Reviews / 21 June 2023

Let’s Talk About NieR Automata

My first introduction to NieR Automata was when a video of one of the boss fights came up on my recommendations on Youtube. The boss fight was an opera singing robot and the gameplay and music for the fight amazed me. There wasn’t any information on what this boss fight was about, just that the game was called NieR Automata. I ordered a special edition version of the game on the very same day, hoping that a new game would distract me from my thoughts for a little while.

When NieR Automata originally came out on Playstation 4, I was going through a rough patch in my life. I was working in a job that I hated, I was suffering with a lot of health issues which resulted in me being home a lot and I just felt really stuck with where I was in life. After completing my first playthrough of Automata, the NieR franchise very quickly became one of my favourite gaming franchises of all time.

A quick rundown, NieR Automata is an action RPG game created by Square Enix and Platinum Games and the sequel to the cult classic game NIER. Set in the far future of the year 11945, NieR Automata tells the story of an ongoing war between the remnants of humanity and an army of machine lifeforms from another planet. Humans have fled to the moon after the invasion of their planet and have created combat androids to fight back for humanity.

You play as android unit 2B, and are accompanied by android unit 9S. Your goal is to aid the remaining resistance forces of the planet to defeat the enemy machines. The combat system is very familiar for a Platinum game, taking ideas from both Bayonetta 2 and Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance while also feeling fresh and new. The game plays in many different way, with some parts of the story being top down, while other parts being a 2D platformer and there are even some sections of bullet hell.

One of my favourite things about NieR is the soundtrack, making every area of the game come to life with each song that plays, all as memorable as the next. The characters are so wonderful and it feels so rewarding to watch their characters grow and interact with each other and seeing how they deal with the outcomes of the story.

A very interesting thing that caught me by surprise originally is how many different endings this game has. You play through the game multiple times to complete the story to its fullest, and with the second play through there are slight differences that helps keeps the experience fresh.

Over the years I have started quite a collection of merchandise from the franchise. I own the game on every platform it was released on, including the recently ported Nintendo Switch version. I have music boxes that play songs from the franchise, vinyl’s, a few plushies and even managed to get tickets to attend the NieR orchestra concert in London.

NieR Automata is such a wonderful experience and I highly recommend the game to everyone. Personally, I feel that you don’t have to play the original NIER game to understand the story, but if you want to experience the lore and story to the fullest then I fully recommend you play either the original NieR or the remaster called NieR Replicant. Both games are truly fantastic and I don’t think I will never stop praising this series.