The Let's Play Archive

Super Robot Wars Z

by Brunom1, Dr. Pepper, Caphi

Part 243: Doc's New Game+ Corner

Extra Chapter: New Game + and other extras

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFo6F-3gW7Y
And here we see the Female Real Robot Lead and Male Real Robot Lead of Super Robot Wars Z Beating the final boss.

Well there we have it! We've beaten the game.



Congratulations to us!


But, of course, there's still more. It's not exactly been a secret that this game has a New Game +. Heck, it's in the title of this update and Brunom's gone through the game with his file being a New Game + File. However, there's a few other things I feel like showing off.


Once you beat the game you're allowed to make a Clear Save. This save is exclusively used to start a New Game +. There's no secret post game or anything like that sadly. Here you can see your protaganist's level, the number of stages you've beaten (Obviously on a clear save it will always be 60), the number of turns you've taken throughout the game, Blue Stones, and money.

I obviously did not speedrun the game, but I didn't exactly sit around lazily either. 411 turns is reasonable for a game of this length.


Load the clear save and this screen comes up. There are three different "Modes" you can play your New Game + File in. You beat the game once, and you unlock standard New Game+ and EX-Hard mode. Beat the game again and you unlock Special Mode.

With any NG+ you carry over the kills, money, PP, and Blue Stones you earned your previous playthrough(s). However, it's not all immediately. The first time you play through, you carry over half of the cash, PP, and Blue Stones you earned. The next time, you carry over 75%, the third time, you finally carry over all of it.

Of course, even half of the total earnings you earn is still a substantial head start.



While SRWZ is a decently challenging game in my experience it's not super hard. And, of course, it can be made more challenging! For those players who just beat it and one an EXTREME challenge can pick EX-Hard Mode.

EX-Hard mode does a few things. First, it permanently places the game in Hard Mode. In a regular game, the difficulty level is set based off the number of Battle Masteries you've collected. Not so in EX-Hard. Getting all the Battle Masteries in EX-Hard is purely for bragging rights and for the easing of the few secrets that use them.

But that's not all. EX-Hard disables upgrades and the Bazaar. All you get for no mech upgrades, no pilot upgrades, no extra parts from the bazaar, nothing. All you can spend is a handful of Blue Stones to buy the mechs and secret parts that pop up.

If anybody wants to do a pure gameplay focused EX-Hard LP, feel free. I'm not going to show any of it off, since it obviously doesn't become interesting until several hours into it when the lack of upgrades starts to take effect.


Once you pick the NG+ mode you want to play (standard, in this case) you go back to the character select screen you are at for the start of the game. Yup, you're not bound to Rand or Setsuko once you go onto a NG+.


Then you can, again, name the character and pick their Birthday and Bloodtype. Now, me and Brunom both picked the 11/11 B Special Birthday. Which gives a a lot of unique utility with cheap Attune and Focus and the like. However, there are a bunch of other birthdays you can pick. Now, Rand's default and Canon Birthday and bloodtype is August 9th, with Bloodtype A. Which, as you'd expect, makes Rand a Leo. His default gives the following Spirit Commands:


Now, that's not a bad list! It doesn't have the extra utility of super cheap Attune nor Drive, and Courage is 15 SP more Expensive, but Spirit coming early is helpful. And Boost is utility that 11/11 B just does not get. It removes any semblance of movement issues from Gunleon.

Now, other then the default pick and 11/11 B, the way the game handles the protagonist spirit sets is that first it takes the picked birthday and places you in 12 sets of four Spirit commands. These sets are determined by whatever astrological sign the birthday falls into. Then, the game picks one of the four sets based off the bloodtype you put in. Rand and Setsuko learn each of the five Spirit Commands at the same level.

So, what if Brunom had put in his own birthday for the LP? September 21st, Bloodtype B, Rand would have had this set:


Which is, in all honesty, rather unexciting. I think the most notable thing here is the relatively cheap Guard. Which lets you throw Rand into groups of enemies better.

A few other Rand sets I think are interesting are:

Leo (July 23 - August 21) Type B


The stand out spirit commands here are Gain and Alert. Alert on a Super is really handy. As it lets them dodge those nasty Boss status effect attacks. I hope I don't need to explain the utility of Gain on the one unit you have nearly all game.

Cancer (June 22 - July 22) Type B


Luck is always great to have. And Daunt, holy crap Daunt. Daunt is always a wonderful thing. You can never have enough Daunt. I'd buy Rand SP-Up if I had this birthday set. Sense provides the same sort of utility Alert does.

Capricorn (December 23 - January 20) Type AB.


Snipe is a little odd on Rand. But more importantly, Confuse! Another spirit set where I'd load Rand up with SP-Up to take advantage of that command. Mel can always cast the Valors.


Setsuko's default/canon Birthday is 9/3 A. If you can't figure it out, this makes her a Virgo. Her default Spirit set like Rand’s does have a bit of utility that even 11/11 B doesn't.


The biggest loss is 10 SP Focus, thus she can't spam it every turn with SP Regen. Plus no Attune of course. However, consolidating her source of Strike and Alert into sense frees up a Spirit slot for Fury. Fury is pretty good on Setsuko, since she throws out a lot of ALL attacks plus she lacks Ignore SIze on her best attacks.

And, as mentioned when she first learned it, she's the only female pilot in the game to learn Soul.

So, what if I had put in my Birthday for this playthrough? Well, with March 18th, O Type, I'd have:


It's... uh... her default list with Drive swapped out for Spirit. I think that's actually better, since she doesn't need a ton of Will to start off. A single Spirit will get her up to the will needed to use Nautilus Carver.

A few others I think are interesting are:

Sagittarius (November 23 - December 22) Type O


Much like Rand's default, the star of this Spirit set is Boost. Actually, while a few other Birthdays give Setsuko Accel, this is the only Spirt set that gives her Boost. And really early too.

Gemini (May 22 - June 21) Type AB


Analyze and Zeal! Both useful commands. Interestingly enough, with the spirit sets that let Setsuko learn Zeal, they're actually cheaper then 11/11 B. However, like I said when Setsuko first learned Soul, 11/11 B Setsuko is the only pilot in the game to learn Zeal and Soul. Any regular Birthday set that gives Setsuko Zeal will have her learn Valor instead.

The early Analyze helps with some of the earlier boss fights on Setsuko's route.

Taurus (April 21 - May 21) Type B


The combination of Accel and Confuse is good enough that this is the most expensive Soul cast of any Setsuko set. Of course, with SP Regen you could have Setsuko cast Confuse on the first turn and still have enough for Soul by the time you're at the end.


Now then, start a new game with Rand!


Hi Mel!



Hi Rand!


And hello Gunleon!

Now, since I played on Setsuko's route, obviously Rand didn't get any kills so I guess-


Wait why is he starting with 115 Will.


Ohhhhh rigghhhttt.

One unique feature of Rand and Setsuko on NG+ is that they will inherit the kills and PP the other earned on their playthrough. Which means that Rand got every single bit of Setsuko's kills and PP from my playthrough. Holy crap Setsuko got 8000 PP.

This means that, incidentally, if you're planning on playing through twice, playing on Setsuko's route might be the optimal idea. Why?

Guess why!

Asakim you prick!

But yeah, remember that when Denzel and Toby were murdered by Asakim, Setsuko inherited their PP. This gives Setsuko a large infusion of extra PP that Rand just does not get... unless you do a NG+. Then Rand can get that sweet blood PP.








So yeaahhhh. With the extra Will that comes from him being a Double Ace and my Top Ace, the first stage is simpler than usual.


Now, you can do some fun things with all that money and PP you get from the last playthrough. Especially Rand, with that Sorrow Fueled powerup he has there. Brunom didn't abuse it really, he wanted to show off the game and be fair to it.


First, a shopping spree. I'll never want for Boosters again really.


Next, I use the 4000 PP I got for Rand to teach him Attack Again.



I then up his Skill by 30.


Finally, I teach him E Save and Will Limit Break.



I'm not interested in being fair. Not in the slightest. I max out the Gunleon and its weapons. It's a thing of beauty.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYRmTxV8ucI


But, of course, there's the final New Game+ mode. Special Mode! Let's try that out with Setsuko again.



Denzel and Toby inherit their PP and kills like the rest of the cast. However, they'll still pass on their PP when they die. So this playthrough Setsuko not only has half the PP she got from the last run, which includes Denzel and Toby's, but she'll then get what Denzel and Toby inherit and earn this playthrough.


But, of course, it's time to get into the real meat of just what makes Special Mode Special. There's two things that Special Mode gives you.



First, this. If you can't see exactly what this is, let me highlight it.


In Special Mode, there are Fifteen Upgrade Bars. This is as ridiculous as it looks. Just look at that. With all fifteen bars filled, the Virgola 3 has Super Robot Level HP and Armor, evade that's just Wrong, and ridiculous attack power. Seriously. With 15 bars, the Virgola 3's Jack Carver is stronger than Space Combination's base power.

But that's not all! There's more!


At the start of the game you're given a minor bonus... just, you know, every part in the game. And not even just one. You get like, 5-2 depending on the part. I have 3 Shadow Angel Feathers! Two freaking Haros! Hero's Mark! Soul of Steel! S Adaptors! It's absurd.

In case you can't tell, Special Mode is basically Banpresto telling you "You want to just mess around and do whatever? Here you go! Just break the game in half, have fun!"

And there we go, that's everything interesting about New Game + I can think to show.

Hope you all enjoy the rest of the ZAFT Route (I've never actually seen it myself).

And Merry Christmas.