Part 71: Episode LXIX: Nice

Episode LXIX: Nice



Alright. We’re gonna get through this prologue... It’s gonna happen! Take three! Yes, I had to play through everything we saw in the previous update, including the bucket brother segment, again. No, there’s no way to speed any part of it along because it’s all on-rails shooters or requires all enemies to be destroyed to progress. Yes, that’s a dick move sticking that ending there. Let’s just jump back to where we were and I can lament the loss of that 25 minutes of time in private.



We return to 9S in a digital purgatory trying to reboot his systems. There’s no sound here until otherwise noted.



Redeploying in offline mode.



Recovery sector. Eliminate access impairment to all blocks.



We’ve got three minutes to sort 9S out before he dies, as we saw in the previous update. We can maneuver our digital avatar in this virtual space the same as in the hacking mini-games.



Traveling north a tad bit will reveal a trio of nodes which 9S can interact with to begin repairing his functions.







This involves the complex task of rerouting several subroutines in 9S’s chasse to facilitate damaged sectors of his consciousness via the transfers of multiple proprietary storage nodes’ duties into an emergency over—oh wait. No. Scratch all that. We just hold Y/Triangle for a second while our cursor hovers over the squares.



To the northeast of the digital realm, we find similar emergency backup nodes for 9S’s auditory functions.



<sub>Activating each of these nodes...



...gradually restores 9S, and by extension increases our...</sub>



...game audio to normal levels. Ah. That’s much better.



_{...S... 9S...}
9S!







9S! I’ve got to repair him!
Barf!
Pod, get me some health potions. Medium or large sized ones! He’s too weak to chain chug multiple small ones in a row.



Inadvisable. To use a human idiom from the old world, YoRHa Unit 9S has been “hella owned”. Proposal: Initiate Old Yeller Protoc—
Shut up! Just do what I say! I’ll go find his leg and his arm and we’ll tape them back on and he’ll be just fine! Got it!?



*coughs blood* 2B... Just go...
You shut up too!
We... we’re sold... iers... I’ll just... respawn at the last... control point... go... before we lose... too many flags...





Usage rights transferred from 9S to 2B. Requesting acknowledgement.
Unit 9S listed as OIC—Owned in Combat. Please confirm system overrides.



...All right.





Pod, did you just ignite the flight unit thrusters right into 9S?!
Affirmative.
Why!?
Beginning flight unit combat operation.
Wai—


Music: The Sound of the End (Vocal)



En...gaging...



For this segment we’re playing as Pod 153 who is now tasked with defending the heavily injured 9S against an approaching mob of Stubbies and Small Flyers trying to pick off an easy android kill. The Pod is limited to basic Pod fire (we can switch between Gatling/Missile/Laser still) the battlefield is limited to the top of the Engels. Although the best place to stay is by 9S’s side since the machines are all ignoring the Pod in favor of him.



If you’re wondering, 9S’s death at any point here results in the same ending as the previous update. Thanks to our chip configuration, it’s far easier to just wait out a three minute timer instant kill than it is to have a bunch of low grade machines murder him.



2B... I found a weakness in the target... Hacking in... to provide support.




Music: The Sound of the End (Chiptune)





Remember 9S did do some hacking up here to allow 2B to rip off the Engels’s arm and start slapping it around with it. Here we do the basic hacking to set that up which is... much less impressive or cool. Such is the life story of 9S.





Use your Pod... Sh-should be able to... take it over...
I told you to shut up!







Sorry, 2B. 9S will shut up now. However, you did not tell him to stop hacking everything in sight. 9S would try hacking a seagull if it flew in front of him right now.






Music: The Sound of the End (Quiet)



Affirmative.



Behavior table adjusted. Balance controls overridden. Enemy unit subjugation complete.



Well that’s going to be rad. I mean we already saw it. It was rad! However, we’re playing as 9S so...



...Continuing support.



It’s back to just plinking away at a bunch of Stubbies for us. Well, at least 9S doesn’t need to do rolling QTEs to avoid 2B slamming Engels’s own arm into itself. So there’s that, I suppose. Indeed, it’s kind of nice that NieR Automata lacks any sort of QTEs whatsoever.



Alert: Memory data for unit 9S has not yet been updated.
It’s fine... Upload 2B’s data first.
Affirmative.









Everything from here on out progresses the same way. In case you need a cliff notes versions...

Music: ENDS



...Ouch.



2B! Are you... okay?
...Why are androids so bad at sticking the landing out? Is this a curse? Or some kind of punishment? I often think about the god who blessed us with this cryptic puzzle... and wonder if we’ll ever have the chance to kill him.
So is that a “yes” or...?



Heheh... So did you hit it with the arm...? I thought that would be... pretty cool, huh 2B. Shame I couldn’t... see it... Bad view from... back here...
Contact Command. Request assistance.
No... I think we might be boned...



And as you look to the horizon... Not a cloud! But then stormy weather's caught you cold. Seems like it crept up out of nowhere all around you it's not quite what you foretold!



YOU’LL NEVER SEE IT COOOOOOMIN’!
...Well shit.



I don’t imagine... this is going to end well...
Nope...
You want to... touch black boxes?
...Excuse me?!
Ergh...


Music: Widespread Illness (Vocal)



I-I meant triggering our black boxes... the Shade cube looking things...? What were you thinking...?
Something else, but I don’t know if a death pact is much better...
You'll see that my mind is too fast for eyes! YOU’RE DOOOOOOOONE IIIIIIIINNN!





*sigh* Fine... Let’s do this...



Request accepted. RIP.
Proposal: I’m out.
Affirmation: Same.
2B, it was an honor to fight with you. Best five minutes... of combat I’ve ever had... Truly.
The honor was mine. I did most of the work...











And everyone dies again as the opening act of Route B concludes. Tune in next time as 9S and 2B respawn in spaaaaaaaaaaaaace as NieR: Automata Route B err... largely gets mostly identical to Route A soon. Mostly...






Video: Episode 69 Highlight Reel





9S Concept Designs – I’m kinda disappointed we didn’t get maximum dweeb 9S rolling up his sleeves and popping his collar trying to look cool.