Part 78: Episode LXXVI: Party Pooper
Episode LXXVI: Party Pooper
Our march forward through 9Ss replay of the game continues. Chapter 3 and our time in the desert yielded little in differences compared to 2Bs exploits. Perhaps the Amusement Park will yield more fruitful results. We just need to get a mission to head on over there first. Which means we need to lead 9S back toward the City Ruins and...
Music: Rays of Light (Quiet)
Say, 2B? I was hoping we could talk about our next move. Im worried about the damage we took in that last battle with the machines. Maybe we should return to the Resistance camp to resupply and conduct maintenance?
No. We should keep fighting.
Roger that. Just try not to overdo it, okay?
Originally, we agreed with 9S being
Roger.
I also have an incoming message from the Commander.
Their black boxes are online, so we presume theyre still alive or enthralled in a waking nightmare devised by the machines. Weve tracked the location of their signals, so I need all YoRHa units on the surface to head over and investigate. Unfortunately, other local YoRHa units have reported to have gotten lost in the desert, have become incapacitated due to some manner of machine devised narcotic, or have gone into a ceaseless stand-bye loop insisting just one more song. So this tasks falls to you, 2B and 9S.
End of transmission. <disconnects>
I heard something about that back at the Resistance Camp.
Really... When? I was with you the entire time and didnt hear anything.
That says more about you than my acquired intel.
...Harsh. But Im worried about the other androids... Especially after that pile of corpses in the desert. Crud... we probably should have reported that in, huh?
Too late now. Lets go.
Yeah, yeah...
Onward to the sewer and the Amusement Park zone. Thankfully, I wont get stuck for nearly an hour trying to fish a lead pipe an angry dad found in a super market several millennia ago.
As soon as we set foot near the City Ruins proper, Pod 153 chimes in with a pair of email notifications. Theres a couple of Access Points vaguely on the way to our destination. Lets do a quick bit of web browsing.
What if theres a problem and were unable to respond? Have you thought of that conundrum? What if 9S had found himself cornered by a horde of machines and also somehow only had access to dial-up internet connections? What then, 21O? What then...?
YoRHa budgetary concerns axed the Spam Folder from electronic mail communications. Its mostly been fine other than the occasional mail like this or the one from a machine claiming to be a deposed prince of a former human country called Nigeria offering vast sums of G dividends for a dubious plug-in chip donation to his location.
Email exploits sorted out, its a quick trek across town and into the sewers. Sadly, moose fear to tread areas where raw sewage once flowed. Thats why theyre still around and sheep are extinct.
Music: ENDS
Those machines out in the desert looked just like androids, right?
Lacking in a few areas, but sure.
But we androids were modeled after our human creators. Why would machines want to look like us?
Have you ever seen pictures of the aliens? No thanks.
Huh... I guess thats a point.
......
Hey, do you think thats why they didnt have... you know... Lower plumbing?
Moving to mission target area.
R-Right...
Theres nothing eventful ever going on in NieR: Automatas sewers and we can all be thankful for that. However, as were climbing out...
Control has been assigned to 2B.
This is Tactical Support Unit Pod 153. Control has been assigned to 9S.
Combat data exchange requested.
Exchange accepted.
Proposal: Data should be exchanged regularly for greater efficiency.
Proposal accepted. Data will be exchanged regularly for greater efficiency.
End communication.
OK. So the Pods set up a Discord server and are likely talking to each other behind our androids backs. Thats probably fine. Its just efficiency in exchange of data. Nothing to concern ourselves with ever again, surely.
Now then, as we approach the Amusement Park proper, in the place where we previously got the areas title card, we now get
They were found by the machines.
The machines called them treasures.
Each treasure had a different shape. Each treasure had a different...
...shape.
Sorry, no novella to go along with that story book. But this one doesnt need supplementary material to clarify. Well be learning what the heck it was talking about by the end of this chapter. So lets continue onward...
Music: Amusement Park (Vocal)
Oh, wHat fUN! Oh, whaT FUn!
What the...
Well, this is weird. I mean, not as weird as what we saw in the desert. But definitely still in the range of weirdness.
You dont say.
bAlloonS aNd baNAnas arE alL the raGE!
You know, since all of these Amusement Park fellas are neutral towards 9S, hes free to hack them without impunity. Lets get in on that fun time. Why should the machines hog it all...?
New Music: Amusement Park (Chiptune) (You should listen to this.)
This definitely isnt an excuse just to post the Chiptune version of the Amusement Park theme that theres really no reason to ever hear normally outside of one sidequest a while from now. No, were gonna have some fun, dammit... See, check it out:
Fun!
FUN!
FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUN! Mandatory happiness for ALL!
Music: Amusement Park (Quiet)
Ahem... Now that weve gotten that out of our system, lets continue with our mission. The front gate to the castle is once more locked and it is simply beyond the androids abilities to climb, break it open or otherwise circumvent the might of a ten foot tall iron gate. As such, well need to swing around back like in 2Bs adventure.
As soon as we reach this area, 9S receives another mail notification from his Pod. We dont want our inbox getting jammed up with backlog. So lets take a look and Quick Save before we continue.
Im getting the feeling 21O might be bored but is too cool to get into flower pictures and illustrations of bunnies like a certain other Operator weve dealt with in the past. Technically, this email triggers a sidequest involving 21O. But that involves returning to the Bunker and the only transporter with that function at the moment is the Resistance Camp Access Point. So shell just have to wait for now.
We once more need to do some platforming on this wrecked carnival ride in order to continue further into the area, as theres another fence that proves too much for even a mighty android double-jump. However, before we make our way over there... weve got another hacking chest with some lore. Lets take a look at a Tattered Pamphlet.
Hold up... Why are we not visiting the world-famous Hot Dog Museum right fucking now?! I mean if it boasts the largest collection of wieners anywhere in the world, 9S should feel right at home.
Lets stuff that pamphlet in our digital pocket and continue onward. Pay no attention to 2B phasing into existence. Her AI had a hell of a time traversing these simple jumps. As in, she didnt even try and just face planted every step of the way and warped to 9Ss position constantly. Which is weird because 9Ss AI version was perfectly able to mostly keep up earlier. Must be all that extra rear baggage.
Lets sing! Lets sing!
Lets play! Lets play!
Following that small platforming challenge, we find ourselves back in the courtyard of the Party Tank. Even after all this time, its still having a hoot and spreading cheer. However...
Well regret it later if we let them escape, so lets take em out!
2B knew well enough to leave the Party Tank in peace and let those goofy machine boys have a fun time. They werent hurting anyone. However, now that 9S is in charge of this shindig... he simply cannot abide reckless partying behavior. Theyre causing a ruckus. Theres going to be noise complaints from the neighbors. Theyve simply got to go!
By the way, heres something thats not immediately obvious. On all machine lifeform tanks, Party or otherwise, theres an action prompt if our character jumps on top of the tank.
Jamming the action button will cause 2B or 9S to tank open a hatch atop the tank and reveal the machines
Music: The Sound of the End (Instrumental)
Naturally, the Party Tank wont appreciate this one bit and a mid-boss fight will initialize.
Gone are all the festive balloons and confetti. Replacing it are energy orbs and MORE energy orbs. All partying has ceased. There is only endless war. Thanks a lot, 9S.
Being on more stable terrain, this tank can show off one additional move the Golden Tank back in the Desert couldnt muster: it can configure its treads into a makeshift arm and take a big swing at androids. Thats it... I mean, its more than most tanks can normally do, but it isnt exactly effective.
If 2B had decided to be a real jerk in the initial run, the Party Tank could prove to be a rather formidable foe for her since it has a good ten levels on her at that point and her plug-in chip configuration is likely to be kinda trash at that point.
Also, she lacks 9Ss nearly broken hacking abilities, which all but trivializes
Music: Amusement Park (Quiet)
Analysis: It is a core fragment from the machine lifeform. It is similar in structure to a plant cell.
A plant cell?
Since we didnt destroy the Party Tank earlier, we never got this brief conversation explaining machine cores. Turns out the machines technically have some organic components in their cores. I mean, theyre called machine lifeforms (or bio-machines in Japanese.) It was right there the whole time.
Also, youll note Ive been hording these things. Their value has gone up from 11k a pop to 15k in Route B. By the end of the game, thatll go up to 22k. So thatll be nice to cash in eventually for an early retirement fund.
Before we press onward, theres another locked chest for 9S to hack and obtain some additional Intel Archives. This one contains a Filthy Lottery Ticket. Lets examine it closer...
Im glad this ticket was preserved for countless years to remind future generations that the lottery is a stupid waste of money.
Once again, our only route into the Amusement Park castle is to stand atop the roller coaster and go for a ride. I know that pamphlet said this was the first roller coaster with NO SEAT BELTS and all. But I still dont think this is the intended way to ride this, guys...
Music: Amusement Park (Medium)
Yes?
People who know me well usually call me Nines, sooo...
Oh.
So what do you think?
Of?
I mean, if you want to call me Nines, its totally okay.
.....
Im good.
Oh. Um... all right. I mean, I wouldnt mind if you did. Thatd be cool.
You said people who know you well called you that, yes?
Yeah, thats right.
Then I wouldnt be qualified.
Oh... Ha... Right.
Enemies!
Do you think when 9S initially started trying to force a nickname, he went with Ninez? He totally did. If not, thats almost certainly his YoRHa instant messenger handle. That fucking dweeb...
In any case, tune in next time for a second rumble with the Mad Songstress Simone and perhaps some more context to that brief shot of her hanging out with Jean-Paul just before she died, as NieR: Automata continues!
Video: Episode 76 Highlight Reel
Pod Transformation Concept Art You think theres a module to stuff a spare sandwich in a Pod...? That'd be rad.