NieR: Automata

In NieR: Automata, Yoko Taro's eccentric post-apocalyptic nightmare worlds achieve surprise mainstream success through the action game skills of PlatinumGames. (Although, to be fair, the big robot hinders probably helped.)

Initially released for the PS4 and PC, later releases for Xbox One ("Become As Gods Edition") and Nintendo Switch ("The End of YoRHa Edition") followed. Both versions, along with a PS4 Game of the Year re-release ("Game of the YoRHa Edition"), packed in the unpronounceable "3C3C1D119440927" DLC content.

Prototype Info

Secret Cheat ("The Final Secret")#

Watch on YouTubeA hidden cheat code, hardcoded into the game engine, is present in the game's first chapter. If you have the Chapter Select, you can skip to the exact point by going to the checkpoint "Ch.01-02_3: 2B Inside the Factory".

After defeating the "Marx" boss and watching 9S fly off, don't go into the factory immediately. Instead, look around the area for two identical sets of three barrels, with a space between them. Park 2B between the two piles, hold down R2 and enter the press-button code Up, Down, Up, Right, Left, Square, Circle, Triangle, X (or your system's gamepad's equivalent) while doing your best to keep 2B from escaping the space between the barrels (it helps to press the left touchpad to pause the game). You might recognize this as the "Platinum Code" used to activate certain secrets in Bayonetta 2.

Upon the code's successful execution, the game will fade to black and skip straight to the post-credits scene from the final ending, unlocking everything that's normally earned by completing repeat playthroughs.

This cheat code was hinted at in a "one-year anniversary" Famitsu interview, where it was described as a development requirement that could cause unpleasant issues upon discovery due to its nature. Three years and ten months after the game's release, the secret was found, and confirmed as such by Yoko Taro and Square-Enix.