Welcome back to the Should You Play series where we talk about games old and new. After quite an elongated break, I will talk about PlatinumGames’ 2017 NieR: Automata, it’s pros and cons, and whether you should play it or not. Previously on Should you play? I talked about-
NieR Automata: An Incredible Piece of Art
NieR: Automata takes place in a futuristic dystopia, one where humanity has fled to the Moon in an effort to seek refuge from the aliens. The aliens have created a multitude of devices that all serve a single purpose, which is to end humanity. These devices-referred to as “Machines”, and the ever-going war forms the core of NieR: Automata’s story.
Humanity’s last resort is the YoRHa group, which is an army of Androids tasked with making Earth a better place for mankind. You play as the Android 2B, who gets wrapped up in this frankly astonishing and thought-provoking war between humans and machines.
NieR: Automata, much like most Yoko Taro games, have a unique storytelling approach. There’s a lot of hidden meaning involved within the plots, and a lot of that can only be uncovered if you take the time to replay the games with multiple perspectives. Understanding the whole of NieR: Automata can be a jarring task, but enduring such an endeavor makes you savor the character development to a degree very few games can achieve.
NieR: Automata has a lot to say to the player, but only when they put in the required efforts.
Unique In More Ways Than One
This might make you believe that NieR: Automata is heavily dependent on its story to sell the game, which cannot be further from the truth. Developer PlatinumGames has a knack for developing great action games, and combining that with Yoko Taro’s creative prowess creates a unique multi-faceted, multi-genre experience that’s quite hard to replicate.
Most of the game’s combat revolves around slashing swords and performing some of the flashiest moves. PlatinumGames has pulled quite the trick when it comes to the combat in NieR: Automata, as it creates a great hybrid of carefully timed sword-duels and a spammy-but-flashy move set that gives out a great power fantasy. While choice in combat lies at the heart of NieR: Automata, the game practically forces its players to consider each and every move.
While there’s a great deal of sword fighting, players will often engage in bullet-hell dogfights within a flight suit. In addition to this, you will be taken through a multitude of platforming challenges and side-scrolling fights in a whole host of weirdly gratifying locations. Yoko Taro’s creative vision especially shines here, as the action is directed in a whole host of ways with subtle ways to amp up the challenge each time. For instance, the camera might be placed at an angle where smoke screens obstruct your vision of obstacles while traversing along a conveyer belt, making each jump and slide carry a lot of weight especially given the consequences of failing.
An RPG?
Unlike a lot of modern action RPGs, NieR: Automata takes some cues from FromSoftware’s Dark Souls series when it comes to player mortality. The game does a great job at explaining and legitimizing your mortality with the game’s lore, but it is equally punishing. Players need to save their games at an access point, and death will send the player back to the last save point. Stripped away of your progress, you lose all your upgrades, and any items used in the last run get depleted for good.
Continuing with the theme of seemingly weird design choices, NieR: Automata’s upgrade systems revolve around the use of plug-in chips which can either be purchased from merchants around the world or found in the environment. These plug-in chips “fittingly enough” fit in your Android system, and grant a multitude of different buffs and abilities. You have a great deal of flexibility in how you go about things, as even things like HUD elements and in-game hints use chip slots that could be used for other abilities. This creates a great dynamic, wherein players get to choose what type of difficulty would they like to endure.
These chip-loadouts can be switched on the fly, which is quite fitting as you might have no idea what the game might throw at you next. This enabled me to come up with loadouts tailored specifically for the situation at hand, as I could get a significant leg-up in battle if I chose weapon and damage buffs instead of at the time unnecessary HUD elements against a particularly tough boss.
It’s weird, but it’s beautifully weird.
The Presentation
NieR: Automata might not have been the most visually impressive title when it launched, but it recoups a lot of that with great art direction. The sense of scale in NieR: Automata’s dystopian Earth is impressive, and the choice of mostly muted colors strike all the right chords. NieR: Automata has had a rough patch when it comes to the PC version, and those wanting to play through the game are better off getting it through Game Pass. The game’s Steam version required a mod for fixing some issues with global illumination, although this is something that I have yet to confirm has been fixed or not.
In a similar vein of things, NieR: Automata’s music is one of the many factors that alleviate its depiction of a dystopian setting. While there’s a great deal of variety in the tracks that instill hope in such desperate times, a continually melancholic theme can be found running through these songs that goes well with the narrative themes. Despite the tracks being mostly great, the constantly looping overworld theme can prove bothersome at times, especially if you would like to take some time exploring the city and possibly investing some time in mostly repetitive-but-rewarding side-quests.
We shall all die and become as Gods!
The Verdict
NieR: Automata, simply said, is an experience that is truly unique in a lot of ways. Its story has a lot to say, provided you are willing to dig deep and explore it for yourself. Combat can take place in a number of forms, each equally important and engaging. NieR’s depiction of a post-apocalyptic setting is accentuated by great art direction and fittingly depressive music. A rather unique take on player progression makes the gameplay a lot more dynamic and flexible. While the punishing death system might be a barrier for entry for some, but the unforgettable experience is one worth seeing through to the end.
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