Let's Talk About Nier: Automata's Best (and Saddest) Sequence

SPOILER WARNING: Literally all the spoilers
Nier: Automata was a great game that unexpectedly made me bawl for like a full hour. Let's examine that sequence and how it relates to Nier's overall themes!

[@jakey_ac]

I dont know what made me so damn attached to this game, I think it's just because humanity is extinct and it's just a giant "now what?" And goddamn do I want nothing more than to have the android trio to be happy

[@roykong7024]

Jcaroppoli It's also great how you still continue to fight the machines with 9S regardless further empasizing how gruling the entire experience was

[@9yearoldepicgamersoldier129]

Ugh same :(

[@markkocsicska2590]

@@roykong7024 exactly. Because that's the pattern both the characters and the players grew used to. This is all they done when things made sense. And now that things don't, this is the only thing they cling to.

[@Bakugan2833]

From a video I seen a while back.. "First half of Nier is platinum gaming. Second Half of Nier is Yoko Taro" lol

[@matthewlugo2417]

Kevin Ngo well said

[@obblivionkr]

There are hints of Taro in first half, but the second half just goes full Taro. All in all, it’s going to be my favorite games for a while.

[@Mabidemonstrations]

xD it is definitely all Taro. You're just blind in the first couple runs. Remember humanity was dead long before the game ever started. There was never a reason for the fighting. Everything was pointless.

[@ElderGrub]

As depressing as that entire storyline was, fighting a goliath as a goliath was hype as fuck. Even if you only had to press 1 or 2 buttons.

[@zachdurocher1166]

and then the younglings ...

[@hoshii.8533]

When I got to that part, our attacks loaded up at the same time, so we punched each other at the same. And the fact that both Engels' eyes glow red right before landing the hit, it was fucking epic.

[@karbohydrates1842]

and you know the game is amazing when *that* is not the emotional peak of that sequence

[@ayumalasty8156]

"video game kills people" ....how about video games killing your emotions?

[@FF18Cloud]

ayuma lasty when you think about it, isn't that that same thing?

[@Arlo5.13]

@@FF18Cloud easy there, I've had more than enough philosophical distress about emotions and will in this game, I can't be continuing this existential crisis in the KZbin comments section 😉

[@secretscarlet8249]

I was actually saddened that Pascal said "I'll smash them apart!". It was really sad that he got affected by war to go to that point. D:

[@royalknightsleipmon2345]

You don't have to kill Pascal OR erase his memory. You can just leave without doing either. As you walk away, he calls you cruel for condemning him to life bearing the pain he never knew he can experience, but in an ironic way, it's possibly the kindest thing you can do for him, as he wanted so dearly to experience what being human is and the most human thing is to endure, to survive even through loss and persevere. He doesn't want to live with his grief, but if you force him to, he'll likely learn that it is possible to, that you can survive and that time can't erase the past but it can bring comfort and acceptance and heal your wounds, even if the scars remain.

[@pezdispencer113]

If you don't erase his memories then it leaves open the possibility to learn from the experience and not make the same mistakes, but I'm pretty sure its implied somewhere that he just ends up committing suicide.

[@GEMGaming_yt]

I did the same thing my first play through, it made the most sense to just walk away, and I was pleasently surprised that the game let me do that. I thought that Pascal could learn from his experiences and craft a better society the next time. However, I realized later that it probably doesn’t even matter. I forget where exactly, but sometime through Route C, the game explicitly states that machines do not learn from their experiences. They imitate the actions of humans, but fail in the exact same manner over and over and over. So, having walked away, Pascal will do the same thing again and teach his village to fear, which will cause them to come to the same conclusion and they’ll all kill themselves. And it all makes you wonder, if Pascal knows that his memory can be erased, how many time has this happened already?

[@CryptidFlame]

@@GEMGaming_yt that last line of urs is chilling

[@GEMGaming_yt]

@@CryptidFlame Yeah! That Yoko Taro can think up some really interesting plot lines. Makes you think.

[@mercury2157]

@@GEMGaming_yt I think he kills himself if you leave him. he doesn't show up in ending D if you leave him, and you can't find him anywhere else

[@techpassion4126]

Fun fact, if you recall the moment after the ocean Goliath fight as 9S, you were in hacking space and you were talking to Adam. Early on in that sequence, it is mentioned that machines copied humanity, including their failures. The machines tried many things, like kingdoms, democracies, and dictatorships. But if they were to fail, they wouldn't try anything new, they would just continue to make the same kingdom, democracy, or dictatorship as before. This implies (in my theory) that if you erase Pascal's memories, he will end up doing the same thing as before. He'll meet some new peaceful machines, make a pacifistic community together, and teach the children of the community about individuality, and also fear. Just thought I'd share this, in case some people find it interesting ^^

[@DevDreCW]

Nah, the peaceful machines were renegades. Cut off from the network. I don't think that qualifies as the network itself is what's dictating those cycles. If it were true, it wouldn't be pascal, but some future robot created in a similar image.

[@ECiriachi]

"However, the possibility of a different conclusion also exists. A future, is not given to you. It is one you make for yourself."

[@JorgeSilva-qf1mw]

Thats why the third option is the best, where you do nothing and just leave the factory, Pascal will hate you, but Pascal wanted to learn about humanity and so he has to learn to live with his mistakes

[@ImAlpharius]

It's the definition of insanity

[@ssjshaun8512]

No because Pascal becomes funny enough after you erase his memories and return to his village now he's using the corpses as components to sell.

[@JustJunuh]

Every good Nier Automata video ends with the Weight of the World

[@philcules]

While editing I wondered if it was too obvious but the song is so damn good I just went for it haha

[@PerryStevPT]

Every good Nier Automata video ends with me crying with the Weight of the World

[@__-fm5qv]

"Humanity is a horrible burden its complicated and messy. And understanding morality, means understanding its not fair. Not everyone gets to be happy. But the absence of something implies the possibility of it. And for some reason, whether it be self preservation, or naivety, or foolishness. The pursuit of that idea, that there is happiness, that there is meaning and joy out there. That enough to keep us going, even when its seems pointless and impossible." Thank you so so much for this quote (I will save it somewhere). Not only does it sum up my feelings for the game in general, it also sums up my thoughts as an 11 year old who wanted to commit suicide. The possibility of happiness, the idea that there could still be meaning and joy in the world, when I felt like I had nothing. Is what kept me going, even though I saw no point in existing. Now nearly 10 years later your quote, and this game made me choke up as I remembered it all. In fear of what could have been. In pain of what was. And in joy of the fact I'm still here today. I was lucky to have figured out the message from this game 10 years ago, and I'm glad that (hopefully) more shall learn it. There is always hope. Because of that, this game, and this quote will always have a special place in my heart. Thank you

[@philcules]

Wow, thank you so much for sharing this!! I'm so happy that this connected with you, and I'm also so glad you're still around to tell us about it :D I'm sure you've been through a lot but you're clearly strong and I hope you continue to fight the good fight

[@__-fm5qv]

Storytime Np! And thank you again. Keep up the good work :)

[@adriaanlips9479]

Keep it up fam!

[@heerotomoe]

DUDE this video/analysis/explosion of feelings was so. GOOD. ;__; great job, man. re:Pascal, there's a third option, one which I personally think is the happiest, and that is to not give Pascal rest. You can leave. He will plead at you scream at you, but you can refuse the binary choices given and leave him. As much as I LOVE Pascal and sympathized with him, at that moment I was angry with him too. "How dare you give up these memories you treasured. How dare you make me end your life when life in others is what you treasured so much." They weren't entirely rational thoughts, but I guess I was also angry at how he'd gone against everything he believed in for the sake of these children and then he gave up?? I wanted him to live with the pain and consequences of his actions, to grow. Or at the very least let the children he loved so much live on in his memories. And if he truly could bear to live anymore, that he would die by his own hand instead of thrusting the responsibility on someone else. He never showed up in the village, and for a while I thought he'd ended up killing himself and it made me very sad. But... I guess.. he just never returned? And later went on to forge a peace treaty between small groups of androids and machines. Shine on, you crazy diamond. ;;;;

[@philcules]

Woah, I had no idea, I never even tried!! That's super interesting, thanks for sharing. I had complex feelings at that moment too. I dunno if I could have walked away from him if he screams at you, though D:

[@raymerrodriguez7919]

note: if you want one of the secret boss, you need to delete his memory, cause you need 100% weapon for it, and pascal see the machine head bracers

[@tribacioustee2846]

Kushrada I looked this up and didn't find anything saying such. Are you sure?

[@roykong7024]

heerotomoe I'm actually quite confident he kills himself. Although I have yet to find proof of this, striped of his purpose to live and have his ideals cause his beloved villagers would probably be enough to break him and cause him to commit suicide

[@roykong7024]

Ryan Hamlett, what always made me feel so uncomfortable was the fact that they did die. They die every single time when every the machine makes a new copy of them. It's not the original 2B and 9S they are clones. The originals probably died waaayyyy longer then the story has us believe. How it works is only their memory is transferred. It's just like a clone of you with the same body and memories. The real you died.

[@Boulder7685]

Ending E also made me cry once it revealed the whole "request to help" thing, and while it was actually beatable upon accepting, the tears made it a bit more challenging lol. I'll fully admit that Ending E actually convinced me to delete my save as well, which is probably the grandest accomplishment Nier:Automata pulled off in my book.

[@philcules]

Man I was totally losing it during that and I was doubly sad because I knew I was gonna make a video and had to go back and record stuff so I didn't delete my file D: It's such a simple but beautiful idea.

[@sachitechless]

HOLY SHIT AFTER READING THIS COMMENT AND ALL THE ONES ABOUT PASCAL'S MEMORIES JUST HELPED ME REALISE SOMETHING ABOUT ENDING E!!! So, basically my thoughts about the choice to delete your save file mirrors something that both the androids and machines have to do all the time. Their memories are uploaded to an outside network, or in the case of Pascal's village, the cores of the machines that can be transferred. What is more important, your memories or your body? Clearly the androids and machines have figured out it's your memories, save for Mr. Ship of Theseus himself the shopkeep from the resistance village. He s that one niggling doubt that says that you don't want to leave your own body because that's what's most important. Ending E brings this to a head in this idea. Is a save file the thing that is most important to you? Is the physical act of having something to prove you have those memories enough. Or are your memories enough? Could you make those memories in a new save file or do you need that save file, would it be the same? Just a random thought that I had and I want to burn the Ship of Theseus because it keeps showing up everywhere I look argh!!!

[@mechaknightdx5066]

I disagree with your point about Pascal. To kill Pascal and to wipe his memory are, on the surface, equal. Both result in Pascal to cease to exist. However choosing to only wipe Pascal's memories creates the chance that some good will come out of it. Much like ending E states, Pascal could very well repeat the same cycle of guilt but as long as he keeps living there is a chance he will break the cycle.

[@GyrosGeier]

You can also walk away in that scene.

[@nikhilvyas2106]

Its been years and I am still asking myself what's the right choice there. All I know is that Pascal didn't deserve this and I couldn't bring myself to kill him

[@jdtowery90]

I was literally crying while I was erasing Pascal's memories. It was rough.

[@philcules]

I haven't cried that bad during a video game probably ever D:

[@heresamonopassingby8230]

Same. After erasing his memories and seeing what happened after that I regretted it....but what else can be done?? I really loved Pascal the thought of killing him was too much for me, and yeah we can just leave him but tbh? If we do that most likely he will commit suicide so it's will be the same. The whole attack to Pascal's village sequence was painful, you are just there playing with the children and suddenly minutes later everything is gone, the place you cared for is no longer here. Pascal, pod 042 and A2 are def my favorite characters in this game, every sequence of them in pain was awful.

[@saschaeggert2148]

@@heresamonopassingby8230 I sometimes got angry at Pascal when he was with me cos he sometimes distracted me in the fights, especially in the flight combat. But deleting his memory felt so painful and I almost cried. Well, I cried at the end eventually, what an amazing and inspiring game.

[@CherrySteinz]

The strategy of making the player control characters in moments that seemingly don't need to be manual is an amazing emotional strategy. It connects you to the character more because you have to actively immerse yourself in the character. Forcing you to walk back into the factory yourself makes you feel so much worse than it would have in a cutscene. In a game called Shadow Of The Colossus there is a moment where you are struggling against a force trying to pull you away from the woman you worked so hard to resurrect. They make you actually control the main character and desperately try to cling to things and struggle against the force and when you get to the edge of the pool pulling you in, you can hold on for as long as your stamina meter will allow. I had already loved that they did that in Colossus and when I realized Nier Automata uses that strategy it made me love it even more than I already did. I hope more games do this.

[@philcules]

Yes, that totally makes it! That part in Shadow is legit one of my favorite video game memories ever, it was super emotional for the simplest possible mechanic of just moving.

[@souledge87]

This sequence, really left a lasting impact on me. I chose the third option. Walk away like a badass. You don't learn anything from erasing your memories. But it was heart breaking hearing what Pascal says to you as you leave.

[@philcules]

I didn't know it existed when I made the video and I haven't been able to look it up since because I don't think my heart could take it, RIP

[@M08Xrd]

I killed Pascal because I thought it was pointless letting him live without his memories, it wouldn't be the Pascal that I cared about and that became one of my favorite characters in the game. Now that I know what would have happened if I had let him live, I'm glad I made that decision... I will miss you Pascal T.T

[@pupprinateacup660]

Maurolo08 There’s a Third choice, which to me feels the more human. In this one you can choose no to kill him or erase his memories. Just walk out of the factory.

[@gureguru4694]

the weight of the world.. this game taught me many many things. and now look at life a little differently..

[@potudgruths972]

Wow I knew nothing of this game so I was just gonna ignore it, but if it has this incredible of a story I think I'm gonna check it out. Thanks for giving me a peek!

[@tofu042]

It has, indeed.

[@DevDreCW]

I think killing pascal goes against the point the game is trying to get across. Sure wiping his memories wipes pascal, but there's still hope. I can even envision a story that takes place after ending E where they all meet up again... Perhaps the slight familiarity pascal had to it's name, would carry over to reading... And perhaps the new pascal will even gain the same values of family and togetherness with the androids. If you kill pascal.. that's it. You put an end to his story, and it's not a happy one.

[@raptorkid7477]

Best game of the year

[@Ninchennase]

Make that the decade instead of the year for me.

[@AKSBSU]

It looks like it's actually 4th in Game of the Year wins after Zelda, Horizon, and Super Mario Galaxy, games with huge financial backing from Nintendo/ Sony. It's incredible for a "niche" game like Nier is ranking amongst the big budget (particularly MARKETING money) juggernauts. Also, 4 of the top 5 GotY winners (Zelda, Mario, Nier: Automata, and Persona 5) are from Japan, and pretty savage domination by Japanese games this year.

[@m-o-r-g-a-n]

Sorry, I think you meant "Best Game"

[@kawaiipateu147]

best game ever stil 3 years later my man

[@user-hc3kg4hi7p]

I just got it yesterday and I’ve never been so emotionally invested to a game

[@niermayonetta6048]

This game has fucked me up

[@Ninchennase]

You're one of many, many people with that. But it fucked me up in a good way.

[@user-js3nk9lh8n]

THIS GAME MAKES ME WANT TO CRY FOR ALL OF ETERNITY

[@Schneeregen_]

It's been more than 4 months and I still feel this deep sense of mourning every time I think of 2B's death, Pascals village being destroyed, Endings C-E, some of the songs, and Emil's death + sidestory,so much so that I've repeatedly been moved to tears. Everyone needs to play this masterful tragedy.

[@daienkai148]

God same about the crying thing.i started wailing sometime around the Operator 21O fight and continued ugly sobbing through to the end of the game

[@Shaunacarli93]

Well you just masterfully made me tear up at the end. Excellent video which really captured the beauty of this game. I'm currently on my second run-through of it and I already don't know if i'll make it through route C a second time, but I'll at least try because ending E made me feel something really special.

[@NokodaHere]

I bawled so hard I died because I couldn't see. From the Amusement Park to Pascal, I couldn't keep my composure anymore. It even broke me when I had to choose (the first time) between 9S & A2.. This game is a masterpiece. It makes you think outside of the game, at life around you. It truly breaks you more than any other media I've experienced.

[@1superstick]

Initiate tears 4:30, I did not cry during any sequence of this game but you HAD to use that music there. Brilliant.

[@NInjaken1337]

Can't say Pascal was the plot twist that broke me, Doing Gathering Keepsakes side quest broke me, first when I discovered 2B's final message I felt numb for a good 4-5 mins... simply left the controller down listening to the music trying to get it together... and then the end of the quest.... yea this game throws em sucker punches like it's nothing.... had to listen to that song 4-5 times... yep best game ever.

[@XanfireX1]

You could also walk away and leave Pascal alone without doing anything.

[@DTFinn01]

Yeah but then he screams at you and then your heart (my alteast) just breaks.

[@twilightvulpine]

I couldn't have it any other way. It's sad, but what sense does it make to respond to the tragedy of them killing themselves by killing yourself?

[@eXJonSnow]

And then he kills himself later

[@dacornguy]

A ten minute video about my now current favourite game, ending with a quote from one of greatest comic books of all time... You sir have made ME cry! You deserve a sub. (Both the sandwich and a subscriber)

[@FilthyPeasantGaming]

Was looking around youtube for story discussion for the game and... weirdly enough your short video is probably the best out there. Nicely done mate.

[@philcules]

Thank you so much, that's so nice to hear!!

[@bluestonewings7302]

This is the deepest analysis I've found yet and I'm a mess of feels again ;-;

[@popgas3821]

I'm with you on this. As much as 9S' descent is tragic, Pascal's is the only one during route C that made me cry. I just stare there with my PS4 controller, can't believe how it turned out.

[@seth1393]

I know this video is old, but still. This made me cry. Nier is such a wonderful story and I love to hear different perpectives and interpretations

[@avallach2061]

Late to the party, but damn... Pascal, Popola and Devola, 9S final memories, you fighting against the developers for the ending E, Beauvoir boss background, ah... I still have not got over this game yet, i know what to expect from Yoko Taro, but anyways, i can't remember the last time i got so emotional, this game is a true masterpiece, i hope more and more people know about this game(and Yoko Taro work in general) and don't judge it by the "sexualization" of the characters like i've seen people talk about or just as a simple hack n' slash, there's a lot more to it. (the OST tho, no words to describe it)

[@jakqatif]

thank u for making this video seigh ... this game is so undescribable I love it sooo much even so it aches my heart (=(

[@theonlinepanda2238]

With this video alone you have successfully secured another sub. Now if you'll excuse me I gotta dig for more of your content to watch. Great job! :)

[@Highlaw]

You missed the 3rd option with Pascal, you can simply leave the place right there and then. He'll still have his memories intact.

[@Bakugan2833]

HNNGG THAT QUOTE AT THE END HIT ME LIKE A TRUCK

[@philcules]

Right?! I think about it so often, I first read it over a decade ago and it still gets me.

[@Ninchennase]

Thanks for summing up why this is one of the best and most important action RPGs ever made.

[@GamerGuy249]

Route A and B had sad moments but you win in the end and feel good. Route C is like being hit by a fucking feel truck

[@levobertus]

What really broke me was the moment he said he was gonna smash them up and kill them, followed by the sequence where you mow down hundreds and hundreds of machines with the immeasurable might of Engels. It was horrifying to witness and extremely difficult to play. As for the choice to kill or erase Pascal, I decided I couldn't do either and just left him behind. The game actually lets you do that and I was surprised it did. It was heartbreaking to hear him ask you how you could do this to him, but I believe it was the right decision.

[@trapliz6154]

3 years later and Im still playing this game it touches me so much

[@ryangress5697]

Lol literally just hearing "Weight of the World" fucking brought me to tears.

[@alabastergreen7444]

Even now 4 years later I'm still not over it...

[@dtofthedarkthief]

what seemed really epic, like some of the battles, was really tragic. this game made me so sad for all the machines, 2b, 9s, and a2

[@kylenoyes6442]

I glad you mentioned Pascal's rejection of his pacifism, every other video focuses on the children but that whole badass fight sequence prior felt incredibly melancholy to me, feeling like I was giving up everything he had lived for.

[@hanchiman]

Pascal fate always give me shill, machine or not but they are sentient.

[@n0madd]

"Humanity is a horrible burden its complicated and messy. And understanding morality, means understanding its not fair. Not everyone gets to be happy. But the absence of something implies the possibility of it. And for some reason, whether it be self preservation, or naivety, or foolishness. The pursuit of that idea, that there is happiness, that there is meaning and joy out there. That enough to keep us going, even when its seems pointless and impossible." Freaking subscribed.

[@adriaanlips9479]

You mentioned that you wondered if the robots become sentient by gradual self-learning or by deliberate programming. I think it's the ladder This is because of the pods. During ending E, it's very visible that both pods gain a sense of sympathy for A2 and 9S even though this was not programmed in by the humans. This leads me to believe that the robots themselves gained human emotions.

[@JimmySentence]

amazing you've earned a subscribe amazing video i'll try to patreon you soon

[@balbanes1]

The things is being human and having emotions is a chemical response unique to our bodies. Using pure logic to understand life through a human perspective will more often then not lead to the decision to end ones life immediately because there is no point through pure logic. The only certainty is loss and pain. Machines, try as they like cannot conceive fully what it means to be human because they are not human and were not created by humans.

[@tribacioustee2846]

balbanes1 You forget an important detail. YorHa androids' black boxes are made from machine cores. Anything androids can feel, machines can too. And androids are all but identical to their human creators.

[@Ninchennase]

Nevflinn, really? I missed that. Guess I didn't get all of the story, because I thought that the androids were the only human remnants by the time the aliens came and brought machines?

[@tribacioustee2846]

Ninchennase They were, and yes, machines came after. But in the second of the three 'boxes' IIRC, it is clearly, unmistakably stated that YorHa like 2B, 9S, 6O, 21O, A2 et al. are based on machine cores. Yet we can't say they don't feel or think, can we?

[@Ninchennase]

To be honest, I was often so emotionally invested in the game that some of the story just whizzed over my head while I tried not to tear up or to stop my hands from shaking. ;) I'm currently watching a let's play to see what I missed while playing. Thanks for replying!

[@lichmourne00]

Ninchennase you get a lot of this info rewding all the documents ingame btw. There is a really neat one written by Jackass after you beat the game.

[@Olan09]

Thanks Storytime, for this. I liked this game because it is unique. it has a story line. It's often a grim story line, but it makes you think. Not many games do that.

[@natetrew9530]

Fun fact, there's actually the third option of walking away from Pascal, leaving him with his memories. IMO this is the most 'humane' of the three choices

[@tribacioustee2846]

Pascal was my favorite too. I had a strong feeling they'd destroy the machine village - just the same time that I decided it was one of my favourite hubs in gaming. Well said on the ending too. It wasn't "worth the cost" but it was the answer.

[@seraslain962]

I remember my first playthrough of the game... I remember the horrible pain I suffered getting to the end, but like a Masochist, I kept coming for more until it was all over. Endings C and D left me empty like there was nothing left. But then, something different happened during the credits. I was given an alternative. I took it and fought with everything I had until I couldn't do it on my own, then through the collective efforts of myself and dozens of others, I did it! Ending E appeared and with it came a ray of hope to pierce the seemingly neverending darkness! Getting that ending made me feel better. It wasn't ideal. It wasn't a happy ending. But I'd happily take it over the other endings!

[@ARTSBYSON]

I went numb after the quest to hack into sudicial robots thoughts and he eventually jumps... I was like WOW this game is DEPRESSING😢😪😤

[@mightytaco123]

i think what pascal really did was give the children the forbidden fruit. when adam and eve ate the fruit the then covered themselves and learned shame, fear, hunger, and evil. as the holy ghost said they became lik us knowing us good and evil and that fear overtook the children and they took their own lives

[@elcatrinc1996]

I love that a message about life and its meaning is tied directly and hidden behing a game about THICC robots

[@romiljoshi5687]

"My wish is to save everyone of us But the truth is that im only one girl"

[@CaptainCJ97]

Great vid

[@neryleal5265]

I'm glad automata finally is getting its fanbase momentum. Especially because I love hearing everyone's views on the game. Yes the destruction of Pascale village was heartbreaking, to me the hardest part to get through was 2b corrupted. Walking through the map limping, losing your attacks, everything becoming distorted, trying. There was this heavy pointless feeling suddenly. I had done all of this work up to now, just to be corrupted. And then A2 shows up, and then 2b asks to die and 9s sees A2 next to a dead 2b, falls through the bridge and then out of nowhere this monumental tower shows up from the ground, leaving the title on the screen. That ending, was so shocking, and only opened up the game so much

[@phantomnite]

That was the part that made me cry the most. Just everything about that part. The death of 6O and the commander and the way 2B just limps, making it hard to play (both figuratively and literally)

[@jahasoto]

Fun fact you can also walk away from Pascal which is what I did, I mean he wanted to become human like, now he has to deal with that grief

[@sondowultimate]

I did the third option turn around and walk away and let pascal learn from this error...it'll lead to two options the extreme guilt will make end himself or he will understand and grow from the mistake as that is part of being human too. Making mistakes and learning from them

[@Russian1109]

There is a "hidden" third option when leading with pascal, that is simple leave him, he ends up heating you but this is what he always wanted, to feel emotions, good and bads are all part of life, and that will guide him ti be better without the need to kill him, because erasing his memory will only end in a neverending bucle

[@ashton9466]

im gonna come back later but listening to nier automata theory vids and all that is making my brain turn blind

[@aaron9127]

I didn't give it much thought and erased. I broke down a second time when I went to the village and it weights like a real mistake.

[@oettinger87]

I'm a little late but i just played this game and finished all endings. This game broke me to a point where i didn't want to get the Y ending, because i had to kill the last happy and joyful character that was left in this game. It just felt terrible to do it. It is 6am and i finished it 2 hours ago, but I just can't go to bed because i can't stop thinking about this game. A true masterpiece full of grief and sadness but still a masterpiece

[@NokoFace]

I sometimes wonder if there's just something I missed. The story was phenomenal and I loved it and the characters, but I never cried once during the game. I was sad, sure, but nothing "broke" me like so many people claim. I've cried during video games before. Final Fantasy X. Kingdom Hearts 2. Final Fantasy 9. But I never really cried during Nier. I just felt sad.

[@novustalks7525]

Saddest sequence is the twins sacrificing themselves. That was powerful

[@zachdurocher1166]

"I would...like to see...stars sometime..."

[@karlo2018]

I cried watching this

[@ChaoticUrges]

6:17 It's okay we are only human

[@charlielainez1148]

It's sad when Pascal lost the her memories... I knew something was up when you play as Pascal

[@phantomnite]

Sorry for the very late comment. When I first played this game, I chose to delete his memories as I thought that would of been best, but I unknowingly forced him through a fate worse than death. It was heart breaking seeing him like that, selling his dead friends corpses.

[@Olan09]

Something I'll add; every mission the androids run is compromised. The Starting mission in Playthrough A, and the supposed decisive strike at the start of Playthrough C. That gave the war a hopeless feel. I wonder if this is confined to Nier Automata?

[@wildcats1369]

how about the third option with pascal?

[@KokoroSunagaru]

Pascal.... T_T *sobs so hard*

[@XxTreBasedxX]

you can also choose to leave pascal there, u dont have to interact with him at all. i feel that is most human choice.

[@MrGame252]

I'm not crying your 😢.

[@chrispysaid]

0:00 Hey Phil!

[@johnnyderby2]

I'm really glad that you pointed out the fall of Pascal's pacifistic mindset. It was definitely one of the hardest things to experience each and every time I've played through this game.

[@calronmoonflower]

I've heard there is a third option with Pascal. Just leave him instead of killing him or erasing his memories.

[@chrispysaid]

"Humanity is a horrible burden." I feel that.

[@maximmonov8249]

You can also leave pascal to deal with it on his own, stopping him from repeating the same mistake in the future

[@jackferring6790]

others have metioned it but there is a third, and arguably better option; you can just walk away. he calls you cruel for doing it, but its possibly the kindest thing you can do for him. He's still in pain and may ultimately choose to take his own life, but he has a chance to recover, at least somewhat from this and live a better life.

[@Urathamax]

I didn't feel anywhere near as strongly about this as others, it seems. I think that by the end, I wasn't especially upset at any of the character deaths, nor enchanted at the prospect of their resurrection. It's interesting now I think about it because my experience of the game, ironically, lacked humanity. Was that the game, or was it me? Hmm 🤔

[@mr.tophat300]

My eye's are sweating

[@rin4301]

2b : "9s you.. you may understand your self one day" Me : sadnoise :'

[@ujiltromm7358]

If you care about Pascale, you neither destroy it nor erase its memories. You turn back, walk away, refuse to take into your own hands and responsibility the fate of your friend's life. You let Pascal slander A2, and watch it propel away, alive, with a chance to figure out failing, mourning, atoning, learning and retrying with experience as its witness. After all, isn't life a long string of embarrassments?

[@BUDA20]

I let pascal live with his memories, is the only way that make al the sacrifice worth something, at least for me, pain could be a positive threshold

[@machoke666]

I just left Pascal, you don't have to kill him or wipe his memories. If someone you cared about was distraught and came up to you and asked you to kill them, I know for a fact that most of you definitely wouldn't wanna kill them - I wish I could console him, but since it's not an option I left him to deal with the sadness, hopefully he managed to cope

[@worsethanyouthink]

Do you have any idea how little that narrows it down?

[@DehellTube]

You know, you can also just... run away and leave Pascal alone here

[@juanruiz-by3wo]

What song IS play in the end?

[@RavenCost]

GODDAMN YOU I AM CRYING AGAIN!

[@twokharacters]

You left out the third option for what to do about Pascal: simply turning around and walking out the door.

[@Ole_Rasmussen]

I disagree with some interpretations, but great video!

[@Kazzerss_]

I...I'm shaking, once more... I can't count how many times I've been shaking this way after finishing this game, but it was way more than before in my whole life. This is NieR:Automata to me

[@PerryStevPT]

I know it has been a year since this comment, but I feel exactly the same. I finished the game in mid-April, during quarantine (lots of free time), and the first week after that was rough. But I think it still affects me today.

[@Kazzerss_]

@@PerryStevPT 1 year after this game still affects me sometimes you know... Listening again to some OSTs, remembering good and bad times... This game is a masterpiece.

[@PerryStevPT]

I haven't really played a lot of games, but I feel it would be really hard for a game to get better than this. Such an incredible experience.

[@NegativeIons]

I disagree with both killing him or ereasing his memories, since both options take away his chance to grow and to learn from his past (making mistakes, even horrible ones, is as human as everything else Pascal wants to learn and gain). I think walking away is the most... "humane" option, even if it exposes him to the horrible grief he is feeling (and even if you feel pretty horrible while doing that... man, those were some strong feels). Grief, even the most devasting form, is part of human existence and as someone who has suffered a terrible loss, I can say that dealing with it made me stronger and... a somewhat "better human being" (I realize the subjectivness of that statement, but... I certainly feels that way to me).