GD1551's Game Reviews #1: Nier Automata

Platforms: PS4/PC
Review Platform: PS4
Genre: Action RPG
Spoilers: Limited  

Nier Automata is a game that I have mixed emotions about, so mixed that my opinion of the game changes constantly and even a while before I started writing this I was a bit torn on how my overall feeling of the game was. There are a number of things it does right, in fact, excellently, but many thing it does mediocrely or flat out poorly.  

Gameplay 

The gameplay of Nier Automata can be summed up as mediocre. Being developed by Platinum Games, I expected something more than what I got. Nier Automata’s combat system can best be compared to another one of Platinum’s games, Metal Gear Rising. Contextual as well as delayed button presses result in different moves and combos. However, unlike MGR, there is no cut mechanic to allow for animation cancelling (although you can dodge cancel but it isn’t as good), there is no parry system like MGR’s and move sets are much more limited compared to MGR. Speaking of dodging, there is invincibility on perfect dodges much like Bayonetta, another Platinum game.  

Another big problem here is that there’s a very limited selection of weapon types. All weapons of a certain type share move sets and there are only 4 weapon types. You can quick swap between all four sets via the quick menu and give yourself access to all 4 weapons at once, but this still doesn’t make things very interesting. In addition to this you have a companion called a POD which can shoot bullets, put down fields that slow time or scan for objects in the area. It doesn’t do much to add to the gameplay, but it still can provide some interesting options. 

Enemies types are limited and very predictable and for the most part, aren’t very interesting. Rogue androids and bosses are interesting to fight but the majority of enemies are not. Speaking of bosses, most of the boss fights are very good and memorable, with a couple standing out and a few others being passable but most being good. Although they do suffer from predictability that standard enemies have, but their move sets are much more expanded. 

You also play as multiple characters, however two are very similar combat wise and the other’s combat style can be hit or miss depending on the person playing. There are also SHUMP segments, with feature a mech or a hacking mini game but these appeal of these lose value over time and in some instances are actually quite annoying.

There are some customization options with chips that mostly give stat boosts, but some also give you special effects such as health regeneration, a shockwave when you attack or even limited invincibility when hit. In addition to this also have an A.I partner (most of the time) that you can set the behavior for. The partners aren’t very engaging on a gameplay level beyond that but they do have some good interactions. 

Story 

Being a sequel many people would be wondering, is it ok if I didn’t play the first game? I can safely say, yes, you will be fine. You may miss some references (none of real note to be honest) but other than that it’s a completely separate story. 

The story of the game starts off slowly, but at the end of the five playthroughs and several side quests it may actually change your entire opinion of the game, it’s that good. While there are holes, overall, the themes and the way the story comes together, especially with its unorthodox story telling method was nothing short of remarkable.  

I really didn’t enjoy the game until the story started unfolding and as you play more and more, you find out things may not be as they seem. There are a lot of twists and turns, some very memorable moments and some moments that would have you thinking. After I completed the entire story I spent a couple days thinking about it and how impactful it was. Although it had its weird and somewhat disturbing moments, it all comes together. I don’t want to say more and I don’t know if it’s worth playing the game through to experience it but after much thought, I personally believe it was.  

The characters are also extremely good, their journey throughout the story, the revelations about them over time and the changes in the demeanor as the story progresses were extremely well done but beyond that, they felt believable. 

Design 

The game design leaves a lot to be desired, the way the narrative is weaved into the game’s design is genius but that’s about it. The majority of quests (main or side) are terrible and don’t offer much beyond fleshing out the story. This actually infuriated me because the quests are pretty much fetch X or kill X but a lot of very cool story moments are gated by them, with one quest in particular having some pretty awesome foreshadowing. Now I know many people would say “You can reduce all quests in RPGs to that” however these are very bad, think low level quests in MMOs level of bad. There's even a trophy that calls them errands.

Additionally the game is meant to be completed multiple times, at least five times minimum to gain the true end and the entire story. Three of these five playthroughs are full length with the last two taking about twenty-thirty minutes combined. This would have been great, if two of the five playthroughs weren’t the same game twice with minor changes and the side quests weren’t so bad. The third playthrough is the actual second half of the game as well.

What it comes down to is if you can deal with the worst aspects of the game to get to the best (the story). 

Graphics 

Visually the game goes from bad to mediocre to good depending on the area. For the most part the visuals are mediocre, but there are many areas where they get downright abysmal and some areas where they look really good. 

There aren’t many environments due to the majority of the game being set in a City but you do go to a desert, jungle and futuristic complexes among other areas. 

Sound This is one area Nier excels in, the OST is quite memorable and while the English dub maybe hit or miss, for the most part its fine, especially compared to other game dubs. I don’t have too much to say here, so I’ll leave this track below as a sample. 

 

Conclusion 

If I had to give Nier Automata a score it would range from 3/10 to 7/10 depending on where ever I had reached in the story. Your enjoyment of this game will mostly like be on how much you enjoyed the story and nothing else. I personally think it’s a 6/10 for the story alone and a few memorable moments however if you are looking for a good action game or RPG, I’d suggest looking elsewhere. 

So that’s it for this review of Nier Automata, if you guys liked this remember to follow, upvote and resteem and check out my other stuff if you like!  I've been a bit busy this week so the next article on Nintendo is going to be delayed, so my apologies for that in advanced.

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