NieR: Automata Cinematic Playthrough Part Two
0What makes an android any different from a human? Can they not think, feel, love? Answer these questions and more in the next episode of Dragon Ball- er, NieR: Automata!
00:00 - Recap
4:10 - The Bunker C
7:48 - City Ruins C
31:45 - The Bunker C2
41:25 - City Ruins C2
49:25 - A2
54:32 - Commencing support of Unit A2
2:37:31 - Commencing support of Unit 9S
3:30:41 - The Tower
4:14:35 - meaningless [C]ode
Steam review: https://steamcommunity.com/id/fefnirirl/recommended/524220?snr=1_5_9__402
REVIEW: 5/5
NieR: Automata has the reputation of big-booty-robot-simulator, and in a word, yes, the game DOES deliver to that end. What you might not know is, behind the horny facade, Automata is also home to a beautiful story touching on what defines a soul and freedom, an incredible soundtrack full of heart, and a war-torn world littered with relics that touch on a dark and storied history. NieR has a lot to offer; after multiple playthroughs I still find myself thinking about the story and characters, listening to the OST, and engaging with content online.
The gameplay is Automata's most unique feature by far; throughout the course of the game, you'll be thrust into classic 3rd person action-RPG combat, bullet hell shooters, and side-scrolling beat-em-ups, among a few other genres that are used sparingly. NieR isn't afraid to shake things up to that end- you're not going to be playing the same game the whole way through, and Square combines different gameplay genres as well as contextual perspective changes to keep it fresh; depending on where you are on the map, you may see things from a top-down view, a 2D-esque plane, or a typical free-cam open world. I could see these types of sudden changes being a frustration if handled poorly, but these segments flow into each other very seamlessly and I was left with no complaints on that front.
Without delving into spoiler territory, it's worth noting that there are a few different playable characters, and each of them is given their own substance and gameplay styles without it coming across as gimmicky or watered-down. You could make a pitch for each of them to be the "main" gameplay element and I think each and every one would have reasonable arguments for their case. Being able to give multiple characters their own sense of identity that shows through how they control is no small feat; honestly, I think they could've made each character a mirror image of each other sans one special input or gimmick and no one would've batted an eye, but I much prefer the way they went about it.
The story of Automata is very poignant; I think everyone who experiences it can very easily relate it to any number of real life experiences. (For me, I think the most relatable part was instant death upon consumption of fish, but I digress.) Throughout the game, you'll see relationships thrive and die, trust gained and broken, uneasy alliances formed and swayed, landscapes ravaged and restored; it's endless. There is an overarching message of how much things can change as well as how much they can remain constant and vigilant, and I think all of this dichotomy is perfectly encapsulated by the most topical example; despite heavily featuring scantily-clad robot anime babes, the story inside is very sincere and serious.
There's plenty of customization present for your robot waifu of choice as well; there are a multitude of weapons to outfit yourself with, special moves for your Pod to support you with, and oodles of program chips to upgrade and augment your stats with. With the different gameplay styles I mentioned earlier, I really enjoyed getting to customize each one and fine-tune them to my exact preferences. With enough tinkering, it's easy to masterfully craft your build in a way that flows with the way you choose to play.
This is one of those games that's so easy to recommend to anybody who has a passing interest in any of the elements present. You like robots? Bet. Anime fan? Perfect. Boob guy? Butt guy? We don't discriminate here. Jokes aside, this is just one of those games that's so well done it would be hard NOT to enjoy it.