Part 146: Episode CXL: Roll the Dye

Episode CXL: Roll the Dye


Music: Rays of Light (Quiet)



One final DLC arena remains to check out. The universe has really not wanted me to do so this week. But hopefully the cascade of bullshit has been calmed for now.



Back to our task, at the very back end of the massive Flooded City region we find the Apologetic Machine once stationed here has been replaced by a lone Resistance member. What are you doing out here, buddy?



A membership card?
I can’t let anyone in here if they don’t have a membership card. Now begone from here!
<Negotiate.>
I told you to scram! You’re not getting in here without a membership card!
<Let money do the talking.>
You think I can just be bribed like that!? I’ve never been this insulted in my LIFE!
<Give 1000 G.>
Hmm... Well, this card appears to be in order. Please, this way.



Some things never change. Also this completes the Mysterious Letter quest which pointed us towards the three DLC arenas. Nice to finally get those off the damn map after nearly two entire playthroughs of ‘em hanging out...




DLC Music: Gambling Colosseum



Unlike the previous two DLC arenas, this one is manned and operated by the Resistance. I mean... there’s still a presumably functional launchpad with a nuclear missile sitting on it right outside. It’s probably good the Resistance actually has a nearby outpost keeping an eye on it. That said, let’s do the usual rigmarole and chat up the locals to see what the deal is here.



Hey there. Having fun?
Man, this place is AWESOME!

Ehh... it’s OK. Could use some green torches for some mood lighting, if you ask me.





This Colosseum has a near identical layout to the previous one. However, the two side halls here are locked down. We might get to see what’s behind one of ‘em later on. But that’s for another day.



As long as I get my entertainment, I can keep working every day.

That sounds like something a monkey’s paw can curl on real easy. But you do you...



Got some really good stuff on sale... if you’re interested.

Meh... You need to work on your pitch, pal...



What, ya godda problem with the way I talk? I studied a relic of ancient civilization and apparently this is how merchants communicate, alright? What’s that? You highly doubt it!? Look, I only just started out, okay? I’m still tryin’ ta get the hang of this!



Welp... I’m glad we’ve come full circle with the game pulling Notspain Merchant reference and dropping Resident Evil 4 as an ancient human document androids studied. Sadly, there’s not much good stuff on sale, stranga. This is just another Maintenance Shop that can fuse chips and upgrade Pods.



We might upgrade Pod 1 exactly once before the end of the LP. That’ll be neat, right? Ironically, I had to sell the necessary Natural Rubber to do that earlier Devola and Popola quest to see that Godzilla machine. I was really hoping this DLC area would sell components for upgrading Pods that were otherwise grinding only. But alas...



Oh man, what am I gonna do now? How am I gonna make that money back!?

If you’re thinking that for all this talk and the name of the arena, there’s suddenly going to be a gambling system implemented in this $13 DLC... you’re going to be disappointed.





Before we hit up the front desk and see what this place is actually about, we can pop back stage to the Colosseum proper and see how the crowd is doing out here. Some machines are battling each other in the pit but that’s not indicative of how this arena works.



I’ve got money ridin’ on you! Fight to win!
That’s the spirit! Hit ‘em where it hurts!
Nothing beats front row seats.
It’s a wonderful sight, seeing machine bits fly everywhere, isn’t it? Makes me feel all peaceful inside. I wonder if there’s a word for that.
Come on, you call this a fight!? I wanna see bolts flyin’ all over the place!
Should I play it safe, or bet big?



I wanna watch the higher level ones, but they’re so expensive.
You’re new here, ain’t ya? If you plan on bettin’ some money here, you’d better use your head. Some people lose everything they have. They get taken off and are never seen again.
Ugh... I’m just shit outta luck today.
The S Rank champion is super strong. He’s won 90 matches in a row! Whenever he has a match, tickets get sold out in no time.
GRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH! Phew, feels good to flex your lungs sometimes!
Dammit, I lost again! Maybe I should become a contestant...

Hey, you know what? That doesn’t sound like a half bad idea. Let’s return back to the front desk and see if we cannot get in on that action.



In that case, welcome to the ultimate in entertainment! A place where androids and machines risk their lives in combat! And yes, it’s technically against Resistance regulations, but everyone needs a way to blow of some steam, am I right? Please let me know if you’d like to participate. Care to join the fray?
<Sign up to fight.>



And that’s the fourth, but not final, bit of DLC sidequests activated. There is a fifth quest related to the DLC we’ll get to once all arenas have been completed. What? Did you think it was all challenge arenas? Pfft. There’s a half hour chunk of story content too. But that’s getting ahead of ourselves.



Oh by the way, you are not allowed to use items in the arena! Can’t have a bunch of weaklings try to bulldoze their way through without any strategy, can we?
<Ask for explanation.>
Battles here are separated into six distinct ranks. They start at E, then move up through D, C, B, A, and finally S. As a beginner, you can participate only in E-level matches. Once you win, you’ll earn the right to join the next tier. The higher you advance, the greater the prizes you can win. And that’s about all there’s to it!
<Rank E (Rec. Lv: 25)>



Don’t let the low rank fool you—if you lower your guard, you’ll be scrap. Now... let the battle begin!


Music: Dark Colossus KAIJU (Instrumental) (The music for the entrance hall is actually just the drumline from this track.)





So the gimmick for this final arena is... there isn’t really one. 9S has to deal with five ways of Level 25 enemies. They’re at least more talkative than the usual cannon fodder.





That is to say... they’re quite upset with 9S and androids in general. Maybe it’s something to do with their lives being bet on for petty entertainment by bored soldiers. Nah...





I wish there was more to say but... I mean... they’re Level 25 machines. We were last Level 25 like around the time Adam got ganked back in Route A. That hasn’t been competitive in ages so this is quite the curbstomp.




Music: Gambling Colosseum



It’s nice to change your hair color every once in a while, you know? We have to look for little things like that to distract us from our everyday lives. Otherwise, we’ll all go insane, what with the constant fighting going on. ...I’m sorry. I was just rambling a bit. Come visit again, okay?



Our reward for completing the Rank-E battle is a host of hair dyes for 2B and A2. We’ll check that out in just a second. There’s one more scene before we go...



I AM SORRY. I AM SORRY.
Bah! You’re useless. I oughta trade you in and be done with it...
I AM SORRY. I AM SORRY.
This hunk of junk REALLY doesn’t want to fight anymore for some reason...



Well, I’m sure that’s nothing to worry about and won’t eventually lead down a path of revealing the systematic cruelty the Resistance displays against captured machines just to make sure that all sides in the conflict are thoroughly full of shitty folks. But enough about that! Let’s check out these hair dyes. Sadly, 9S is left out of hair dyes or any further cosmetics in general. You’re lucky you got that one crummy bonus outfit, kid.





The Hair Dyes are cosmetic items that can be used at any time (while playing as 2B or A2) to swap their hair colors. We’ve got black and brown for these lazy cosplayers out there that couldn’t be bothered to buy a wig or dye their own hair.



There is Red Dye for those types that make every create-a-character in RPGS a short red haired girl. I know your degenerate ways...



We’ve got Blue Dye for those that like their anime girls to be meek, have zero personality and turn into several hundred mile tall apocalypse creatures that fall apart into gory chunks.



There’s Green Dye if you want 2B or A2 to just look like an idiot. Green hair is for jerks.



And finally there is Purple Dye if you want a familiar version of a tough anime soldier lady that refuses to ever wear pants. The White Dye also exists to return 2B or A2’s hair to factory standard. Like most all cosmetic items, these are just for funsies. There’s no actual benefit to using ‘em. And every cutscene that doesn’t feature text boxes is pre-rendered so have fun seeing these alterations vanish anytime there’s action going down.



In any case, that concludes our initial tour of the three DLC arenas. Tune in next time as we undergo a training montage to beef up our androids to Level 99 via violence against a mascot character, I lose two hours of my life time traveling to various periods to fill up on supplies for upgrading all weapons to max and other final post-game preparations are made as NieR: Automata continues.






Video: Episode 140 Highlight Reel





Flooded City Launch Pad Concept Art – There’s still just a spare nuclear warhead sitting out there...