NieR Re[in]carnation’s NieR: Automata Side Story is Both Hopeful and Depressing

While the main story of new mobile game NieR Re[in]carnation doesn’t connect directly with 2017’s NeiR: Automata (at least, not yet), it does contain an Automata side story starring everyone’s favorite androids 2B and 9S. It’s exactly as dark as you’d expect.

The Cage of Reincarnation is part of NieR Re[in]carnation’s limited-time NeiR: Automata collaboration event. The story is told through a series of short visual novel scenes that appear upon completing certain battle missions. Overall, the story is just a few pages long and features only a few background images to set the scene. Nonetheless, it is a good little NeiR: Automata tale—though not an especially happy one.

[Note: This article contains major spoilers for both The Cage of Reincarnation and NeiR: Automata.]

Taking place an indeterminate time before NeiR: Automata, The Cage of Reincarnation follows 9S and 2B on a mission to a cave system. The story, told from 9S’s viewpoint, begins by introducing the pair and letting us in on 9S’ secret wish: to free 2B from this endless war they’re fighting.

As the two travel deeper into the cave system, they kill robotic enemies one after another. But when they get to their mission location—a deep, dark cave—they hear nothing but silence. Then suddenly they are surrounded by countless red, robotic eyes. A large number of robots had been hiding from 9S using electronic camouflage.

2B lets out a scream as she is infected by a logic virus and her eyes too begin to glow red. Rather than let her become fully infected and die, 9S hacks her to combat the virus. Within 2B’s mind, he is distracted by a strange light. Within he finds her memories—her memories of him.

9S sees himself and 2B together in various environments… but these are not events he remembers. Then he sees a memory of 2B killing him. And another. And another.

But as many times as 9S finds memories of her killing him, he finds memories of their “first meetings” where he asks her to call him “Nines.” hundreds of times he sees these scenes: their meetings and deaths.

Though shaken by the experience, he is able to fight off the logic virus and the two escape with 9S lending a weakened 2B his shoulder. As they walk, 9S wonders why 2B keeps killing him, wiping his memories, and meeting him again. However, he can’t find the words to ask her directly.

So he decides that if her memories of him remain—if her memories of who he is now will be forever stored within her heart—he doesn’t mind her killing him again and again. If it is their fate to be tied together in an endlessly repeating spiral, he will walk through the darkness with her.

All in all, it’s a good little short story—and one that, while depressing on the surface contains more than a bit of hope. In this tale we see how one of 9S many incarnations learned the truth of his relationship with 2B. However, instead of letting it drive him mad, he is able to accept it—and the death that will eventually come at her hands. This is turn shows that there is hope for 9S after the true ending of NeiR: Automata—that if he has overcome this dark truth once, he potentially can again. After all their suffering, there is still hope for the androids in their new lives to escape their tragic spiral.

NieR Re[in]carnation was released for iOS and Android in Japan on February 18, 2021. Word of an international release is currently pending.