Part 81: Episode LXXIX: Reclusive

Episode LXXIX: Reclusive


Music: Pascal (Vocal)



As reasonable a response it would likely be to raze the entire Machine Village to the ground as a couple of war machine androids came upon it, that’s counter-productive to proceeding in the game’s narrative. So let’s try that again...



What do you mean *YOU* androids? What? You think all androids know each other or something, machine?
Do you know Anemone and the androids in the camp within the nearby City Ruins.
Well, yeah...
Would... local androids be better phrasing? I didn't mean to upset you.
Well, I mean...
Just drop it and let him speak.
Tch. Fiiiiiine.
I was wondering if you could drop this off with Anemone.
What is it? Some kinda listening device? A bomb? 2B, I think this machine is giving us a bomb!
It’s not a bomb. It’s a fuel filter. A fuel filter she requested. If it would put you at ease, I could contact her right now and confirm. I have her transmission number on speed dial.
All right. We’ll take it.
Thank you.
But, 2B. I don’t think you should carry that thing around. Who knows if i—
I’m not. You are. Shut up and take it.
...Fine. But I’ve got my eye on you.
Do you? It’s hard to tell with the blindfold and all.
Yeah... well. Tch.
Let's go.
Right...





OK. We still need to go through the song and dance of returning to the Resistance Camp for a Fed Ex quest before we can progress. Don’t worry, we’ll be neck deep in new content soon enough. And by new content I mean like all of 9S’s sidequests get dumped around the same time fast travel unlocks. So that’ll be fun.


Music: Rays of Light (Quiet)





This go around, 9S has to shove all of the large, bizarre gear boxes sheltering shortcuts while 2B hangs back and watches. As soon as we open the shortcut back to the City Ruins, 9S receives a call...



I have something important to discuss with you today.
What is it?
Our maintenance team filed a complaint about how you treat your flight unit. They requested that you cease making unauthorized modifications.
Well, I kind of had to. There’s so much excess data sent to me from the satellite, it’s delaying aim correction.
If you have a rebuttal, you need to discuss it with maintenance. Fight it out if you must. Operator 21O out. <disconnects>
......
Geez. My operator is more prone to violence than I thought.





It’s going to be revealed that kamikaze stunt on Boku-Shi towards the end of the previous playthrough was actually a final “fuck you!” to the YoRHa maintenance staff, isn’t it? Anyway, let’s head back into the camp for some resupply and equipment update. And fulfilling Pascal’s request. I suppose we can squeeze that in too.


Music: Peaceful Sleep (Vocal)



Our first order of business involves the Access Point in the Resistance Camp. We’ve seen this thing and the crates next to it with the terribly low-resolution textures in full view up close any time the player loads this area.





But what you didn’t know is behind those 24x24 compressed jpegs stretched over a basic crate model is another locked chest 9S can access. This time for a shiny new Combat Bracer weapon!



The Type-4O Fists Combat Bracers are a neat looking weapon with upgrades that grant it Stun Up (increased stagger damage, kinda useless for 9S.) At max level it gains Energy Charge. This charges the gloves with electricity if they’re equipped and not used for a few seconds. Which is far more something suited to 9S’s fighting style than 2B’s always be attacking method of combat.


...All right then. Get back to me when you load weaponhistory.txt properly, eh?



While we’re in the neighborhood, we’re going to stop by the Maintenance Shop for a couple upgrades.





Of chief importance, we’ve actually got enough materials to upgrade one of our Pods. Specifically, Pod B and its Ghostbusters laser. This upgrade grants marginally higher attack power and more importantly, much greater range of attack on the laser... whip beam thingie of Pod B. This can be used to make the shmup segments very silly by basically having the flight unit spin in place twirling a giant wiggly tube that while annihilate most all common flyer enemies.

If any of these upgrades happens like once more in the entirety of the LP, I’ll be surprised. I got exactly zero upgrades without grinding the first time I played through the game up until I had gotten all but the very last endings. I’m not doing that again. The laser gets slightly longer and stronger. Gatling shoots a single explosive shot the first time it’s fired. Missiles I’ll be fucked if I know because they are worthless. It’s probably more missiles.



Also while we’re here, we may as well continue our depletion of the Maintenance Shop’s Pod Programs by scraping the bottom of the barrel. Today we’ll pick up A060: Protective Shield.



As the name suggests, the P. Shield creates a shield around our android of choice. This shield only blocks melee/physical attacks. Energy orbs or laser blasts will sail right through. But it will block just about every physical attack for... a whole three seconds. With a 15 second cooldown (omitting any plug-in chip augmentations to shorten that time.) Which uhh... ain’t a great investment on either end.



Charging this Pod Program up to Level 3 makes it last for 6 whole seconds with a 25 second cooldown. I guess that’s technically a better investment of coverage versus cooldown time... Technically. This P. Shield might be useful on harder difficulties in which most everything nearly or will one shot 9S or 2B. But otherwise, this game gives us a dodge that can be spammed non-stop with no cooldown and is lousy with i-frames.

I’ve never felt the need to use this thing ever while playing on the sane difficulty setting. Nor will I ever use it again for this LP. But hey, there it is for completion sake! With that demonstration out of the way, let’s go hit up Anemone.



...A fuel filter? Ah, perfect timing—we were running low. Wait, you met Pascal?
Sure did. So you’ve been consorting with machines, huh?
Just the ones in the village. They’re totally harmless, and they also have the means to construct intricate devices that we can’t. In exchange, we provide them with oil and other materials. I guess you’d call it a form of commerce.
I see...
It’s an arrangement we’d very much like to continue. It would be very unfortunate if some kind of blindfold wearing narc strolled into camp and tried to ruin it. It’s a dangerous place out there for androids, as you should well know. It’d be a shame to see an upstanding android like yourself end up dissolving in a barrel of acid down a pit somewhere at the edge of town, now wouldn’t it?
Y-Yeah...
I’m glad we understand each other. Take this high-viscosity oil back to Pascal if you know what’s good for you, kid.
2B, are you just going to let all of this happen?
<shrug> I don’t see any problems.
......
Fine. Give it to me.



Before we depart, Anemone also gives us that spare room we’ll never use just as she would if we had come here after our adventures in the Desert Zone. Now just to return to the Machine Village. But first, we receive another contact from Pascal on the way out.



Gah! He just started transmitting to us directly...
You’re still set to a public channel for your burst communication transmissions.
Crud... Really? So you’re not seeing this transmission?
No, I am. I just gave him my comms number.
What?! Why?!
<shrug> He asked nicely.
Now do you believe we’re not a threat?
Your mouth can say anything it wants... But you still don’t have a heart.
I suppose that’s... technically accurate. Although, that statement applies to you as well, so... I cannot say I see your point. Yes, well, you’re free to visit our village whenever you like. <disconnects>



Let’s just go ahead and do take up that invitation right now, eh?




Music: Pascal (Vocal)



Pascal’s Village has now reverted to more or less the state it was normally in Route A. Any sidequests we completed here, like the one with the machine family or the missing little sister are treated as already completed. Also, that pesky Wandering Couple has returned with their predicament reset since that quest was canceled last go around. We’ll attend to that another time. There is one new 9S specific quest in the village we can knock out while we’re here. It’s found in the highest reaches of the village, up a ladder...



What, me?
My son put some kind of electronic lock on our house and holed his fool self inside. I’ve been standing out here for ages, and he’s simply not responding to me at all!
Er, I think what you need is a family counselor. I mean, not that machines have “families” to begin with...
I insist that you help me get this stupid door open! Just break it down and get my son out of there.
<Help the mother.>
All right, all right! Sheesh...



......
Your mother is worried about you. So how about you unlock the door and come out?
......
Looks like he’s ignoring me.
Proposal: Destroy the core to open the electronic lock.
That seems to be my only option.



So begins The Recluse sidequest. We need to get this shut-in nerd Son Machine out of his house. He’s probably in there furiously pounding a stick on his crotch because of some ill-conceived notion about what teenagers are meant to do.



As with most 9S specific sidequests, this one only appears in Route B because it requires the utilization of his hacking ability. I’m not going to ask how the Son Machine managed to fasten a padlock to the exterior of his home to lock himself in. Machines are a complicated lot.







In order to unlock this door we need to quickly navigate through a (very basic) maze of destructible black boxes and destroy the core within 30 seconds. Easily done for ace Hackerman 9S.





Oh CHRIST! 9S... My dude... you might have gone a bit overboard with that hacking attempt. I mean, the Son Machine is fine. Its body is made of hardened steel. But what if there was an actual human child in there, 9S? It would be covered in 3rd degree burns right now. Is that what you want to be known for, 9S? 9S the Child Burner? For shame...



Foolish child! I was worried sick about you! Why on earth did you barricade yourself in there!?

The machine drops to its knees and starts shaking.



Now that we’re cut off from the network, I dunno what people are thinking. They’re like... monsters. It’s scary!
Oh, my darling boy. It will be all right. Mommy loves you.



Um... So can I go now, or...
Oh! Yes, of course. Thank you for your help. And take this. I insist. I’ll try to help my son deal with his fears better from now on.



I’d normally be a bit worried if someone handed me a pair of severed arms as a reward for completing a favor. But in this instance, it’d probably behoove 9S to just nod and accept the gift (also they might be high end upgrade materials for later weapon enhancements.)



Thus concludes that short sidequest. Surely, that awkward boy will go on to be an upstanding, outspoken member of this community and definitely not lock himself behind an even stronger lock as soon as we leave. No sir. Don’t be ridiculous.

Anyway, that’s enough detours. Let’s get back to Pascal so we can continue the main plot until traveling becomes semi-convenient again.



Anemone is just so kind and understanding. Did you know she used to be on stage some time ago?
Really?
Oh, it’s not my place to bring up that sort of thing. If only all androids and machines could live together in peace like this...
Never gonna happen.
Not with that attitude. But, if you’d like to stop being so standoffish for no particular reason, I’d appreciate it if you helped some others around town. There’s a little girl machine down below that has been asking for you to explain to her where children come from...
...Wha?
You should probably ask her. After all, the only way to understand someone is to get to know them. Isn’t that right?





We’ve detected a Goliath-class enemy inside the city ruins. It seems to be accompanied by a large number of machine lifeforms. All YoRHa members are ordered to engage at once. However, we’re still in the same place as the earlier situation with no one else in the region responding so... you two should probably get to it! Operator 21O out.



A Goliath!? This WAS a trap! I knew it!
Now, let’s not be—
No good machines! Let’s do the whole village 2B! Let’s do them all!
<sigh> I’ll meet you at the Access Point when you reload your game...



Tune in next time when we hit the fast-forward button on a bunch of previously dramatic events because nothing really new happens during any of them as NieR: Automata continues!






Video: Episode 79 Highlight Reel





Pascal’s Village Concept Art – Using the Bethesda Fallout decorative rusty steel barrel furnishing aesthetic, huh?