Yoko Taro is a truly shining example of how to make a good game. He is best known for his unique twist of game design by incorporating unconventional design choices and stories into his games. With NieR:Automata being the latest game in the Nier series, this serves as the testament of his true potential. This game is without a doubt one of the best action/story based games I have ever played to date. Words cannot describe all of the emotions I felt while playing this emotional rollercoaster and many others can agree that this is one of the best games that has ever come out to date. From wandering city ruins to fighting giant sentient robots, NieR:Automata is a strange and confusing, but very interesting and has so much depth in it from a writing, gameplay, and soundtrack perspective.
I would say this game is a hack ‘n slash type of game, but it mixes all sorts of elements from many types of games. It has RPG elements both RPG and JRPG, Bullet Hell elements (look it up if you don’t know what that is), Hack ‘N Slash, and even Text Adventure. Platinum Games has always made great games consistently and this game is no exception to that. This game will keep you constantly on your toes with many challenges even at the start of the game. Of course, it’s no Dark Souls, but the challenge should more than suffice for your needs. The game very cleverly walks you through pretty much everything you need to know at the start of the game and yes, I really do mean everything. The game looks visually stunning. It is clearly one of the best looking games of 2017 if I do say so myself. You play as three separate characters each with their own playstyles. A combat android named YoRHa No. 2, or 2B for short, her budding companion YoRHa No. 9 Type S or 9S, and a fugitive android named YoRHa Type A No. 2, or A2. 2B and A2 are both combat type characters, but both have their own differences to make them both unique to each other. 9S is the least combat-focused of the 3, focusing on his hacking abilities. The combat in this game is very fluid, which is expected of Platinum Games since these types of games are pretty much what they’re known for and like I said, you have to play it for yourself to get a full grasp on the gameplay because it’s constantly changing.
For this game’s story, it can either end very quickly, or go on for a long time depending on your choices and yes, this game has MANY different endings you will run into throughout the game. Some by complete accident and others if you play the game as if it was “intended” to be played. For example, after you get on the ship after beating the giant robot at the start and saving 9S, you can get a “joke” ending by self destructing on the ship, which ends the game, but you can pretty much just restart the game from where you left off, but it is one of the endings you got in your playthrough at that point. It’s mainly just played for laughs. I use the term “intended” very loosely because this game is definitely not one where you can just play it once and be satisfied. This is one of those games that requires multiple playthroughs and each time you will become more and more engrossed as you play this game. I’m taking so much time to get into this story because it’s as crazy as it sounds. You start inside what looks to be a fighter jet, but futuristic. The game takes place in the very far, far distant future where aliens invaded Earth and combat androids were made to protect Earth and save mankind. Most of the humans on Earth are on the moon and want to go back home to Earth, but the game is much more than that the deeper you get into it. The game introduces you to the “Bullet Hell” aspect that you will see often or not while playing the game, sometimes even having the top-down perspective most of these types of games have. I should also mention the camera angles are constantly changing from either 2D gameplay, 3D, and even top-down perspective gameplay which is akin to games at that time like Metal Gear Solid, Grand Theft Auto 2, etc. After getting through that part, you are introduced to the main character for Branch A, 2B. You are also shown how the combat is and it’s very much like Platinum. Games like Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance, Bayonetta, and many other Platinum games are like this too, and even the Devil May Cry series has this type of fluid combat too. You have basic light and heavy attacks, and your Pod has many skills that can be upgraded throughout the game. Its most basic ability is to shoot at things, which is basically what you should be doing whenever you fight enemies. If you play on Easy, you have a mechanic you can enable where it does the shooting for you and even dodging. You can turn it on and off at any time if you please. The game has many combos you can do and learn throughout the game as well, which is integral to games of this style. There are also many weapons you can find and buy throughout the game and they’re all unique to each other. What I love about this is that it gives SO much variety to it and I absolutely love it. The music is some of the best I have ever heard. The composer, Keiichi Okabe deserves praise for everything he did involving this game’s soundtrack. Emi Evans and Marina Kawano did their vocals so well and it makes the soundtrack that much better. At times, it feels haunting to hear them singing, but other times, it’s just so beautiful. The voice acting is top notch too. I truly felt the emotions they put in the voice acting and Kira Buckland is an amazing voice actor for 2B.
This game really delivers in every aspect and it’s not hard to see why so many people love it. It has so much going for it and it shines so bright in so many places. I really don’t see anything bad to say about it. This game is truly one of the best games I have ever played. The voice acting has so much passion put into it and the story(s), while very weird, is still one of the best I have ever seen. The music is fantastic and the combat, I can’t say enough about how Platinum excels in this aspect. The game combines so many aspects of other genres and they excel in it so well. For these things, I will have to give this game a 10/10.
Final Score: 10/10
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