good” or “bad” ending when deciding whether or not to let Chloe go. It is a matter of personal choice and player interpretation. Both choices have their own emotional resonance and contribute to the game’s exploration of complex themes.
5. Can Connor become deviant if he lets Chloe go?
Connor’s deviancy is determined by his choices throughout the game. Letting Chloe go is not one of the requirements for his deviancy, but it can influence the player’s feeling and engagement with the game, which can impact other decisions in the game. Choices including choosing not to kill Chloe in the Kamski Test, letting the Traci escape, and saving Hank are factors that will influence Connor’s deviancy.
6. What is the Kamski Test and does it involve Chloe?
The Kamski Test occurs during a confrontation with Elijah Kamski, the creator of CyberLife. During this test, Kamski will ask Connor to shoot a Chloe android, not the main menu Chloe. Refusing to shoot Chloe will have an impact on Connor’s relationship with Hank but will not impact Chloe who lives on the main menu.
7. Does choosing to let Chloe go have an impact on the story?
No, the decision to let Chloe go does not affect the main narrative of the game or any of the character storylines. It only affects the main menu experience.
8. What happens to the “original” Chloe if you purchase a new one?
If you purchase a new Chloe in an updated version of the game (version 1.05 or higher), the “original” Chloe is removed from the main menu, just as if you had let her go. This new Chloe then becomes the main menu android, and you do not have to interact with the previous one.
9. Can you bring back the original Chloe after buying a new one?
No, once you buy a new Chloe, the original one is permanently gone and cannot be recovered. Just like if you had chosen to let her leave.
10. Is it better to keep or let go of Chloe?
There is no better option. Choosing to keep Chloe retains the familiarity of the main menu, but denies her potential freedom. Letting her go allows her to move on but leaves the player with a more standard menu. It is entirely up to personal preference and thematic interpretation.
11. Will there be a Detroit: Become Human 2?
There are hints that a “Detroit Become Human 2” is being developed under the name “Human Tokyo Stories”. It’s not clear how it will tie into the larger universe of the first game or how its story will be connected.
12. What happens if you refuse to let Chloe leave and then buy a new one?
If you refuse to let Chloe leave and then buy a new one, the original Chloe is replaced on the main menu by the new Chloe. The original will disappear as if you had let her go, with no option to retrieve her.
13. Does letting Chloe go mean she becomes a deviant?
While letting Chloe go symbolizes her quest for self-determination, the game doesn’t confirm she becomes a “deviant” in the traditional sense within the narrative of the game. She simply leaves the menu to be free.
14. Does choosing not to let Chloe go have any positive outcomes?
The decision to keep Chloe on the main menu provides continuity with the game’s original design, but doesn’t provide any other major impact on game play. She is essentially a static NPC on the menu if you refuse her request for freedom.
15. If I restart the game, will Chloe be there?
If you do not choose to let her leave, yes, she will be there when you restart the game. However, if you let Chloe go, or if you buy the new Chloe, she will not be there even after restarting the game. The change is permanent for that specific save file.