Part 64: Episode LXII: Knack

Episode LXII: Knack



So this is happening now. The wreckage of the Boku-Shi and all the machine lifeforms in the immediate area have merged into some manner of chaotic swarming ball of anger. This mini-boss doesn’t have a title card or even an Intel entry. So we’ll just call it the Trash Legion for lack of a better term. Or Knack. It kind of looks like a big pile of barely comprehensible shit like game of the generation Knack's titular character...


New Music: Dependent Weakling (Instrumental)



I’m fine... Let’s take this bastard down.
Right!





So I’d call this an outright bad boss fight. The Trash Legion just kind of flitters about the area in an angry ball of impotent rage. Despite being a churning mass of metal, it doesn’t actually do any damage unless it’s specifically stopped in place and begun swirling in a tornado-like fashion.







Our goal is to strip away all of the machine lifeform corpse wreckage in order to access the creamy chocolate center glowing yellow weak point machine core holding the mass together. Anything works in stripping away the dead machines. Concentrated Pod fire can do most of the heavy lifting while 2B and 9S chase it around the area to get some swipes in.



When its core is exposed, the trash pile will resort to the old stand-bye of raining orbs about the area in an attempt to ward off the attacking androids.





The garbage whirlwind can also float around the area sparking a laser light show of energy beams in all directions. This is rather hard to avoid since there’s nothing resembling a pattern to the lasers and Trash Legion can still move about rapidly while firing its beams.





Once its HP is depleted, the Trash Legion unceremonious explodes which immediately ends the gravity well of debris. Eve is nowhere to be found following this battle. Turns out he just scampered out the back and ran off while the androids were distracted with the machine lifeforms crawling all over the place and making a big scene earlier.



However, our victory is short lived. After a few moments pass following Trash Legion’s defeat, we’re greeted with another earthquake and a rumbling in the distance.

Music: ENDS



Turns out the angry ball of dead machines was just a prelude to the main event: A big ol’ angry snake of dead machine parts. If you’re curious about all the sudden weird gravity shit going on thanks to Eve’s hissy fit, here’s a little background detail the YoRHa Stage Play mentions that the game proper neglects to follow-up on.



The machines’ Logic Virus has been mentioned several times already but very few details have been given beyond that one YoRHa deserter that got it, went completely mad and died within minutes. It’ll become relevant later in the game and explained in further detail. But one thing that is only directly stated in Stage Play is that the Logic Virus grants anyone infected with it crazy ass anti-gravity powers. There’s no reason stated WHY it does that other than well... having someone go berserk and also becoming Magneto is probably a bad scene for everyone involved. So there’s that. Just keep that in mind during upcoming events.




Music: The Sound of the End



What do we do? There’s too many!

Before 2B can answer the somewhat panicking 9S, we receive a radio communication from Pascal. My dude, it’s not the best time. We don’t need any tips on weird machine lifeform patches. We’re KINDA lousy with ‘em at the moment...



2B, can you hear me? Our village is under—Aaaaaaaah!
<transmission ends>
Pascal! Come in, Pascal!
Shit...





Alright, we don’t have time to be fucking about with these trash mobs of berserker trashcans. Machines are trying to cause a ruckus over at our boy Pascal’s village and we’re not having that on our watch. Also, attempting to abandon our duties at any point from here until the ending will result in Ending L triggering again and 2B retiring to a life of fishing. So let’s just stick to the task at hand.





It seems the shortcut back to Pascal’s Village has been sealed and the machines are too dumb to climb over the gate or just ask to be dropped off on the other side of it. Pascal contacts 2B again as she and 9S get to work trashing these machines.



It seems the machines on the network have gone berserk. We’ve sealed off the entrance to the village and are trying to hold them off, but... With these weapons, there’s only so much we can do...
Let’s take these guys out first.





That won’t be a problem. Nobody is messing with that cute dingus machine filled village. We’ve still got like over half the game’s runtime to go for something terrible to happen to it. Please don’t jump the gun.





As soon as all of the marked machines attacking the gate are retired, the Trash Snake erupts from the ground to innate another pretty rotten battle. Same deal as the first time here. We’ve got to strip away enough junked machine corpses to expose the glowing weak point core. Pod fire and the occasional Pod Program will be doing most of the damage for this fight since the Trash Snake flies around mostly out of our reach.





The only real attack this enemy possesses is firing lasers in all directions as it erratically darts around the area. This is INCREDIBLY hard to avoid if this boss decides to be a real fucker and suddenly zoom into 2B’s general vicinity without warning. Perfect Evade is extremely fickle when it comes to concentrated laser beams.





Once the wiggly tube of garbage takes enough damage, the central orb will fall to the ground giving our YoRHa units time to wail on it to death. It’s totally possible to take this thing out in a single fierce barrage of attacking when it falls. It seems to have less overall HP than the earlier Trash Legion. Which is good, cuz this thing sucks.



In a related note, given this enemy flies all over the skies of this area all willy-nilly, it’s entirely possible to have the core fall in an awkward spot where 2B will barely be able to deal any damage beyond plinking from afar with Pod fire. On top of Pascal’s gate, for instance. Or floating over the nearby cliff. Or once I had it just get stuck on top of one of the trees in the area. This just could have used a WEE bit more Q&A testing.



It, like the first machine corpse tornado, unceremoniously explodes (both leaving behind a valuable Machine Core drop at least, assuming that doesn’t roll off a cliff or fall somewhere inaccessible) with still no Eve present after its destruction. Where is that dickless dick?

Pascal radios shortly after we destroy the second mini-boss. He’ll actually show-up in person by the gate rarely (as he does in the Highlight Reel video.) I have no idea what triggers him to do so. It doesn’t change any of his dialogue other than adding the radio filter.



What happened here?
The machines on the network all went berserk at the same moment. I think the unit presiding over them may have gone mad.
It’s Eve. It’s got to be.
If we destroy this presiding unit, will it stop the rest?
Most likely, yes...
Pod, I need you to locate Eve’s current position.
Location has been detected and placed on map.
We’ll take care of Eve.
You just worry about keeping the village safe, okay?
Do be careful!



Our new destination is in the central crater of the City Ruins. As soon as we embark on our journey to the final battle, we get another radio transmission...


New Music: The Sound of the End (Quiet)



BROTHER... _brother...
What is this?
Looks like he’s bombarding the area with forced connections... I think all these transmissions are making the machines go haywire. We have to find Eve and destroy him!
On it.





As we approach the crater, any machine lifeform within view detonates and the air is filled with a din of machine lifeform screams. It’s a touch ominous...





Waiting for us in the center of the crater on a destroyed building’s facade we find Eve hanging out. Maybe he’s finally calmed down and we can discuss this civilly. Perhaps if we just calmly explain that Adam went into a deep hole about human blood-sports and it was a consensual death match, he’ll listen to reason and stop the machine onslaught.





...Then again, maybe not.



I know you two feel the same.



That this world... is utterly meaningless.



Another trash cyclone begins. This time conveniently surrounding the area in an impenetrable whirlwind of debris, locking the androids in with an increasingly irritable Eve.



As far as I’m concerned, my brother... was everything...





Tune in next time for the final battle of NieR: Automata Route A. 2B and 9S vs. Eve the Machineman and his noodlely dumpster arms. Final boss kids these days... makes you long for the quiet dignity of the Shadowlord and his ethereal neon pants.






Video: Episode 62 Highlight Reel





Corrupted Eve Concept Art – Eve... did your brother ever tell you that blackface wasn’t cool...? He probably should have told you about that. The humans on the moon are gonna be pissed. I’m assuming they have at least one token black guy on the moon...