The Robot & the Shade | NieR Replicant (2021) Part 6

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We're revisiting the locations from Part One, this time collecting "key fragments" instead of "sealed verses." I'm confused as to how Popola figured out that we need these key fragments to find the Shadowlord's castle or whatever. Hopefully, it all comes together. At least the pace feels faster. We covered the Lost Shrine, the Junk Heap, and the Forest of Myth all in one sesh. I've had to accept repetition to get through this game, and there were enough changes to these sections for me to feel engaged. The Lost Shrine was basically the same except that we entered through the back entrance, but it's been long enough that I didn't mind. Plus, it's nice to have Kaine and Emil with me this time around.

The Forest of Myth was cryptic and strange as ever, but I think I'm supposed to be confused. I'm starting to see the cracks in big Moog's psyche--his single-mindedness, his quickness to violence. There is a strange parallel between our boy and Gideon, the surviving member of Two Brothers Weaponry. As Eren Yeager must kill all Titans, Moog must kill all shades, and Gideon must (ask Moog to) kill all robots. While playing, I overlooked the fact that Jakob was not in fact killed by a robot--it was just an accident, a collapse of rubble inadvertently caused by Gideon himself. Gideon cannot live with this guilt and seems to have convinced himself that the robot murdered Jakob. He convinced me for a hot second too, oops.

It is a heartbreaking situation, and when we strike down the strange robot (who keeps repeating that it must protect its mission) and its mysterious shade companion, I no longer feel like a wholesome hero. The victory feels empty, punctuated by Gideon's reaction to it. False vengeance does not bring the boy peace or closure; instead, he seems more filled with hatred and a desire for violence than ever. Somehow, I fear things will only get worse for our party from here.

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