New Game Plus

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New Game Plus (usually written as "New Game+") is a 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.^[1] New Game+ is also known as "Replay Mode", "Challenge Mode" or "New Game Ex".

Contents 1 Origin 2 Examples 3 Clear Game 4 References

[edit] Origin

The term was first coined by the 1995 role-playing game Chrono Trigger, although the concept goes back to the original Legend of Zelda^[1]. This play mode is most often found in role-playing games, where starting a New Game+ will usually have the player characters 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 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 play through.

[edit] Examples

Games with multiple endings often feature New Game+, such as Chrono Trigger, which allows the character to play through the game using their previously-leveled characters. Some games feature multiple endings making New Game+ a way to play through the game to reach a different ending without having to level up the character and collect items. In some cases, specific features are locked away until the player starts a new game using the New Game+ option. In Sigma Star Saga, a special item is needed to unlock two of the four available endings; this item is unavailable on the first play through, but can be found in a New Game+ 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+ 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+ variations feature twists on the original game's campaign. In 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 Solid series can unlock items that can be accessed in a subsequent play-through.

Although this type of play is usually found in role playing games, other genres also use this feature. The Ratchet and Clank series allows subsequent play throughs 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.

[edit] 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 antagonist on the game world and complete any missed side-quests. Dragon Warrior II for the NES and EarthBound for the SNES are early examples of this. Some games instead 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 clear game, but rather allow the player to continue playing after completion with no side effects.

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.

[edit] References