INTRODUCTION

credits

In the gaming industry, you often seldomly come across a game that manages to stand out due to it's creative flare. Last game I came across with such creativity was Super Mario 64 on the Nintendo 64, which was way back in the 90's and now after more than 15 years, I can confidently say that Nier: Automata has managed the same feat.

Nier: Automata is a game developed by Platinum Games and published by Square Enix. The game acts as a sequel to the first Nier game and a spin off to the Drakengard series. Although the series acts much like a spin off to Drakengard, it does not necessarily mean it isn't tied to Nier. Drakengard acts as a underlying story for the events of Nier and Nier: Automata. Now, this does mean that you cannot enjoy Nier: Automata's story without having a deep understanding of the first game and Drakengard series, just that the experience will be much smoother if you do. With that out of the way, let's get much deeper into Nier: Automata.

STORY: 9/10

 Nier: Automata takes places centuries after the first Nier game, Earth is attacked by aliens using robotic machines and the last remaining humans leave Earth and form refuge on the moon. Humans develop Androids known as 'Yorha' as an attack force to to retake the Earth.

Over the course of the game you take control of 3 Android units, namely 2B, 9S (both of whom are Yorha' members) and A2 (former Yorha' and now rouge Android unit). As you proceed into the game you find out new Revelations that make you question if what you are doing is right or wrong. This is one of the games you have to experience for yourself, and let the story grow on you as you play - this game needs layers within layers of introspection to truly grasp what it's trying to get at - the very purpose of existence itself with a compelling five-part story. I don't want to spoil the game, so I'll leave out any more details about the story.

A unique aspect of this game is that you can beat the game in just 11 to 13 hours (depending on how many side-quests you attempt) but once you beat the game, you find out that the game isn't over. Instead, you only end up seeing one sequence of events and to experience the entire story, you have to complete the game's new game plus option twice. Once in new game plus 2 there is the possibility of 3 different endings based on your choices at the end of the game. In all, there are 26 endings in the game, most of them are comical endings with 3 out of the 26 being the game's actual endings.

This game also has one of THE most beautiful end games that I have ever seen. I do not mean visually, no, this game doesn't deal in the glamour of visuals. It prides itself on meaning, metaphor and subtlety. Let's just say that after all the nihilism you have been exposed to, the ending leaves you with a bittersweet feeling. I, after going through the main endings of the game, have no heart to return to it, because I truly feel that what I do is not going to matter in the game - truly. No other game, even after completion, (especially not RPGs) has had this effect on me. The game has a beautiful way of making you realise this sad fact.

In all, the entire game will take you anywhere from 24 to 30 hours to beat.

GAMEPLAY: 9.5/10

 

Upon starting the game, I expected to experience something similar to Metal Gear Rising, that is, an extremely fast paced hack and slash game, considering that the title was made by Platinum Games. But instead I were introduced with an over-the-top bullet hell shooter, then after a while to a 3rd person fast paced gunner/ hack and slash only for it to revert back to an over-the-top bullet hell and then to a 2.5 D side scrolling sequence to finally get back into a 3rd person perspective. All this seemless transition makes putting Nier: Automata into a single genre extremely difficult. To put it into words, Nier: Automata is a 3rd person hack and slash/ over the top endless Gunner/ 2.5 D side scrolling title. Jarring... I know. But Nier Automata manages to make it work and feel epic at the same time. No game have I ever come across that manages to cram-in soo many gameplay styles without ruinning the overall experience.

Only issue if at all, is the small difficulty in getting used to the games controls as shooting and dodging while performing close range attacks seems to test your dexterity levels quite a bit. But in a few mins, you get used to the system and become an unstoppable killing Android. The game for the most part plays like an open world action adventure instead of an linear experience. You can explore the open world, take part in the various side-quests available to you or just focus on the primary quest line. Character leveling up is also an option in this game.

Other aspects of the gameplay that's worth mentioning are weapons, Plug-in Chips and Pods.

Weapons are assorted into small weapons, large weapons, Spears and etc. Some weapons you can buy from the in-game traders while others are obtained from within the game world. While playing as 2B and A2 you can equip 2 sets with each pair containing 2 weapons of your choice. These sets are Interchangeable at any given moment by tapping the top D-pad.

9S on the other hand can have two assorted sets but can only carry one weapon at a time. This is primarily because 9S acts as a support unit that can hack into enemy units and inflict massive damage or control them remotely.

Plug-in chips can be considered as stat buffs. You acquire chips along your adventure while defeating enemies or you could buy them from a trader. Each chip requires a specific amount of space and you are limited in the space available. Better the chip, more space it requires. You can unlock more chip space from traders. Example for chip sets buffs are, it can increase your overall health, increase close or long range attacks etc.

Pods are small AI drones that accompany you in your adventure. They act as both your companion and long range firing weapons. Drones are equipped with a special abilities which you change from the menu option anytime. You can only equip one ability at any given time. These special abilities can range from a extremely effective laser fire to close range attack protection barriers. These abilities need to be purchased from traders. These abilities also have a cool down time, so using them efficienly is advised.

All the above mentioned except for plug-in Chips are upgradable to deal maximum damage.

VISUALS: 8/10

 For the most parts Nier Automata looks beautiful, character designs leans more towards an anime art style which I don't mind at all. But what seems apparent is the developer's choice to go for a more monotonous color palette. While most games look for stunningly beautiful visuals and vibrant colours, Automata delivers with it's quaint combination of mellow colours, mixed in with light and shadow, combined with a story that is...bittersweet, nihilistically so. But the developers of Nier Automata took a completely different approach and went with a much smoother and light color theme. It is apparent and turly unique. What could the reason be is anyone's guess... It could be to highlight the gloomy atmosphere the Earth is in now without it's various lifeforms which, most have been replaced by machines. Again, this is only a theory, but what ever it is, it is remarkable and doesn't make the game look back in anyway.

PERFORMANCE: 8/10

 I played and completed the game on standard ps4 in both pre and post patch state of the game.

Performance for a game like Nier: Automata is key as it is a extremely fast paced title. Platinum Games seems to have opted for a 60 FPS mark which is great for a title such as this. But, does it manage to maintain a solid 60 FPS? For the most part... Yes.

The game runs at native 900p/60fps on the standard PS4 with PS4 Pro running the game at a native 1080p/60fps. The game is also available on PC with 4k/60fps as an option. But from what I could find, it isn't well optimised. Back to the PS4/PS4 Pro side of things.

The game does not manage to keep a solid framerate with dips occurring on a frequent bases. The dips seems to be more prominent on the standard PS4. The game tends to run much better with the latest patch installed. But, frame dips are still present. To your average consumer, the dips might not seem that apparent, none the less... They are present. Something else present more than frame drops are frame skips, now, I won't go into detail what frame skips are as they are extremely difficult to notice without using the proper equipment to analyze frame skips.

One benefit of playing this game on a PS4 Pro over the standard PS4 is the absence of jaggy edges. Again, other than a few eagle eyed individuals out there no one will bother with it. And it is not even noticeable unless you have a PS4 and PS4 Pro side by side one another.

AUDIO: 9/10

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The Main Theme (The Weight of the World)

Audio and music is something in Nier: Automata which is difficult to explain and you must experience it first hand. Voice work for the most part is done excellently with the option of choosing between English and Japanese as per your liking. Music in the game is something which you will either love, from the mellow sounds of the desert, to the thumping beats of the bipolar nightmare, this music of this game delivers perfectly at every stage. This music for every stage just feels "right". It acts as a blend between tribal and orchestra. It words really well with the game and the word I could find to describe how well it fits with the game is 'Synergy'. That one word describes how the music acts to the title.

OVERALL SCORE: 

43.5/50

87% APPROVAL RATING

CONCLUSION:

Yoko Taro-san, the game's director once in an interview said that while making a game he wants his games to be so unique that no one who plays it should be able to reference it to his past works or any other title for comparison. If his titles tend to get reference to other old titles. He considers it a failure. Based on that perspective, I can clearly say that he definitely was successful with Nier: Automata. As I played on, every now and then I couldn't help myself but wonder how Platinum Games Scalebound would have turned out had it not been cancelled by Microsoft. As for Nier: Automata, I can't help but wonder if it will ever get a sequel or not. But for the time being, Automata should keep you busy.

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Official Trailer

Note: All Screenshots of the game were taken during my play session.