Review — NieR: Automata

NieR: Automata offers a unique take on the jRPG genre with classical sci-fi elements and Japanese weirdness added to the mix.

Nier: Automata’s premise sounds like the typical scenario of a science-fiction movie. Imagine Earth overrun by murderous robots hailing from another world, resulting in humanity spread thin by years of conflict. The robot invasion forced most of humanity to flee to the moon, leaving behind only a c group of resistance fighters waging an unwinnable war. To combat this, over the years humanity developed androids (YoRHa) to do the fighting for them.

These androids are modeled after humans, but are denied of having emotions and true names. The main characters are dubbed “2B” and “9S”, after their model numbers — respectively YoHRa №2 Model B and YoHRa №9 Model S. From an orbital base called the “Bunker”, 2B and 9S are send out to combat the robot invaders and assist the local resistance fighters. So far so typical, but a Japanese game wouldn’t be a true Japanese game with some occasional weirdness, and Nier: Automata is no different in this aspect.

Free roaming and free fighting

Nier is an open world game, albeit set in a rather small-scale environment. Players move about either on foot or by employing the services of an animal — like a deer or a boar — by earning their trust with food scraps. While mostly you’ll be controlling the characters in third-person perspective, occasionally the camera will shift to an overhead or a side-scrolling view, bringing back memories of games like Super Mario and Space Invaders (which is actually not a too far-fetched reference considering Nier’s story). Fast travelling is only unlocked after a certain amount of progression in the story, but can only be accessed via vending machine-like terminals. In Nier’s lore, its not your body that is being transferred, but 2B or 9S’s consciousness that is being transported to another body within these terminals.

2B is a true war machine. Using either bare fists, swords, bracers or spears, the player can have her dish out light (square) and heavy (triangle) attacks, or any combination thereof. Enemies’ attacks can be evaded by pressing R2 and can grant immunity to their attacks and the option for a counterattack if pressed at the correct timing. Your companion fights completely autonomous and will never get in the way, an aspect not every developer manages to accomplish properly. Both 2B and 9S are assisted by a drone, which can fire a constant stream of bullets or missiles and can be outfitted with a special attack , ranging from a single heavy missile to a shield that protects the character when in need.

OS required

Defeating enemies and completing quests provide EXP. Leveling up only adds more health, attack and defense power: new abilities are acquired by installing “chips” on the characters themselves. This unique system allows the players to customize their characters as they choose and allows them to swap between different sets of chips. These can be tailored to different playstyles: if you want to capitalize on offense, chips that increase your weapon damage or add shock effects will be helpful, whereas chips that auto-heal your character if its health falls below a certain threshold can offer some much needed protection and relief. Other chips can be used to customize the HUD with sound waves, enemy health or an experience bar. Playing the game on the easiest mode allows the player to activate auto-attack chips, but I feel these take away too much of the play experience. They can be useful for newer players or for people who want to focus on the story.

But beware! Your character will also have an OS-chip, with OS being short for “operating system”. Just like your personal computer, laptop or smartphone, they need this to function properly. Should you decide to remove this chip, well… The chip’s description “An android’s central system. Removal means death” should alert you…

Controls can sometimes be tricky, especially if you want your drone to constantly fire outside of easy mode. I was glad for having a pro controller with customizable buttons, because holding R1 and keeping a finger on R2 for timed evasions can be quite tricky. Being able to program the R1 button to a back paddle on the controller allowed for a more manageable experience. Aside from little gripes like this and an occasional wonky camera, combat is extremely fluid and offers a satisfying experience.

Gesamtkunstwerk

The game’s visuals are often in tones of grey and brown with the occasional contrasting green of plant life, complementing the game’s dark and bleak but fascinating plot. The music is astonishingly amazing and awe-inspiring. Composer Keiichi Okabe has outdone himself with providing Nier with some of the most hauntingly beautiful scores I’ve heard in a while. English voice acting is on point, with Emi Evans as 2B and personal favorite and regular Ray Chase as Eve particularly excelling.

It’s starting to become a trend for me, but I haven’t played any of Nier: Automata’s predecessors. I have heard and read many a praise of its direct forbearer Nier, but rarely seen anything of Drakengard, of which the original Nier was a spin-off. Nier has always been an oddball within the jRPG genre and Automata is no different. Nier: Automata is unique in the fact that it offers an impressive and rewarding post-game. A lot of games offer a NG+ option, allowing the player to grab all the gear, abilities and loot they have accumulated during their first playthrough and play the game again, sometimes offering an increase in difficulty (I’m looking at The Witcher 3 in particular here). In Nier: Automata, things are a bit different.

After completing the game for the first time — which can be done rather quickly should you choose to ignore the many irrelevant-seeming sidequests — the game prompts you to play through it another time. Revealing to much of the plot here would spoil too much of the intriguing storyline, but rest assured: the second playthrough lets you see thing from another perspective. Because of my irrepressible urge to explore I even discovered another alternate ending barely minutes into my second playthrough…

Robot Souls?

Another constant in my reviews is a comparison with the Dark Souls series. Just like in Dark Souls, when your character dies, they leave behind a number of acquired items and EXP. You have a limited amount of time to find your body — handily hightlighted on the minimap — to reclaim everything left behind. Should you choose to turn on the online mode, you will often stumble upon other players’ corpses, which you can revive and either repair the to have them fight for you, or you can pray for them and receive money and some plug-in chips to use yourself.

The verdict

Nier: Automata offers a different approach to the classic action-RPG, forcing players out of their comfort zones. Having the misfortune of being released around the same time as Mass Effect: Andromeda might have robbed it of much of the attention it deserved, but the game certainly makes its mark within the RPG genre. This is all thanks to the gripping storytelling and the unmatched combat mechanics of which many other developers could learn a thing or two. Combine this with the visuals, music and voice acting and you have a contender for Game of the Year, albeit in an underdog position.

And end note for the trophy hunters: you’ll probably be questioning yourself should you choose to go for that platinum…

4,5/5

Reviewed for PlayStation 4