New Game Plus
Encyclopedia
A New Game Plus is an unlockable
video game mode that allows the player to start a new game after they finish the game at least once, where certain aspects of the finished game, such as experience or items, affect the newly started game. New Game Plus is also known as "Replay Mode", "Remorting" (ala MUD
s), "Challenge Mode", or "New Game Ex".
. This play mode is most often found in role-playing games
, where starting a New Game Plus will usually have the player character
s start the new game with the statistics and/or equipment they ended the last game with. Key items that are related to the story are normally removed so they cannot ruin the game's progression, and are given back to the player at the time they are needed; likewise, characters that the player acquires throughout the story will also not appear until their scheduled place and time, but will get the enhanced stats from the previous playthrough.
, a special item is needed to unlock two of the four available endings; this item is unavailable on the first playthrough, but can be found in a New Game Plus game. This feature can also be used as an unlock trigger for replaying the game at a higher difficulty, such as in the various Mega Man Battle Network games and X-Men Legends 2: Rise of Apocalypse. In Astro Boy: Omega Factor
, the New Game Plus is actually included in the game's story, as Astro must use the game's Stage Select (the ability to travel through time given to him by the Phoenix
) to find out how to avert the Bad Ending that is mandatory the first time around.
Some New Game Plus variations feature twists on the original game's campaign. In games like Viewtiful Joe
and Castlevania: Lament of Innocence
, completion of the game unlocks a new character on each difficulty and the player has the option to either start a new game as a new character, or to use the original protagonist
. Parasite Eve
and Vagrant Story
, among others, contain areas of the game that can only be accessed after completing the game. Additionally, completing some games such as Resident Evil 4
, and the Metal Gear
series can unlock items that can be accessed in subsequent playthroughs. The developers of BioShock
made its New Game Plus mode available as downloadable content
.
Although this mode is typically found in RPGs, other genres also use this feature. In the psychological horror
game Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem
the player must have Pius Augustus choose a different dark god in each playthrough, only in defeating all three is the true ending revealed. The Ratchet and Clank series allows subsequent playthroughs at an increased difficulty and the ability to further upgrade weaponry. Also, upon completion of some Ratchet and Clank games, the choice to play the game in a first-person perspective
is unlocked.
It appears even in recent games such as the XBLA title Bastion
, and the 2011 games Batman: Arkham City and Dark Souls
.
on the game world and complete any remaining side-quests. Dragon Warrior II
for the NES and EarthBound
for the SNES are early examples of this. Other games return the player to the point just before the last boss, such as Mega Man Legends 2
and Dragon Quest VIII
. Some games like Fallout 2
do not make mention of a clear game, but rather allow the player to continue playing after completion with no side effects. The clear game in Mass Effect 2
is notable in that characters that died during the final mission stay dead, effectively locking quests that involved these characters. In many games with this feature, new challenges and levels are opened to give the player an extra goal; each of the .hack games featured a bonus dungeon after completing the main mission objective of the games. One of the most notable gaming franchises to use a clear game feature is the Pokémon
series.
Unlockable (gaming)
Unlockable content refers to content that is available in video games but not accessible unless something is performed by the player to get access to it. Different genres of games have different styles and options of unlockable content that is standard among their games...
video game mode that allows the player to start a new game after they finish the game at least once, where certain aspects of the finished game, such as experience or items, affect the newly started game. New Game Plus is also known as "Replay Mode", "Remorting" (ala MUD
MUD
A MUD , pronounced , is a multiplayer real-time virtual world, with the term usually referring to text-based instances of these. MUDs combine elements of role-playing games, hack and slash, player versus player, interactive fiction, and online chat...
s), "Challenge Mode", or "New Game Ex".
Origin
The term was coined by the 1995 console role-playing game Chrono TriggerChrono Trigger
is a role-playing video game developed and published by Square for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1995. Chrono Triggers development team included three designers that Square dubbed the "Dream Team": Hironobu Sakaguchi, the creator of Square's Final Fantasy series; Yuji Horii, a...
. This play mode is most often found in role-playing games
Role-playing video game
Role-playing video games are a video game genre with origins in pen-and-paper role-playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons, using much of the same terminology, settings and game mechanics. The player in RPGs controls one character, or several adventuring party members, fulfilling one or many quests...
, where starting a New Game Plus will usually have the player character
Player character
A player character or playable character is a character in a video game or role playing game who is controlled or controllable by a player, and is typically a protagonist of the story told in the course of the game. A player character is a persona of the player who controls it. Player characters...
s start the new game with the statistics and/or equipment they ended the last game with. Key items that are related to the story are normally removed so they cannot ruin the game's progression, and are given back to the player at the time they are needed; likewise, characters that the player acquires throughout the story will also not appear until their scheduled place and time, but will get the enhanced stats from the previous playthrough.
Examples
Games with multiple endings, such as Chrono Trigger, often feature a New Game Plus mode which allows the player to access the alternate endings more easily. Many games include special features that are unlocked upon starting a New Game Plus. In Sigma Star SagaSigma Star Saga
Sigma Star Saga is a hybrid science fiction role-playing game -space-shooter for the Game Boy Advance. The player explores a standard 2-D overworld but is transported into space for side-scrolling shooter random battles...
, a special item is needed to unlock two of the four available endings; this item is unavailable on the first playthrough, but can be found in a New Game Plus game. This feature can also be used as an unlock trigger for replaying the game at a higher difficulty, such as in the various Mega Man Battle Network games and X-Men Legends 2: Rise of Apocalypse. In Astro Boy: Omega Factor
Astro Boy: Omega Factor
is a beat 'em up video game developed by Treasure Co. Ltd and Hitmaker, and published by Sega. The game was released for the Game Boy Advance console on December 18, 2003 in Japan; August 18, 2004 in North America; and February 18, 2005 in Europe. The game is based on Osamu Tezuka's manga and anime...
, the New Game Plus is actually included in the game's story, as Astro must use the game's Stage Select (the ability to travel through time given to him by the Phoenix
Phoenix (manga)
is a manga series by Osamu Tezuka. Tezuka considered Phoenix his "life's work"; it consists of 12 books, each of which tells a separate, self-contained story and takes place in a different era. The plots go back and forth from the remote future to prehistoric times. The cycle remains unfinished...
) to find out how to avert the Bad Ending that is mandatory the first time around.
Some New Game Plus variations feature twists on the original game's campaign. In games like Viewtiful Joe
Viewtiful Joe
is a video game developed by Capcom's Production Studio 4 for the Nintendo GameCube. It was originally released in 2003 as a part of the Capcom Five under director Hideki Kamiya and producer Atsushi Inaba. Viewtiful Joe was later ported to the Sony PlayStation 2 by the same design team under the...
and Castlevania: Lament of Innocence
Castlevania: Lament of Innocence
Castlevania: Lament of Innocence, released as in Japan, Europe, and Australia, is an action-adventure video game developed by Konami for the PlayStation 2 console. Belonging to Konami's Castlevania video game series, it is the first installment of the series on the PlayStation 2 and the third to...
, completion of the game unlocks a new character on each difficulty and the player has the option to either start a new game as a new character, or to use the original protagonist
Protagonist
A protagonist is the main character of a literary, theatrical, cinematic, or musical narrative, around whom the events of the narrative's plot revolve and with whom the audience is intended to most identify...
. Parasite Eve
Parasite Eve (video game)
is a horror action role-playing game developed by SquareSoft . The game is a sequel to the novel Parasite Eve, written by Hideaki Sena. It is the first game in the Parasite Eve series.-Gameplay:...
and Vagrant Story
Vagrant Story
is a Japanese-developed console role-playing game developed and published by Square for the PlayStation video game console. The game was released in 2000, and has been re-released through the PlayStation Network for the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable consoles eleven years later...
, among others, contain areas of the game that can only be accessed after completing the game. Additionally, completing some games such as Resident Evil 4
Resident Evil 4
Resident Evil 4, known in Japan as , is a survival horror third-person shooter video game developed by Capcom Production Studio 4 and published by multiple publishers, including Capcom, Ubisoft, Nintendo Australia, Red Ant Enterprises and THQ Asia Pacific...
, and the Metal Gear
Metal Gear (series)
is a series of stealth video games created by Hideo Kojima and developed and published by Konami. The first game, Metal Gear, was released in 1987 for the MSX2. The player takes control of a special forces operative Solid Snake who is assigned to find the eponymous superweapon "Metal Gear", a...
series can unlock items that can be accessed in subsequent playthroughs. The developers of BioShock
Bioshock
BioShock is a first-person shooter video game developed by 2K Boston and designed by Ken Levine. It was released for Microsoft Windows and Xbox 360 on August 21, 2007 in North America, and three days later in Europe and Australia. It became available on Steam on August 21, 2007...
made its New Game Plus mode available as downloadable content
Downloadable content
Downloadable content is official additional content for a video game distributed through the Internet. Downloadable content can be of several types, ranging from a single in-game outfit to an entirely new, extensive storyline, similarly to an expansion pack. As such, DLC may add new game modes,...
.
Although this mode is typically found in RPGs, other genres also use this feature. In the psychological horror
Psychological horror
Psychological horror is a subgenre of horror fiction that relies on character fears, guilt, beliefs, eerie sound effects, relevant music and emotional instability to build tension and further the plot...
game Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem
Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem
Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem is a psychological horror action-adventure video game released for the Nintendo GameCube. Developed by Canadian developer Silicon Knights and originally planned for the Nintendo 64, it was first released and published by Nintendo on June 24, 2002 in North America...
the player must have Pius Augustus choose a different dark god in each playthrough, only in defeating all three is the true ending revealed. The Ratchet and Clank series allows subsequent playthroughs at an increased difficulty and the ability to further upgrade weaponry. Also, upon completion of some Ratchet and Clank games, the choice to play the game in a first-person perspective
First-person shooter
First-person shooter is a video game genre that centers the gameplay on gun and projectile weapon-based combat through first-person perspective; i.e., the player experiences the action through the eyes of a protagonist. Generally speaking, the first-person shooter shares common traits with other...
is unlocked.
It appears even in recent games such as the XBLA title Bastion
Bastion (video game)
Bastion is an action role-playing video game produced by independent developer Supergiant Games and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. The game's visual style is inspired by anime and its narrative style takes the form of a dynamic voice-over...
, and the 2011 games Batman: Arkham City and Dark Souls
Dark Souls
is an action-adventure / role-playing game video game developed and published for PlayStation 3 by From Software in Japan, and published for both PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 by Namco Bandai Games internationally. Previously referred to as Project Dark, Dark Souls is the spiritual successor to...
.
Clear Game
A slight variation of this is the Clear Game, a special mode that is played after finishing the regular game. In this mode, the player is given the ability to continue playing after the story mode is completed, allowing them to see the effect of defeating the antagonistAntagonist
An antagonist is a character, group of characters, or institution, that represents the opposition against which the protagonist must contend...
on the game world and complete any remaining side-quests. Dragon Warrior II
Dragon Warrior II
Dragon Warrior II, known as in Japan, is a console role-playing game developed by Chunsoft and published by Enix in 1987 for the MSX and Nintendo Entertainment System as a part of the Dragon Quest series .The game's story centers on the prince on Midenhall who is ordered to stop an evil...
for the NES and EarthBound
EarthBound
EarthBound, also known as EarthBound: The War Against Giygas! and released as in Japan, is a role-playing video game co-developed by Ape and HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System video game console...
for the SNES are early examples of this. Other games return the player to the point just before the last boss, such as Mega Man Legends 2
Mega Man Legends 2
Mega Man Legends 2, known in Japan as , is an action role-playing game released by Capcom in 2000, acting as a sequel to Mega Man Legends. It was released for the PlayStation in April 2000 in Japan, October 2000 in North America and August 2001 in Europe...
and Dragon Quest VIII
Dragon Quest VIII
Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King, known in Japan as and in PAL regions as Dragon Quest: The Journey of the Cursed King, is a role-playing video game developed by Level-5 and published by Square Enix for the PlayStation 2...
. Some games like Fallout 2
Fallout 2
Fallout 2 is a computer role-playing game developed by Black Isle Studios and published by Interplay in 1998. The game's story takes place in 2241, 80 years after the events of Fallout...
do not make mention of a clear game, but rather allow the player to continue playing after completion with no side effects. The clear game in Mass Effect 2
Mass Effect 2
Mass Effect 2 is an action role-playing game developed by BioWare and published by Electronic Arts for Microsoft Windows, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. The game was released for Microsoft Windows and Xbox 360 on January 26, 2010 and for PlayStation 3 on January 18, 2011...
is notable in that characters that died during the final mission stay dead, effectively locking quests that involved these characters. In many games with this feature, new challenges and levels are opened to give the player an extra goal; each of the .hack games featured a bonus dungeon after completing the main mission objective of the games. One of the most notable gaming franchises to use a clear game feature is the Pokémon
Pokémon
is a media franchise published and owned by the video game company Nintendo and created by Satoshi Tajiri in 1996. Originally released as a pair of interlinkable Game Boy role-playing video games developed by Game Freak, Pokémon has since become the second most successful and lucrative video...
series.