Platform: PlayStation 4Edition: StandardChange
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on March 27, 2017
On the surface, Nier: Automata might look like a standard action JRPG. If you read a summary of the basic premise and gameplay, you'll find that many of the usual tropes are present. You could be forgiven for thinking you'll be hacking and slashing through your standard heavy-handed plot and godlike entities by mashing a button or two for 20+ hours. On the surface, the game almost seems like it's trying to affirm those expectations.
Almost immediately the game starts to subvert those expectations piece by piece, deconstructing and twisting in on itself until you've abandoned any notion of predictability.
The first thing that surprised me about the game was the consistent fluidity of the combat, and how the mechanics seem to hold up even as the game throws new ideas and situations at you. The basic controls and rhythm remain the same as the game forces the perspective of a top-down shooter, or a 2D platformer. These experimental shifts never require you to mentally adapt or use different controls. I've never seen a game transform itself so frequently and effortlessly.
The story is also in a league of its own, as it starts with a very simple premise yet expands into something far more transgressive and poignant. It conveys its themes in a very surreal, postmodern style that blends tragedy with dark, offbeat humor, even going so far as experimenting with the fundamental structure of video games itself. (Disclaimer: Do not stop playing once the credits roll. You've barely scratched the surface.)
This is one of those games that you will think about long after you finish it. I can't recommend it enough.
Almost immediately the game starts to subvert those expectations piece by piece, deconstructing and twisting in on itself until you've abandoned any notion of predictability.
The first thing that surprised me about the game was the consistent fluidity of the combat, and how the mechanics seem to hold up even as the game throws new ideas and situations at you. The basic controls and rhythm remain the same as the game forces the perspective of a top-down shooter, or a 2D platformer. These experimental shifts never require you to mentally adapt or use different controls. I've never seen a game transform itself so frequently and effortlessly.
The story is also in a league of its own, as it starts with a very simple premise yet expands into something far more transgressive and poignant. It conveys its themes in a very surreal, postmodern style that blends tragedy with dark, offbeat humor, even going so far as experimenting with the fundamental structure of video games itself. (Disclaimer: Do not stop playing once the credits roll. You've barely scratched the surface.)
This is one of those games that you will think about long after you finish it. I can't recommend it enough.
on March 24, 2017
Nier:Automata really surpassed my expectations. The game is constantly changing the way you have to play, the stylish setting, the mechanics that you get to discover as you progress... everything is so refreshing -maybe not ground-breaking- but it certainly incorporates different genres into one game that has become so far one of the best gaming experiences in a long time for me. It's a game that deserves a chance and so at least I would recommend to try the demo, although the entire game just keeps getting better after that bit of play.
on March 9, 2017
Bizarre, funny, and engaging are just a few words I can use to describe this game.
on April 8, 2017
This game is simply amazing it's the Jrpg I've been waiting for, but there's only one problem
and that would be the voucher code for the DLC doesn't work and I purchased the game brand
new so I don't know what to do sabot that. Other then that this game is awesome and I highly
recommend it for fans who love JRPGS.
and that would be the voucher code for the DLC doesn't work and I purchased the game brand
new so I don't know what to do sabot that. Other then that this game is awesome and I highly
recommend it for fans who love JRPGS.
on May 24, 2017
the bottom line is if you have any interest in robots, post apocalyptic settings, a bit of quirkiness in story telling and presentation, action games, or even action RPGs, you must give this a try. Or even if you just like 2B because she's pretty.
Aliens with robots took over the earth, you are fighting for humanity to take back the Earth, the overall story actually sounds sort of plain? But the game events tend you lead you to question the things that are set in place most of the time, and similar to Breath of Fire Dragon Quarter or something like that, the playthroughs on different paths usually reveal something slightly different than before that may change your perception of events or decisions that you made. They took a mostly boring premise and made it incredibly engaging with some existential philosophy and twists that may weird you on, kind of like a psychological horror game but less scary more strange.
Gameplay can loosely be defined as an action RPG but at least it plays closer to Bayonetta than some potentially sloppy hack slash system, it controls really well and transitions between 3d and 2d segments nicely, along with some twin stick and topdown shooter moments. Sometimes the camera misbehaves and spins but usually it does alright.
AFAIK there are 3 main story paths, and 26 endings, and while i burned through the first path in 8.5 hours or so, there's quite a bit to do and most players seem to be taking 10+ for the first shot through. There's a lot of things to do, the game is pretty, it controls well, there's a lot of like here so if you have any relative interest, give it a shot.
Aliens with robots took over the earth, you are fighting for humanity to take back the Earth, the overall story actually sounds sort of plain? But the game events tend you lead you to question the things that are set in place most of the time, and similar to Breath of Fire Dragon Quarter or something like that, the playthroughs on different paths usually reveal something slightly different than before that may change your perception of events or decisions that you made. They took a mostly boring premise and made it incredibly engaging with some existential philosophy and twists that may weird you on, kind of like a psychological horror game but less scary more strange.
Gameplay can loosely be defined as an action RPG but at least it plays closer to Bayonetta than some potentially sloppy hack slash system, it controls really well and transitions between 3d and 2d segments nicely, along with some twin stick and topdown shooter moments. Sometimes the camera misbehaves and spins but usually it does alright.
AFAIK there are 3 main story paths, and 26 endings, and while i burned through the first path in 8.5 hours or so, there's quite a bit to do and most players seem to be taking 10+ for the first shot through. There's a lot of things to do, the game is pretty, it controls well, there's a lot of like here so if you have any relative interest, give it a shot.
on May 21, 2017
As someone who's never played the original NieR or Drakengard titles, I can assure you that this sequel, NieR:Automata, requires no prior knowledge of the NieR/Drakengard series to be played.
With that said, NieR:Automata is easily one of the greatest titles that I've played in the last 5 or so years, and likely the by-far top contender for my own personal game of the year.
Despite the mainstream attention that this game deserves, but HASN'T gotten, NieR:Automata is still of much higher quality than a majority of all AAA games created these days, and that's in all regards, including art, animation, soundtrack, voice acting, gameplay, story, and direction. And this is all despite the fact that it was only 2 years ago when it was announced that a sequel for NieR would be in the making, and despite the fact that the budget for the title isn't considered high enough to be called a AAA game itself by a majority of the gaming community's standards (though many, including myself, still consider it a AAA game just because of how the content itself ALL fits the criteria of being one outside of the logistics).
The primary thing that stands out within NieR:Automata is the gameplay. It starts out as a typical free-roam RPG-style hack'n'slash with a really immersive combat system similar to that of Bayonetta (also a Platinum title), with lots of mobility, multiple melee weapons, the ability to aim and shoot bullets, being rewarded graciously for dodging attacks, and being able to chain together air attacks without being able to go too far without having to nosedive into the ground to finish off your combo. The fluidity and design of every combat method is absolutely beautiful, and the combat system itself is the very definition of perfect for many people, myself included.
However, the main quirk of this game is that you won't be doing the exact same thing for the entirety of the game, something director Yoko Taro even paid mind to when discussing why he decided to direct the NieR series as a whole in the first place. Throughout the game, you'll see seamless, unforced transitions to differing styles of play, from the typical free-roam style to a platformer style, eventually to fighting bosses that fling hundreds of projectiles in all directions at once that make the game feel like a traditional bullet hell, and even seamless transitions from gameplay to cutscene, which are all extremely interesting and despite being entirely pre-rendered, still use the same 3D models and system as the game itself (which using a different style usually isn't a big deal to most people, but the transitions can sometimes feel forced that way).
And while I won't discuss it very much for spoiler reasons, you'll eventually be able to play as multiple characters, which makes the game in general a whole lot more fun. There's also a bunch of really fun Easter eggs to discover, most of them being in the form of funny game endings that cause a cutscene to play that features sarcastic text followed by the credits rolling extremely fast, and the game ending and requiring you to load your last save file and play it where you last saved, the only difference between then and now being that you unlocked a new ending (which the game keeps track of).
There's also many other styles of combat, such as flight units and a minigame that revolves around hacking, meaning that you can't really be bored playing this game just because of how there's so much to do in it.
This game follows typical Japanese RPG (JRPG) formulas with how you can level yourself up and progress through upgrades and obtaining new weapons which have different capabilities and functions. There's also lots of monster and boss encounters, but unlike in some games within other popular franchises, such as Final Fantasy and Tales, the NPC encounters aren't random, and are all on the stage with you to choose when to fight them (there's almost always foreshadowing when it comes to bosses as well). This style of gameplay works very well with the game at hand due to the free-roam aspects and the fact that combat is the main focus here.
The world itself is somewhat large, but not massive like in some other games (specifically within the Final Fantasy and Tales series).
The art is absolutely amazing and perfect in every regard, with the 3D models of the characters being among some of the best looking ones that I've ever seen. The soundtrack itself is also among one of the very greatest I've ever heard in any video game, possible THE very greatest. It's one I've listened to numerous times on its own, which is something I VERY rarely do with soundtracks in general, not even limited to just game soundtracks.
My only major complaint with the game is one that's easy to look over: the second route is boring. I won't get too deep into it due to spoiler reasons as well, but you basically need to complete the same campaign twice, with the second time around being with a far more boring character. However, it's something I can look over very easily simply because of how quickly you can breeze through it, as there's very few new cutscenes and most can be skipped. Beyond that, every single minute of the game is extremely fun and something you're more than likely going to want to play through more than once.
All in all, amazing game that you should without a doubt pick up if you're into the free-roam JRPG style of gameplay, with an immersive hands-on fast-paced combat system, lots of diversity among how the gameplay is presented, alongside amazing art and an absolutely breathtaking soundtrack. And heck, even if you aren't, I'd still recommend giving it a try simply because this is a game that comes so close to pure perfection and will likely end up being my game of the year for 2017, as I truly cannot imagine anything surpassing it in this day and age.
Buy NieR:Automata, you won't regret it.
With that said, NieR:Automata is easily one of the greatest titles that I've played in the last 5 or so years, and likely the by-far top contender for my own personal game of the year.
Despite the mainstream attention that this game deserves, but HASN'T gotten, NieR:Automata is still of much higher quality than a majority of all AAA games created these days, and that's in all regards, including art, animation, soundtrack, voice acting, gameplay, story, and direction. And this is all despite the fact that it was only 2 years ago when it was announced that a sequel for NieR would be in the making, and despite the fact that the budget for the title isn't considered high enough to be called a AAA game itself by a majority of the gaming community's standards (though many, including myself, still consider it a AAA game just because of how the content itself ALL fits the criteria of being one outside of the logistics).
The primary thing that stands out within NieR:Automata is the gameplay. It starts out as a typical free-roam RPG-style hack'n'slash with a really immersive combat system similar to that of Bayonetta (also a Platinum title), with lots of mobility, multiple melee weapons, the ability to aim and shoot bullets, being rewarded graciously for dodging attacks, and being able to chain together air attacks without being able to go too far without having to nosedive into the ground to finish off your combo. The fluidity and design of every combat method is absolutely beautiful, and the combat system itself is the very definition of perfect for many people, myself included.
However, the main quirk of this game is that you won't be doing the exact same thing for the entirety of the game, something director Yoko Taro even paid mind to when discussing why he decided to direct the NieR series as a whole in the first place. Throughout the game, you'll see seamless, unforced transitions to differing styles of play, from the typical free-roam style to a platformer style, eventually to fighting bosses that fling hundreds of projectiles in all directions at once that make the game feel like a traditional bullet hell, and even seamless transitions from gameplay to cutscene, which are all extremely interesting and despite being entirely pre-rendered, still use the same 3D models and system as the game itself (which using a different style usually isn't a big deal to most people, but the transitions can sometimes feel forced that way).
And while I won't discuss it very much for spoiler reasons, you'll eventually be able to play as multiple characters, which makes the game in general a whole lot more fun. There's also a bunch of really fun Easter eggs to discover, most of them being in the form of funny game endings that cause a cutscene to play that features sarcastic text followed by the credits rolling extremely fast, and the game ending and requiring you to load your last save file and play it where you last saved, the only difference between then and now being that you unlocked a new ending (which the game keeps track of).
There's also many other styles of combat, such as flight units and a minigame that revolves around hacking, meaning that you can't really be bored playing this game just because of how there's so much to do in it.
This game follows typical Japanese RPG (JRPG) formulas with how you can level yourself up and progress through upgrades and obtaining new weapons which have different capabilities and functions. There's also lots of monster and boss encounters, but unlike in some games within other popular franchises, such as Final Fantasy and Tales, the NPC encounters aren't random, and are all on the stage with you to choose when to fight them (there's almost always foreshadowing when it comes to bosses as well). This style of gameplay works very well with the game at hand due to the free-roam aspects and the fact that combat is the main focus here.
The world itself is somewhat large, but not massive like in some other games (specifically within the Final Fantasy and Tales series).
The art is absolutely amazing and perfect in every regard, with the 3D models of the characters being among some of the best looking ones that I've ever seen. The soundtrack itself is also among one of the very greatest I've ever heard in any video game, possible THE very greatest. It's one I've listened to numerous times on its own, which is something I VERY rarely do with soundtracks in general, not even limited to just game soundtracks.
My only major complaint with the game is one that's easy to look over: the second route is boring. I won't get too deep into it due to spoiler reasons as well, but you basically need to complete the same campaign twice, with the second time around being with a far more boring character. However, it's something I can look over very easily simply because of how quickly you can breeze through it, as there's very few new cutscenes and most can be skipped. Beyond that, every single minute of the game is extremely fun and something you're more than likely going to want to play through more than once.
All in all, amazing game that you should without a doubt pick up if you're into the free-roam JRPG style of gameplay, with an immersive hands-on fast-paced combat system, lots of diversity among how the gameplay is presented, alongside amazing art and an absolutely breathtaking soundtrack. And heck, even if you aren't, I'd still recommend giving it a try simply because this is a game that comes so close to pure perfection and will likely end up being my game of the year for 2017, as I truly cannot imagine anything surpassing it in this day and age.
Buy NieR:Automata, you won't regret it.
on April 13, 2017
I don't normally write reviews, but this game gives me enough reasons to write about it. I feel a lot of people are going to ignore this game with all the other releases going on now, but it's definitely worth your time. On the surface it looks like a generic jrpg with hack and slash gameplay. While that's somewhat true, there's definitely more to it that you will love. There is a point where you will be in surprise from the twists going on. You will cry, you will be happy. You will love the characters too. I believe this game needs to be in everyone's PS4/PC library. Of course there are flaws, as every game has them. But to me they weren't big enough to be a bother. I bought this game day 1, and I'm still playing it on a new file 1 month later. Whether it's now or 5 years later I believe everyone needs to experience this game.
on April 18, 2017
When you first play Nier: Automata it isn't completely what you're going to expect. Judging by the gameplay footage, the pictures, etc., you expect just a hack and slash action adventure rpg game. Which it is, but also delivers so much more.
This game was loaded with goodies and cameos from the first nier game plus drakengard as well. Not only that, it offers an overview of characters giving a new stand on the game in some parts, dynamically changing the way you need to approach said spots. While the enemy variety can be kind of limiting, there is a certain charm about them that makes them, in a way, unique in the game. At some points I felt attached to the enemies more than the protagonists, 2B and 9S.
The customizing in this game is extensive as well as what some would consider overpowering, making you feel kind of like a god. But the difficulty is balanced well enough to where if you want more of a challenge, it will be there for you. That's another thing about customizing though. It will cater to your play-style however you feel comfortable. Which is enjoyable.
I've never played the first nier nor drakengard, but I have read about its amazing multiple ending segments that actually can continue the game further the more times you play it. And with Automata it was no exception. I beat the game once only to be given a message saying that there is more to be discovered. Tempting it I play a new game on the saved data only to get the same story, but in a different perspective by playing as 9S this time around. The gameplay between 2B and 9S is somewhat the same, but there is enough of a difference between the two such as hacking instead of a heavy attack with 9S that it actually felt like a new game.
This story goes so much further than any other linear story that I have played to date! Hell, I'll give it this; most open world games, including gta V, don't have this kind of pacing and sort of dynamic story arch with sub- quests. The one game I believe comes close to this would be witcher 3. And the best part of it is, Nier DOESNT NEED DLC TO CONTINUE ITS STORY (looking at you, Destiny).
So the only fault I felt Nier Automata had would honestly be it's lock on system. In my opinion, it is quite tedious to get the hand of it. But with a little practice that shortly become a minor nuisance.
So if you liked the first Nier, you're going to love Automata. If you've never played the first one, that's fine too because the game doesn't heavily lean on it considering that if you played the first one and got the "True" ending, then it'll all make sense. This game offers a thought provoking story, in depth lore, and immersion. Truly a game you should have in your archive.
This game was loaded with goodies and cameos from the first nier game plus drakengard as well. Not only that, it offers an overview of characters giving a new stand on the game in some parts, dynamically changing the way you need to approach said spots. While the enemy variety can be kind of limiting, there is a certain charm about them that makes them, in a way, unique in the game. At some points I felt attached to the enemies more than the protagonists, 2B and 9S.
The customizing in this game is extensive as well as what some would consider overpowering, making you feel kind of like a god. But the difficulty is balanced well enough to where if you want more of a challenge, it will be there for you. That's another thing about customizing though. It will cater to your play-style however you feel comfortable. Which is enjoyable.
I've never played the first nier nor drakengard, but I have read about its amazing multiple ending segments that actually can continue the game further the more times you play it. And with Automata it was no exception. I beat the game once only to be given a message saying that there is more to be discovered. Tempting it I play a new game on the saved data only to get the same story, but in a different perspective by playing as 9S this time around. The gameplay between 2B and 9S is somewhat the same, but there is enough of a difference between the two such as hacking instead of a heavy attack with 9S that it actually felt like a new game.
This story goes so much further than any other linear story that I have played to date! Hell, I'll give it this; most open world games, including gta V, don't have this kind of pacing and sort of dynamic story arch with sub- quests. The one game I believe comes close to this would be witcher 3. And the best part of it is, Nier DOESNT NEED DLC TO CONTINUE ITS STORY (looking at you, Destiny).
So the only fault I felt Nier Automata had would honestly be it's lock on system. In my opinion, it is quite tedious to get the hand of it. But with a little practice that shortly become a minor nuisance.
So if you liked the first Nier, you're going to love Automata. If you've never played the first one, that's fine too because the game doesn't heavily lean on it considering that if you played the first one and got the "True" ending, then it'll all make sense. This game offers a thought provoking story, in depth lore, and immersion. Truly a game you should have in your archive.
on April 11, 2017
I bought Nier: Automata on a whim, I had read about it and watched some videos online and I really liked the character designs. I was pleasantly surprised, with the mix of gameplay, but as I continued to play it it grew on me more and more. The music is awesome and really gives it an epic feel, and the RPG elements along with multiple endings has really added value. I really though the game environment and world really came to life. I would highly recommend this game and think it's an instant classic.
