I’m not one who enjoys playing the same sequence in a game multiple times. In fact, if I’ve had to play the same sequence in a game too many times (usually due to me dying / failing) I’ve walked away from games and have never gone back (the first Uncharted game for example). I simply don’t find repetitiveness enjoyable. When I first heard that you have to “replay” Nier more than once to get the most out of the story, I was a little put off, but after finishing the A ending last week I decided to jump back in.

Unfortunately, replaying the same sequences from the first playthrough as 9S has not been enjoyable so far. I wasn’t a huge fan of the combat the first time around, and it’s even worse as 9S (his most powerful attack is hacking which forces you into a repetitive mini-game that I got tired of after the third time seeing it. What’s worse is not enough feels different. You’re slogging through the same areas, fighting the same enemies and bosses for very little payoff. You’ll get some unique cut scenes and flashbacks that further fill in the story, but I’m already contemplating putting the game down for good. I wish they would have found a better way to fill in the story than running through the same thing twice.

I understand that the third playthrough is entirely different than the first two, but at this point it feels like a laborious grind stands in the way of something more rewarding. Why am I doing the same thing again when I could be working my way through Persona 5 instead? I’m still undecided whether I’m going to see it through or just look everything up on YouTube. I feel like the latter would be a wiser use of my time.