Nier Automata Review

Nier Automata is an action RPG from Square Enix and Platinum Games and it is, quite frankly, one of the most beautiful games I’ve played in the past decade. This game ticks literally all of the boxes; story, gameplay, characters, visuals, music, everything comes together to form a modern masterpiece.

Nier Automata places you in the android body of 2B, sent to a post-apocalyptic earth to fight back the machines that drove humanity to seek refuge on the moon. Of course that’s not all there is to the story, and as revelations are uncovered you begin to piece together just how much more there is to everything, and while none of the information contained in logs and such are necessary to understand the story, they are always there for you to check out and make for good reading. If you’d prefer not to, the story is delivered through beautiful cutscenes either way, so you should have no problem keeping pace with everything going on, even when it gets bizarre (which is par for the course given that it’s a Yoko Taro game.) There’s also more than one playable character, which is revealed after the first playthrough of the game. You see, the story of Nier Automata is told over the course of multiple playthroughs, an unorthodox method that gets you extra attached to the characters involved, though really it all makes the game about the same length as most other RPG’s, so this coupled with the fact that each playthrough is very drastically different means it might as well just unfold in a linear fashion as you can’t do anything out of order. Ultimately though this all results in an in-depth plot that poses philosophical questions and doesn’t deliberately answer them – allowing the player to decide for themselves.

Getting Platinum Games to cover the gameplay of Nier Automata was quite possibly the best call any game dev could make. With a shining track record of games such as Bayonetta and Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance, they should be considered the go-to choice for games focused on fast-paced action, and their experience shines through here. 2B can sprint at exceedingly fast speeds and can attack just as swiftly, but it doesn’t become so much that the player can’t even keep up, it strikes the perfect balance between stylish presentation and functional design. A beautifully done soundtrack and overall excellent sound design compliment the experience wonderfully, delivered alongside stunning and high-octane boss battles that often serve as the highlight of the game. Nier Automata is visually flooring, the characters and environments are beautifully crafted, pushing the current generation of systems to their limits. Rarely is there any slowdown or frame rate issues, and the fluid animation of each little movement makes the game a joy to witness. Enemy attacks are telegraphed with visual cues, all of which stand out enough for you to register them regardless of the chaos surrounding you.

It’s hard to conjure up any flaws when discussing this game. The story has moments of being vague and weird but overall very solid, the gameplay is challenging but fair, and although there’s only a bit of grinding involved to keep ahead of the curb the difficulty may put off more casual gamers despite the multitude of side quests available to offer rewards that make you stronger. This game is highly acclaimed and deserves to be, if you’re a fan of fast-paced action RPGs with responsive controls and a compelling story then you need look no further, in fact I’d say if you have the ability to get this game and haven’t done so yet then you’re doing yourself a disservice.