Category
😹
FunTranscript
00:00 "Scarecrow's gonna break you, Batman!"
00:02 "Honestly, why do you even bother with these meat sacks?"
00:06 Welcome to Mojo Plays, and today, we're rethinking another second playthrough
00:10 after these games upped the difficulty the second time around.
00:14 We'll be avoiding specific hard modes that are unlocked,
00:17 and instead focusing solely on difficult standard New Game+ playthroughs.
00:29 Final Fantasy XVI.
00:31 "My service may have been bought with this brand, but not my loyalty. I just fight to survive."
00:37 Final Fantasy XVI made a lot of changes to the classic formula of the series,
00:43 but by far, the most drastic was to the game's combat.
00:47 Taking more inspiration from the Devil May Cry series than from Final Fantasy's past,
00:52 the combat was faster and more focused on combos than outright strategy.
00:57 While XVI's New Game+ doesn't amp up the difficulty a substantial amount compared to other entries on our list,
01:04 it does add new modes while also randomizing enemy encounters for additional challenges.
01:10 Final Fantasy mode acts like you would expect from New Game+,
01:13 with all gear and equipment carrying over to deal with tougher and higher level enemies,
01:18 but with the added focus on combo building for greater rewards.
01:23 Ultimania is focused primarily on more difficult Arete Stone challenges,
01:28 and Time Attack mode is Clive going one-on-one with many icons from the main game.
01:33 "Come, little lamb, to the slaughter with you."
01:39 Eternal Sonata.
01:41 Eternal Sonata is a wildly overlooked JRPG from 2007
01:46 that lets players experience the last moments of famed composer Frederick Chopin
01:50 as he slowly succumbs to tuberculosis,
01:53 and experiences music as other characters within this fantasy world.
01:57 The game ends when the disease sadly ends his life,
02:01 but players can still replay the game through New Game+ mode, appropriately called Encore.
02:07 While this new mode does open up new areas, as well as the hardest dungeon in the game,
02:11 it also completely changes the game's original mechanics,
02:15 and removes much of the strategy from previous battles.
02:18 Another drastic change from other New Game+ modes
02:21 is that none of your progress from your previous playthrough carries over,
02:24 meaning even though the enemies get substantial stat buffs,
02:28 you're starting from scratch all over again.
02:31 It's enough to have anyone playing a different tune the second time around.
02:34 Undertale.
02:36 Undertale is without a doubt one of the most unique RPGs on the market,
02:46 and it found widespread acclaim with its non-traditional approach to storytelling,
02:50 world building, and especially its battles,
02:53 which reward players for not engaging in outright combat.
02:56 Likewise, Undertale's approach to New Game+ is just as novel as the base game itself.
03:02 The game wants the player to find a more peaceful way to solve encounters,
03:06 but for those who decided to mercilessly murder everyone they did battle with,
03:10 the game remembers this on a second playthrough,
03:13 and there's even specific dialogue that recounts and shames you for your actions.
03:18 You can't even achieve the game's true good playthrough without the constant harassment,
03:23 until a third time through the underworld.
03:25 Eternal Darkness.
03:30 Eternal Darkness is a game designed to mess with the player.
03:41 Not only will the game challenge the player's sanity at every turn,
03:44 constantly making them second-guess themselves with all manner of mind games,
03:48 but Eternal Darkness also hides the game's true ending behind three New Game+ playthroughs.
03:55 The only way to achieve the real ending is by committing yourself to one of the three
03:59 alignments for each playthrough, which makes drastic changes to the game's combat based on
04:04 the player character, as well as how the game itself plays.
04:08 The increased challenge comes from adapting to these new parameters to reach the game's conclusion,
04:13 and each character's particular playstyle, as well as what can and will affect their sanity meter.
04:19 The in-game characters aren't going to be the only ones needing a straitjacket by the end.
04:23 Kirby's Dream Land.
04:32 No one would normally accuse any Kirby game of being challenging,
04:37 but back in the Wild West days of 90s game development,
04:41 even Kirby wasn't afraid to knock unsuspecting players down a peg.
04:45 After completing the game, Kirby's Dream Land will give the player a code for the game's
04:50 Extra Mode, but the game fails to tell you that activating this code
04:54 will turn Kirby's Dream Land into a nightmare.
04:57 Every level is now filled with either late-game enemies or more difficult versions of regular
05:03 enemies, and all bosses now come with massive damage dealing and screen-filling attacks.
05:09 Even veteran Kirby players who never believed Kirby games even had a game over screen
05:14 will have to get good like it's Dark Souls Kirby Edition.
05:17 NieR Automata.
05:18 Unlike the other entries on our list, the brilliant NieR Automata's new game plus
05:33 challenge comes less from increased difficulty and more of a matter of endurance.
05:38 Just like with other new game plus offerings,
05:40 NieR Automata allows players to carry over all items, equipment, and upgrades to each new playthrough.
05:46 However, the game offers a staggering 26 different possible endings for players to earn.
05:52 And while the game keeps things fresh by offering new bosses, challenges,
05:56 and even new playable characters, your first playthrough can take on average about 20 hours.
06:02 And while you won't have to completely replay the game 26 times to earn every ending,
06:07 there are certain parameters that need to be met for specific endings.
06:10 And if players are trying to discover all of them without any help to guide them,
06:15 they're in for quite a long haul.
06:16 Lies of P.
06:28 "I'm so happy to see you."
06:32 The Souls-like genre has boomed in recent years with untold numbers of copycats attempting to
06:38 add their own spin to FromSoftware's now iconic formula.
06:41 However, Lies of P manages to not only create its own identity, but also put a fresh spin
06:47 on the tried and true game mechanics long time Souls fans are familiar with.
06:52 Likewise, Lies of P also has a new Game+ mode for those looking for an additional challenge
06:58 in this already difficult game.
07:00 Many weapons, upgrades, and unlocks carry over to this new run.
07:05 But you'll also open new upgrades for your skill tree, and these can be stacked up to 7 times.
07:11 Enemies also receive a substantial boost not only to their health, but their damage output as well.
07:16 So you're going to need all the help you can get,
07:19 especially if you want to unlock the best ending in the game.
07:23 Batman Arkham Knight
07:31 "I had a bad reaction, but it's over now."
07:34 "I've really got to hand it to Scarecrow.
07:37 I've never been a fan of his concoctions up till now, but this batch, it's intoxicating."
07:45 Rocksteady completely shattered expectations and redefined what a superhero video game
07:50 could be with their Arkham series, setting a new benchmark for adaptations,
07:55 and inadvertently influencing the entire industry on how to properly do open combat in gaming.
08:01 While the finale to their trilogy might not be everyone's favorite entry,
08:05 the overall experience is still highly praised for its gameplay, once again, especially its combat.
08:13 However, for those who immediately went back to replay their last adventure in Arkham,
08:17 they would find that Rocksteady went the extra mile to make players feel like
08:21 Batman by completely removing the counter indicators.
08:24 While this might seem like a minor change,
08:27 without any indication that Batman is about to take a bat to the belfry,
08:31 even the most skilled players will feel the need to spend a bit more time training
08:35 before once again setting out on the streets of Gotham.
08:38 "That's what I like about you. Predictable.
08:41 And that's why we're gonna win. We know your mood before you do. We know how you think!"
08:47 Dark Souls Franchise
08:48 Undoubtedly the series most expected on this list, Dark Souls made a name for itself with
08:58 its difficult gameplay that challenged players to get good.
09:02 Every game in FromSoftware's Souls catalog features an even more challenging new game plus.
09:08 From Dark Souls to Bloodborne and even the developers most recent hit Elden Ring,
09:12 all ramping up the difficulty to the 10th degree by increasing enemies' health and damage
09:18 and continuing to do so for those insane enough to stack multiple new game plus runs.
09:23 However, out of the main Souls games,
09:26 Dark Souls 2 stands out for its especially difficult new game plus playthrough.
09:30 Dark Souls 2 manages to both challenge and frustrate players by greatly increasing
09:35 the number of NPC invasions the player needs to deal with.
09:39 Not only do these buffed extra enemies spawn in unexpectedly during regular exploration,
09:44 but they can also appear during already difficult boss fights.
09:48 Live, die, repeat, Soulsian.
09:51 The Legend of Zelda
10:03 The oldest entry on our list and quite possibly one of the first games to ever feature a new
10:08 game plus playthrough, the original Legend of Zelda was groundbreaking in a number of ways.
10:14 From its combat, exploration and approach to dungeons, but also managed to keep things
10:19 fresh for those who sought to save Hyrule a second time.
10:22 Nintendo expects quite a lot from players the second time around however,
10:26 as not only are dungeons and enemies remixed, but players can even lose their heart containers,
10:32 permanently decreasing their overall health for the remainder of their playthrough,
10:36 should their timing even be slightly off cue.
10:40 Future Zelda games offered a similar challenge with their master mode,
10:43 but none have reached the controller breaking frustrations of the original.
10:47 Which new game plus mode challenged you the most on your second playthrough?
10:56 Share your struggles down in the comments.
10:59 Did you enjoy this video?
11:00 Check out these other clips for mojo plays,
11:03 and be sure to subscribe and ring the bell to be notified about our latest videos.