New Game+ is pretty common in gaming these day. Tons of games let you reset your progress and start from the beginning with everything you’ve unlocked — but a few games go the extra mile to change things up. I’m not just talking about extra difficulty or new costumes. This list is all about games with surprising, shocking, or totally unique NG+ modes.
The games on this list feature something totally unique in their NG+ mechanics. Porting over your progress and upgrades in Doom Eternal to play on higher difficulty? That’s an awesome feature that’s just too simple for this list of completely different scenarios. Whether you play from an alternate perspective, unlock entirely new ways to play the game, or discover secret paths to the true ending — these NG+ modes must absolutely not be ignored.
Legend of Zelda
The original NG+ is also one of the most inventive. The original Legend of Zelda for NES was developed with plenty of memory left over on the cartridge, allowing for an entirely different second quest after the story was complete. Overworld items are mixed up, enemies gain new powers, and Link can get some serious debilitating effects — you can lose hearts permanently!
No other Zelda game has ever tried anything on this scale. Other games did gain special Hero Modes that are far more difficult, but usually just by buffing damage from enemies. The Nintendo 3DS remake of Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time features an alternate, unique version of Hero Mode that places you in a mirror flipped Gameworld that’s also filled with deadlier enemies.
Nier: Automata
This mind-bending action-RPG seems especially short after a single playthrough, but that isn’t anything unusual for Platinum Games, the developers behind this modern gaming classic. Nier: Automata is all about robots endless repeating themselves, and that’s where NG+ comes in. Every time you play NG+, you’ll play through the events of the story with a different characters — first as 2B’s partner 9S, and then later as a completely different character, unseen in the main story.
By completing the game a second time — which only has a few minor variations to gameplay and story — you’ll enter an entirely new chapter. The game changes rapidly at this point, and it’s unlike any other game I can think of. You’ll want to replay this one over and over to truly resolve this twisted story of two societies that can’t escape an endless cycle of violence.
Go to the next page for more games with unique NG+ stuff!