A New Game + mode in JRPGs is often a lazy way to rehash existing content and pad out games that don’t need it.
However, some titles have used New Game+ in highly entertaining ways that improve the base experience.
to useNew Game +, players will usually have to complete a game at least once. They’ll then have the chance to replay the game with some of their content from the previous run intact, such as levels or equipment.
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While some games just give players the satisfaction of smiting old enemies with new gear, a New Game+ can be used for all kinds of interesting narrative opportunities. Some games tie it to their story, while others lock the hardest content in New Game + for those who have proven their skills.
These are the best games that use New Game + and a fair warning up front that there will be major story spoilers ahead.
10Final Fantasy 16
A True Challenge for Clive
Final Fantasy 16
One of the biggest complaints aboutFinal Fantasy 16is that the difficulty is far too easy for action game players. Anyone who has conquered one of FromSoftware’s games will blitz through it.
There are items that can be used off the bat to make the game easier for those who haven’t bathed themselves in Soulslike bosses for the past decade, but there’s no option to make things harder.
Once Final Fantasy 16 has been completed once, it unlocks the Final Fantasy Mode difficulty. Here, enemies are far stronger, and new monsters will appear in familiar areas. To combat this, Clive’s level cap has been increased.
Final Fantasy Mode is exclusive toNew Game +, which means players will already be familiar with its various gameplay systems. With that information in hand, they can tackle Final Fantasy 16 in the way it was meant to be played.
9Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter
Needing the D-Ratio
Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter
Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarteris a game that encourages the player to go back and replay sections. In fact, this unconventional story approach might have been what turned off so many fans, who were used to the more standard fantasy fare.
During the first runthrough, the player starts out with a D-Ratio of 1/8192, putting them in a low caste, as they have almost no chance of linking with a dragon.
Through various playthroughs and completing actions, the player can improve their D-Ratio in subsequent runs, unlocking more of the game in the process and making the party even stronger.
It’s a shame Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter was unsuccessful, as this mechanic was unique for its time, and with a bit of refinement in a sequel, could have been amazing.
That being said, the D-Ratio and New Game Plus mechanic was used extremely well in Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter, with more of the story being unlocked as the player’s might grows.
8Bravely Default: Where The Fairy Flies
Airy Lies in Every Playthrough
Bravely Default
Bravely Defaultis a game that uses New Game+ to flip its story on its head, making the player question everything they’ve experienced so far.
Throughout Bravely Default, the player is guided by Airy, a fairy who advises the player to awaken elemental crystals.
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When the game is completed for the first time, it shows the title, removing letters until it says “Airy Lies.”
The player is then treated to a second run-through of the game, where they can defy Airy, revealing her true nature as a world-devouring monster and kicking off a new storyline with a drastically different outcome than the first.
7Chrono Cross
Time to Recruit Everyone
Chrono Cross
Chrono Crosshas a staggering number of player characters, with 45 possible party members to recruit.
Unfortunately, it’s impossible to get them all on a single run-through. Some of the party members are restricted to certain player choices, which locks the rest out.
In New Game+ mode, players can use the Chrono Cross to receive characters they recruited in old runs. This is the only way to access every character in the game.
Like its predecessor, Chrono Cross also lets the player fight the end boss at earlier points in the game tounlock new endings.
New Game + also features a boss fight against some of the most popular enemies from Chrono Trigger: Ozzie, Slash, and Flea. These potent foes are some of the hardest bosses in Chrono Cross, and those who remember beating them in Chrono Trigger can even unlock their unique items in that game.
6Final Fantasy X
Subtitles Needed for Enjoyment
Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster
Final Fantasy Xtechnically doesn’t have a New Game + mode. However, it does let players carry over one specificpiece of progressbetween games: Al Bhed Primers.
In Final Fantasy X, the Al Bhed are a people who use technology instead of magic. They speak in their own language, which is a letter swap of English.
Throughout Final Fantasy X, the player can find Al Bhed Primers, which reveal each letter one by one.
If the player finds all of them, then they can use that information in other playthroughs, with the Al Bhed having English subtitles in cutscenes, rather than their own language.
Final Fantasy X-2also has a New Game + mode, which lets players retain some of their levels, gear, and progress. Notably, it also lets them keep the Al Bhed Primers they found in their first run through.
5NieR: Automata
2B or Not 2B
NieR: Automata
New Game + is integral to theNieR: Automataexperience. While people who are familiar with the game will know 2B, they might not realize she isn’t the only playable character in the game.
Once the player completes NieR: Automata, they’ll get the chance to play as 9S, in what is a very similar play though store-wise. 9S has a drastically different gameplay style from 2B, but he witnessed many of the same events she did.
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In the third run, however, the player takes on the role of A2. Through A2’s eyes, the players witness the conclusion of the story and learn secrets that can’t be discovered as 2B or 9S.
4Parasite Eve
Time to Unlock the Chrysler Building
Parasite Eve
Referred to as the EX Mode,Parasite Eve’sNew Game + has the standard extra gear and power at the start of the game, giving players the chance to wipe out foes from the start.
However, Ex Mode unlocks a brand new location: the Chrysler Building. This is a seventy-five-floor high dungeon filled with the most powerful enemies in the game.
Notably, those who reach the top of the Chrysler Building will get to face the game’s true final boss: Eve. Defeating Eve will not only provide a brand new ending, but it will reveal new information about the story that can only be found in EX Mode.
3Vagrant Story
It’s Time for Ashley’s Riot
Vagrant Story
Vagrant Storyis an unfairly forgotten PS1 RPG that is in dire need of a remake. It has a fantastic merging of real-time and turn-based combat that is rarely seen in gaming.
Those looking for another fix of Vagrant Story can access even more content in its New Game + mode. Here, the player will retain access to the key they acquired at the end of the previous run, along with their level and gear.
With the key in hand, the player can access areas that were locked off in the first game. This means there are new sections that can be visited throughout the game, including challenging bosses that can only be tackled when the player is ready for them.
2Pokemon Black 2 & White 2
The Hard Mode Pokemon Fans Want
Pokémon Black 2
Pokemonfans have been crying out for moredifficult mainline gamesfor years. The modern Pokemon tiles are so oversaturated with QoL features that there is zero challenge outside of the post-game or competitive battles.
For whatever reason, Game Freak has only ever experimented with a hard mode once throughout the history of the franchise, and it involved a New Game + mode inPokemon Black 2 & White 2.
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A player who has completedPokemon Black 2will unlock Challenge Mode, which can only be attempted upon a new playthrough. However, it’s possible to give another player access to Challenge Mode via the Nintendo DS’ IR sensor.
In Challenge Mode, the enemy AI is more competent, and enemies like Gym Leaders will use more Pokemon in battle.
It’s a shame that players have to jump through hoops to use Challenge Mode in Pokemon Black 2 & White 2, but at least the option existed at one point in the franchise’s history.
1Chrono Trigger
Let’s Do the Time Warp Again
Chrono Trigger
Often considered to be the game that first used the New Game + mode,Chrono Triggeralso had the best implementation of it.
As a game centered around time travel, it’s only fitting that New Game + be used to take the premise to its logical conclusion.
Once Chrono Trigger is completed and New Game + is started, the player can challenge the end boss at any time by going to the Millenial Fair. Fortunately, they retain their levels and gear from the previous run.
By defeating the end boss throughout history, the player can experience Chrono Trigger’s various endings, seeing how the story would have played out differently each time.
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