The Joke Endings from F to Z
NieR: Automata Easter Eggs
NieR: Automata has five main endings to its story. However, did you know that the game also features 21 other joke endings that you can unlock by doing specific things at certain places?
While Endings A to E are considered proper story endings, the ones from F to Z are all silly little conclusions that will result in a small bit of dialogue, followed by a sped up version of the end credits. For instance, eating a fish given to you by an NPC will cause 2B to be paralyzed and die from the fluids not going well with her android body. As she dies, she decides that she doesn’t actually have any regrets because, well, the fish was good.
Accord Exists in this Timeline
NieR: Automata Easter Eggs
When you first reach the Resistance Camp, one of the NPCs makes mention of someone named Accord, and says that she’s out traveling somewhere. Accord was first introduced back in Drakengard 3, where she was revealed to be part of an android organization tasked with keeping an eye on the timelines and multiple parallel dimensions.
While Accord’s job seemed to be done after the Flower had been sealed away in Drakengard 3, it would appear that some traces of her organization also persist in NieR’s timeline with this little piece of dialogue.
Sartre and Beauvoir
NieR: Automata Easter Eggs
During your second run of NieR: Automata, you’ll start to learn more about the backstory of the now-iconic songstress boss. Her name is revealed as Beauvoir, and she’s a machine who longed for the attention of a male machine. To that end, she started trying to make herself look beautiful and even ate other machines to enhance herself. However, the male machine never looked her way.
There’s no official confirmation of this, but that male machine could very well be Sartre from Pascal’s Village. Through his side mission, we find out that he’s a pretty philosophical dude who shuns all of his female fans. Beauvoir might’ve been one of those fans who just wanted his attention. Another fun fact: Sartre and Beauvoir are named after two famous philosophers.
Remnants of Facade
In the original NieR, we got to visit a town in the desert. The town was called Facade, and its citizens all wore weird tribal masks to differentiate themselves from the rest of the world. Facade fell into ruin at the end of the game with the death of its king and most of its army. With the failure of Project Gestalt, it probably didn’t take long for the rest of the town to deteriorate either.
However, there are still pieces of Facade’s civilization to be found in NieR: Automata. When you first approach NieR: Automata’s Desert Zone, you’ll start to encounter enemy machines wearing peculiar capes and masks. These look a lot like the ones that the Facade citizens wore as well. Considering that these masked machines are only found in the desert, it’s not too much of a stretch to think that these machines scavenged these pieces from Facade’s ruins.
UPDATE: The Heritage of the Past side mission actually has you collect artifacts from an ancient civilization all around the desert. Completing the mission will reveal that the desert is, indeed, where Facade was located.
Apologetic Robots
While playing NieR: Automata, you might have come across a few locked doors with a machine kneeling in front of it. However, when you talk to the machine, it will tell you that there’s nothing to see here. As compensation for wasting your time, the machine will self-destruct, rewarding you with some materials and a bit of money. It doesn’t seem possible to hack into those doors either.
There was a similar locked door in Drakengard 3 that couldn’t be opened. Considering the playful nature of game director Yoko Taro, I wouldn’t be surprised if these locked doors were just a red herring too.
The Lunar Tear
While journeying across this post-apocalyptic version of Earth, you’ll come across a few white flowers hidden away in the corners. This is a Lunar Tear, a very special flower that featured in the first game. However, you’ll only be able to interact with them after meeting Emil and starting his side mission. After completing the mission, Emil will regain his memories and show you the secret place he was trying to protect.
This secret place is a little field full of Lunar Tears surrounding Kaine’s shack. Cue the feels.
Song of the Ancients
Warning: this entry contains major spoilers for the main story of NieR: Automata.
Fans of the first game will recognize this immediately, but newcomers will probably miss it. During your third run of NieR: Automata, once 9S gets the ability to hack into the central tower, waves of enemies will start attacking him. At this point, the twin androids Devola and Popola will step in to help him out. They state that this is their way of atoning for their past sins. The twins will fend off the machines while 9S hacks into the tower. The song that plays during this segment is a new remix of Song of the Ancients, which was the twins’ musical theme from the first game, and arguably the best piece in that soundtrack.
In a sad twist, however, the twins are eventually forced to sacrifice themselves so that 9S can get into the tower. Later on, we find out that even though they killed the machines, Popola was the first twin to die in that conflict, and Devola sits with her, waiting for her own time to come. It’s a pretty tragic reversal of roles from the first game, where Devola dies at the hands of the player character, and Popola goes berserk while trying to avenge her.
Emil Reaches His Final Form
As another cool throwback, NieR: Automata features an optional super boss in the form of Emil. After breaking into Emil’s home and stealing his stuff, he’ll challenge you to a fight in the underground. However, he actually has another secret fight available in NieR: Automata. After you’ve collected all weapons and upgraded them to the max level, you can talk to him at the commercial district to start a new quest.
This will allow you to fight all of Emil’s clones in the desert. They’ve gone berserk from fighting for centuries and struggling to cope with the deaths of all their companions. The dialogue in this fight is pretty powerful, and fans of the first game will appreciate Emil’s growth and characterization here.
Have you found any other secrets or Easter eggs in NieR: Automata? Be sure to share them down in the comments below.
Published: Mar 7, 2017 12:30 pm