New Game Plus (also New Game+ or NG+) is an unlockable

video game A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual fe ...

mode available in some video game titles that allows the player to restart the game's story with all or some of the items or

experience Experience refers to Consciousness, conscious events in general, more specifically to perceptions, or to the practical knowledge and familiarity that is produced by these processes. Understood as a conscious event in the widest sense, experience i ...

gained in the first playthrough. New Game Plus modes are typically unlocked after completing the game's story at least once and sometimes contain certain features not normally available in the initial playthrough, such as increased difficulty, altered combat or encounters, and more.

Origin

The term was coined in the 1995

role-playing video game Role-playing video games, also known as CRPG (computer/console role-playing games), comprise a broad video game genre generally defined by a detailed story and character advancement (often through increasing characters' levels or other skills) ...

'' Chrono Trigger'', but examples can be found in earlier games, such as '' Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei'', ''

The Legend of Zelda is a media franchise, video game series created by the Japanese game designers Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka. It is primarily developed and published by Nintendo; some portable installments and re-releases have been outsourced to Flags ...

'', '' Ghosts 'n Goblins'', and '' Super Mario Bros.''. This play mode is most often found in role-playing video games, where starting a New Game Plus will usually have the

player character A player character (also known as a playable character or PC) is a fictional Character (arts), character in a video game or tabletop role-playing game whose actions are controlled by a player rather than the rules of the game. The characters tha ...

s start the new game with the statistics and equipment with which they ended the last game. Key items that are related to the story are normally removed so they cannot ruin the game's progression, and are given back to the player 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 playthrough.

Examples

Games with multiple endings, such as ''Chrono Trigger'', may feature a New Game Plus mode which allows the player to explore alternate endings. Many games increase the difficulty in a New Game Plus mode, such as those in the ''

Mega Man Battle Network is a Tactical role-playing game, tactical role-playing video game series created by Masahiro Yasuma and developed and published by Capcom as a spin-off of the ''Mega Man'' series. Released in 2001 for the Game Boy Advance, it takes place in an a ...

'' series and '' Borderlands'' series. Others use the feature to advance the plot. In '' Astro Boy: Omega Factor'', the player uses the game's Stage Select mechanism, explained in-story as a form of time travel, to avert disaster, while in '' Eternal Darkness'', the player defeats three different final bosses, one in each playthrough, to access the true ending. Some New Game Plus variations alter established gameplay. This includes unlocking new characters, such as in '' Castlevania: Symphony of the Night''; new areas, such as in '' Parasite Eve''; new items, such as in the ''

Metal Gear is a Media franchise, franchise of stealth games created by Hideo Kojima. Developed and published by Konami, the first game, ''Metal Gear (video game), Metal Gear'', was released in 1987 for MSX, MSX home computers. The player often takes con ...

'' series; new challenges, such as in the '' .hack'' series, or new weapon and armor upgrades, like in '' God of War II'''s Bonus Mode and ''

God of War A war god in mythology associated with war, combat, or bloodshed. They occur commonly in polytheism, polytheistic religions. Unlike most gods and goddesses in polytheistic religions, monotheistic deities have traditionally been portrayed in their ...

'''s New Game+ mode. Games that connect to online marketplaces may require the player to complete a New Game Plus game to obtain certain achievements, such as the "Calamity Kid" achievement in the game ''

Bastion A bastion is a structure projecting outward from the curtain wall of a fortification, most commonly angular in shape and positioned at the corners of the fort. The fully developed bastion consists of two faces and two flanks, with fire from the ...

''. Others may require or be required by additional purchases in the form of

downloadable content content (DLC) is additional content created for an already released video game, distributed through the Internet by the game's publisher. It can be added for no extra cost or as a form of video game monetization, enabling the publisher to gain ad ...

, such as in '' Yakuza: Like a Dragon''. '' Final Fantasy XIV'' is a

MMORPG A massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) is a video game that combines aspects of a role-playing video game and a massively multiplayer online game. As in role-playing games (RPGs), the player assumes the role of a Player charac ...

with an extensive story line called the "main scenario quest" or colloquially the "MSQ". A New Game Plus option was introduced during the '' Shadowbringers'' expansion patch cycle, which allows players to replay the main scenario and selected other scenarios, either in their entirety or specific expansion's stories.

References

{{Reflist Video game terminology

Origin

Examples

See also

References