NieR: Automata (PS4) Review

2B or not 2B?

 Nier: Automata is among the most anticipated games of 2017 and is the sequel to the forgotten cult action role-playing game, Nier. Developed by the famed Platinum Games (Vanquish, Bayonetta) and published by Square Enix. It follows the adventures of combat androids as they battle alien forces while also attaining human emotions. Unveiled during last year's E3, Nier: Automata was a surprise that garnered a significant amount of attention considering its forgotten predecessor. I've gotten a good impression of Nier: Automata after playing the demo which released months back. After experiencing the full game, I can understand why it was the talk of last month, considering the high quality of the overall game. So without further delay, it's high time we go over the super fast and ultra furious action game of the year, Nier: Automata.


STORY- In the distant future mankind is at war with galactic aliens via proxy war. Android forces known as "YoRHa" fight on behalf of the humans while the machines fight for the aliens. You take the role of YoRHa combat android "2B" alongside her scout companion, 9S. Rogue prototype model A2 also joins the war against the machines as well. Along their journey, the androids will uncover many hidden secrets as well as fighting dangerous threats. I felt that the cast were pretty bland at first, however, as the story progressed, I imminently liked all three of them since they were interesting and developed. The same also goes for some side-characters as well. Additionally, I liked the philosophical nature of the narrative and themes such as the difference between humans and machines, life and death, and the desire to kill and found them to be thought-provoking too.

The premise is interesting and engaging.

GAMEPLAY- Nier: Automata is a third-person hack-and-slash action game. 2D platforming and loads of shoot 'em up elements are mixed into the gameplay as well. There's also RPG elements such as leveling up, which increases your overall health and stats as well. As 2B, 9S, and A2, you'll be hacking and chopping down hordes of enemies. 2B and A2 have access to light and strong weapons, pressed by square and triangle buttons, respectively. When combined you can dish out some really devastating attacks. 9S can equip one weapon and as a "heavy attack" he can hack into enemies and can either detonate or remote control them, or just have them fight by your side. A recurring mechanic found in many of Platinum's games is the "Witch Time" feature of Bayonetta. Basically, evading at the last minute when an enemy is about to strike will grant you a small window of time to strike back, giving them heavy damage. Your small flying Pod also provides assistance by giving you some fire-power. Upgrading it will enhance its attack power and purchasing pod programs, it will be able to learn new moves. 

The gameplay is fast and fluid,
 as expected from Platinum Games.

 As you progress through the game, you'll come across many weapons ranging from swords all the way to spears. By find the necessary parts and items, their power can be increased. One thing I found annoying about this is that there isn't a tracking options for crafting items, which can make part scavenging a bit of a hassle. Chips are perks that can be bought or dropped from enemies, they're essential to building your character since they give significant stat increases such as extra defense, attack power, and even the amount of experience gained. I found it a bit broken since you can easily buy lots of attack power chips, combine them to higher levels, and get a 100% attack power increase! This makes some of the challenging enemies and boss fights a breeze. Still, the chips are very helpful when you're going for a balanced build. Furthermore, the game is similar to Dark Souls when it comes to death but with an interesting twist. When you fall in battle, you'll be transported back to the last save point. You need to go back to your original body and either choose to take all of possessions such as items and experience or repair it. Successfully repairing it via hacking will cause the body to fight alongside you temporarily. However, should you fail to repair the body, it'll reanimate and will attack you. It's a nice take on dying, but is useless since you can easily overpower yourself via chips and never die again.

With an arsenal of weaponry and support, you'll
be blazing down hordes of enemy machines.

 Compared to its predecessor, Nier: Automata is a full-on open-world game. As you traverse the decayed yet beautiful areas, you'll come across a variety of wildlife, some consumable items, and side-quests, which fills up the world a bit. Speaking of side-quests, the game's full of them. While most of them are pretty much fetch-quests, there are some that are well-written and are quite engaging. Attempting to complete all of the side-quest will be quite the undertake since you'll likely spend tons of hours on them. Come to think of it, Nier: Automata is by far Platinum Games' longest game if you compare it to their other hack-and-slash games such as Metal Gear Rising and Bayonetta. It took me nearly 40 hours to complete the story alongside a hefty amount of side-activities and I still wanted more.

The scale and draw-distances of the areas
is impressive and commendable.

PRESENTATION- Nier: Automata is among the visually appealing games of the year. Square and Platinum games did a great job with the stylish character models and well-designed environments. Some areas such as the desert and forest zones are sharp thanks to rich detail put in. The well-executed lighting and shadow effects also deserve praise. Nier: Automata runs at a smooth 60 frames-per-second at a 1080p resolution despite some stuttering on PS4 Pro. It's slightly downgraded on the base PS4 to 900p yet retains the 60 frames-per second. However, when the action gets heavy-- and it frequently does-- the base PS4 will start having a hard time keeping up. Complimenting the game is a majestic soundtrack full of neatly composed tracks which fits the nonstop action. I found tracks such as "Become as Gods" and "Peaceful Sleep" to be memorable and blended well into the game's world. The English and Japanese voice-work were both pretty good. While many would prefer the Japanese voice, I still found the English one to be decent. 

Nier: Automata holds some impressive production values.

OVERALL- With a philosophical and engaging narrative, likable cast, stunning presentation, and tight gameplay courtesy of Platinum Games, what's there not to like about Nier: Automata? Aside of a few issues, it's easily one of the best action titles of the year and of the current console generation. I can't wait to see what's in store for the cult series and I hope Platinum would be involved.