Nier: Automata released for PlayStation 4 and PC in 2017 as a sequel to 2010's Nier,before being released for Xbox One in 2018. The game is set amidst a war between machines and human-like androids, with the player controlling the latter. The game received very positive reviews and went on to receive multiple awards for its outstanding RPG gameplay, music score, and more.
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PlatinumGames is currently working on a remaster of the original game, which is set to release under the name of Nier: Replicant in the future. In the meantime, fans can still enjoy the delights of Automata, which is worth playing a few times to get the true benefits of New Game Plus. Here's why New Game Plus is better than your initial playthrough. Spoilers ahead.
10 Progression Carries Over
As with most New Game Plus modes, progression in terms of items, equipment, andlevel all carry over into your new playthrough. The enemies do not scale to level in Nier: Automata, so this means you'll be pretty beefed up in comparison to your machine enemies now.
This is a great way for players to replay the story without worrying about combat, as you'll likely blitz through all of the standard enemies with ease now that you're over-leveled for them.
9 Play As 9S
Thougha second playthrough largely features the same storyline as 2B, there are still some differences that make it worth playing again. Most importantly, you will get to take on the role of 9S instead, which offers up a much different play style from 2Bas he can hack into enemy machines.
You will have noticed during your first playthrough that there were afew portions of the storyline where 9S and 2B separated. As you're now in the shoes of 9S, you'll get to see whattranspired during these events.
8 Play As A2
After you have completed the game as both 2B& 9S and seen endings A& B,the next playthrough will be vastly different. Brand new story content will open up andplayers will be taking on the role of a new android– A2.
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Though it might seem like a bit of a chore to play through twice in order to access this new content, it really is a must for fans of the franchise as this is where the storyline gets really interesting.
7 Chapter Select
Once you've played through the game three times– playing as all three androids, 2B, 9S,&A2and earning ending A, B,& C respectively– you'll unlock a lot more optional features for the game.
One of these is Chapter Select, which is an absolute god-send. Not only will you be able to replay your favorite parts of the game, you can more easily mop up anything you didn't complete on your first few playthroughs. As the game has so many branching routes, there's still a lot of replay value at this point, and Chapter Select really helps with that.
6 DebugRoom
Another feature that only becomes unlocked aftercompleting the first three playthroughs is the Debug Room. The Debug room is a special arena-like location that allowsplayers to battle various enemies and practicetheir abilities totheir heart's content.
When you enter the Debug Room, it will automatically select whichever android character you used last. You can play around with the settings in here to change your own character stats, the behavior of enemies, which enemies are present, and more to really challenge yourself in battle.
5 Buy Trophies/Achievements
Once you have completed three different playthroughs, meaning that you would have played as all three androids, you'll then unlock the Secret Shop in the Resistance Camp.
You've probably noticed the Strange Resistance Woman NPC before, but now you'll see what she is actually about. Speak to her and choose the "Request unlocking you-know-what" option, which will bring up a shop menu for the trophies/achievements for the game. If you don't fancy mopping up your trophies the legitimate way, you can simply buy the rest of what you need with in-game money.
4 Additional Endings
Nier: Automatafeatures one of the largest numbersof endings for any game to date, with a total of 26 different endings available to the player. Of course, some of these only become available after completing subsequent playthroughs, which is one of the beauties of New Game Plus.
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Additionally, once you have Chapter Select available, you can more readily explore the different endings availableas some of them cause the game to end more prematurely than others.
3 Golden Machines
Thegame features rare Golden Machine enemies. In particular, the Courageous Brother version in the City Ruins drops the covetedPowerup Part S item, which is needed to upgrade Pods. Though these golden machines are not listed as a proper sidequest, once all have been defeated,a quest will be marked as complete and they will not appear again regardless of New Game Plus. Defeating each golden machine will cause the next one in its questline to spawn.
Fortunately, if you missed them and have yet to fully complete this questline, New Game Plus will give you the opportunity to finish it. Additionally, being able to use 9S's hacking skills will make these fights even easier, as the final golden machine has a ridiculous amount of HP.
2 Secret Bosses
There are a few secret bosses hidden away within Automata, with a couple of themrelating to a specific side quest. Additionally, this quest holds the only missable ending in the game, ending Y, so be warned to check it out online before you decide to go down this route.
Of course, tackling these bosses in New Game Plus will ensure you have an edge in battle as you retain your levels as weapons. You'll need them, as the final secret boss is level 99 and is the hardest enemy to defeat in the entire game.
1 Optional Challenge With DLC
There are, of course, players who dislike that the challenge ends with New Game Plus as the enemies do not scale to your level. There are ways that you can enjoy New Game Plus while still having a challenge, but it requires you to purchase the additional DLC.
For example, theForbidden Fruit is an item obtained from the Flooded City Colosseum DLC content and can be used to reduce your character level by 10. Additionally, theProof of Oath accessory item that is obtained from the DLC prevents your character from gaining any EXP while it is worn.
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