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terminator855 · 4 years

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Nier Automata Review

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?

In terms of media gamers have seen a lot and as such there are only two possible ways a game can leave a lasting impact which earns the title "Great Game: The first one is to refine a concept to it´s limit and reaching such a level of perfection that has not been seen before so it can move the heart of the gamer who decided to spend his time with this piece of software despite not seeing something new and different. While this form of fun is as real as any emotion, it lacks the element of surprise. A human is curious and always wants to experience something new, something that he has never seen before... Something which changes him as much as he changes the game NIER:AUTOMATA™ is exactly this kind of videogame that went beyond the typical ideas and is more than just any game. While not defining the genre of Hack and Slash it may can achieve something greater: Redefining videogaming in terms of storytelling

Background

The name Yoko Taro is not something new to persons who hold a great interest in videogames and he is responsible for the - storywise - well received Drakengard series which is so complex that elaborating anything is completely useless. Despite his well written stories his games never had greater commercial success which is quite understandable as there was a lack of substance: The gameplay sucked. Harsh words, but to quote Reggie Fils-Aimé; If it's not fun, why bother? On the other hand we got Platinum Games an even more well known studio that specialised in the Hack and Slash genre to such a level that the gameplay, atmosphere and music could not fail anymore, but it lacked skill in terms of writing engaging stories. Together these two juggernauts in the gaming landscape were destined for an outstanding product beyond any expectation. And this product is NIER:AUTOMATA™.

Story

The story is a rollercoaster and uses the New Game Plus mechanic in a new engaging way: The player needs to complete two marginal different playthroughs to unlock a third playthrough which brings one to the true ending. Every playthrough features an already known character and tells the story from it´s point of view and while this concept seems old, no game before it had done it in such a magnitude while also centering the whole game around this relatively simple concept. 9S, A2 and 2B ar[E] the protagonists of this game and everyone of them has an individual personality which evolves over the course of the game. The mainstory is so convoluted yet still so logical within itself that I am not trying to give you (dear reader) more than an abriged version: 1. Aliens came to earth and war happened 2. Humans built androids to defend them 3. Aliens built robots to fight androids 3.5 A living nuke fought robots for around [REDACTED] years after being sad 4. B2 and 9S also fight robots 5. [Naked Sephiroth (2)] The sidequests are also more than noteworthy as they are more than your typical fetch quest, but yes: There are fetch quests. Still they manage to be more than that as they are always trying to give the player insight into a philosophical concept: the worth of life, the idea of a sacrifice or even an existential crisis. This is the first time I regretted doing them sometimes, because action have consequences one can not foresee.

Gameplay

A good story is like a sceleton: Without meat to you can´t give a heads up. And the meat of every videogame is the gameplay. It is a Hack and Slash which also features railway shooter. I really can´t say that much: You can attack, make flashy combos, jump and block. Only 9S is somewhat special as there is the mechanic of hacking which is REALLY relevant for the game and plays like an Arcade Shooter. On the one hand the pure combat is really polished on the other hand everything else is alright but not as polished. This sounds pretty bad, but you have to keep in mind that this is nitpicking, it just lacks in comparsion of everything else: If you compare „Zelda Breath of the Wild“ to „Twilight Princess“, you will experience a difference in terms of quality despite both being well made games.

Graphics

In terms of visuals this game is straight up beautiful by combining anime esque style with halfway realistic movements. One of my favourite activities was just to roam around, explore and see the beauty that this game harbors. Every place has it´s own identity which is supported with love to details such as the different state of decaying building which depends on the used material.

Music

10/10 Music has the possibility to enchance a scene, add emotions or atmosphere. NIER:AUTOMATA™ has a different approach: The music resonates with the feelings of the player to enchance the personal connection to the happening while also dragging one into the rabbid hole until you start to shiver, cry or laugh. Life is a sweet poison and the OST transcends the game so much that listening to it without knowing the game still may have an effect despite lacking context. Keiichi Okabe and Keigo Hoashi brought their A-games and I can not stress enough the quality of the final product.

Problems

The port from the PS4 has been made poorly and is only really playable with the FAR Mod which is luckily free to download. Yet still Square Enix denies to update in such a way that your average computer doesn´t blow up. This really drags down the quality and my feelings towards buying an slaughtered product.

Conclusion

NIER:AUTOMATA™ is an absoute masterpiece and should be played by everyone who is remotely interested in a unique Hack and Slash -game. What is happiness? Difficult to say, but I know I had this emotion while playing this game. Or did I? Will you?

#Nier #nier automata #review #gaming

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