Games That Are Better on a Second Playthrough

Certain games, such as The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, offer incredible depth and can keep players engaged for hundreds of hours. Other games are enjoyable during an initial playthrough, but truly shine when experienced a second time, particularly if they include a New Game+ feature that allows players to carry over progress.

People replay games for lots of reasons. Often, it’s fun to experiment with new items and abilities in a fresh playthrough, which New Game+ allows. Sometimes, players want to revisit the story, especially after a big reveal, to understand a character’s actions with the benefit of hindsight. Ultimately, these games can be even more satisfying the second time around.

Persona 5

Becoming A Better Student

Persona 5 is a long game, typically taking around 80 hours to finish, and even then, completionists might find there’s still more to do. The game features Social Stats, which influence your ability to unlock extra conversations and deepen relationships with your teammates and other characters.

Players with limited time often prioritize main quests over side activities, potentially neglecting their Social Stats. Starting a new game allows players to carry over existing Social Stats, letting them build relationships with characters earlier and continue improving those stats more easily.

Chrono Trigger

Time Is Of The Essence

Chrono Trigger is a classic role-playing game where you battle enemies in turns and travel through time. It was also one of the first games to let you start a new game while keeping your progress – like weapons and items – so you can explore even more content.

The game features unique gear sets where players can choose one option, then earn the other through repeat playthroughs to complete their collection. What’s really exciting is the number of different endings available, and they become easier to unlock with each attempt. Plus, the more familiar players become with Chrono Trigger, the faster they can complete these runs.

Triangle Strategy

The Scales Of Justice

Triangle Strategy is a tactical role-playing game where your choices matter. Throughout the story, you’ll make decisions that influence the narrative and affect your character’s stats – specifically, Morality, Utility, and Liberty. Reaching certain levels in these stats is key to unlocking specific characters.

Characters like Narve become available as you play, once you’ve earned enough Morality and Liberty points. You can unlock other characters by progressing through the story, but to collect them all and experience every possible storyline, you’ll need to play the game multiple times.

Kingdom Hearts: Chain Of Memories

And Riku Was His Name-O

As a huge Kingdom Hearts fan, I always thought Chain of Memories was a really interesting take on the series! It’s an action RPG, but instead of direct combat, it uses a card system. You basically play through Sora’s memories, which are like remixes of the events from the first Kingdom Hearts game. And the best part? Once you beat the game, you unlock Riku, Sora’s best friend, as a playable character! It’s a fun way to revisit the world and experience things from a different perspective.

This new campaign revisits familiar worlds, but this time in reverse order. While playing as Riku, you’ll encounter unique bosses and character moments. Though the original Game Boy Advance version is considered better by some, the PlayStation 2 and HD remasters also allow players to experience the game as Riku.

Parasite Eve

Gotta Get To The Chrysler Building

Parasite Eve is an action-packed RPG where you play as detective Aya, battling a mysterious supernatural threat in New York City. Once you beat the game, you can start a new game with a special key that unlocks a challenging, randomly generated dungeon inside the Chrysler Building.

Defeating the last boss may reveal Aya’s ‘true’ ending, according to some players. After finishing the game and passing the Chrysler Building, you’ll also gain access to saved items and be able to spend bonus points (BP) on upgrades for your next playthrough.

Resident Evil 3 (2020)

Taking Another Stab At Nemesis

A fun part of finishing a scary game is often playing it again, especially if it has a New Game+ mode. In the updated version of Resident Evil 3, players can collect points during their first playthrough and then use them to buy items in a shop before starting a new game.

Getting powerful, unlimited-ammo weapons, such as the Rocket Launcher, is the quickest way to enjoy a replay of the game. With its relatively short length and lots of unlockable content, revisiting Jill’s fight against Nemesis in Raccoon City could easily become an annual event for players.

Dead Space (2023)

Getting A Better Toolkit

The remake of Dead Space is a solid horror game, and its New Game+ mode is identical to the original, making either version a great choice. Starting a new game after finishing one unlocks the Advanced Soldier RIG, a cool-looking white combat suit that players can buy.

Players also carry over all their weapon, suit, and item upgrades from previous playthroughs. Since you can’t upgrade everything in a single game, replaying allows you to become even more powerful and tackle the alien mutants in space with a fully equipped character. It adds to the fun and encourages multiple playthroughs.

Silent Hill f

Solving The Mystery

Silent Hill f is another great horror game, but the reason to play it again isn’t just keeping your progress. The first time through, you can only achieve one ending, and even after reading all the extra information, many players still find the story confusing.

On a second playthrough, you’ll notice small differences in the cutscenes and find extra notes hidden throughout the game. These details can unlock different endings, each with a unique boss to defeat. While the game doesn’t necessarily become easier to play on subsequent runs, you’ll gain a better understanding of what’s happening.

Ninja Gaiden 4

The Ryu Way

Ninja Gaiden 4 is a fast-paced action game where you primarily play as a new ninja named Yakumo. However, fans of the series can also control the classic character Ryu in a few stages. Once you finish the game, you can replay levels with all your collected improvements and play as Ryu instead of Yakumo.

This change won’t alter the main story, unlike in Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories, but it does give players a good reason to play the game again. Ryu has some unique moves, which dedicated fans will likely enjoy.

Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater

Testing Your Stealth Limits

Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater is a complete remake of the classic game, and unlocking new outfits for camouflage happens the same way as in the original. Players will explore the Russian wilderness while collecting these suits.

Players will receive a powerful new weapon after finishing the game for the first time, if they didn’t have one already. While the initial playthrough is best experienced with a stealthy approach, similar to other Metal Gear games, it could be enjoyable to switch things up and take on enemies with a more aggressive, direct combat style just for the fun of it.

2026-01-20 04:46