Beckett vs NieR: Automata

As soon as my time with NieR: Automata drew to a close, I immediately texted one of my good friends to describe in one word how my 35-hour playthrough made me feel –  “wrecked”. While I had read about NieR’s overwhelming critical praise prior to jumping into the game, what was so unexpected were the themes and questions posed by the narrative. Through the adventures of our main protagonists, 2B and 9S, a tale is weaved that explores the meaning of humanity and the soul – at what point does a self-governing and empathetic artificial intelligence stop being considered a machine? Not only does NieR: Automata ask these questions, it forces the player to make some incredibly ugly decisions – probably the hardest ones I’ve ever had to make while playing a video game. As a result of these decisions, the game has stuck with me, even weeks after its completion. I don’t think I’ll be visiting it again soon, but only because I need to process what I’ve experienced. NieR: Automata provides an experience unequalled. It presents a complex and layered narrative, supported by two strong protagonists that are impossible to not empathize with. To complete the package, the fast and action-fueled gameplay that is the signature of Platinum Games provides an open-world sandbox that is hard to stay away from.

NieR: Automata is a third person action-game published by Square Enix and developed by Platinum Games, and is a sequel to the original NieR that was released in 2010. Players take control of protagonist android 2B and her partner, 9S, and act as members of YorHa, an organization put together by the last survivors of humanity. Their mission is to try and take Earth back from the machine lifeforms that were created by aliens, in hopes that one day humanity will return. The game begins when 2B’s squadron is called in to battle, and soon, 2B is the only one of her squadron left alive. She is then paired with 9S, and they are assigned to support deployed android Resistance fighters. As they carry out their assignment, they find out more about their organization as well as the events that played out on Earth that caused humanity to flee to the moon. This leads them to question their true allegiances, and the mission they’ve been tasked with carrying out. The story boasts a powerful, philosophical narrative that asks hard questions about machines and humanity, and how the line between them can sometimes become blurred. It displays the natural but horrific human impulse of destruction in ways that are sometimes difficult to stomach, but never feels distasteful. Its story is a memorable one that will likely stick with you.

The camera system in NieR: Automata plays a vital role in making the gameplay feel fresh and dynamic.

Completing the game for the first time takes roughly 10-12 hours, depending on whether or not side quests are completed. These are quite beneficial as they provide insight into the state of the world and the various characters within it, as well as substantial rewards in the form of EXP, currency, items, and plug-in chips. Don’t be caught off-guard when the credits roll for the first time, as this is not the actual end. To achieve the true ending, the game must be played approximately four times. Before you groan, know that in reality the game is only being replayed once – the rest of the story continues after the B ending is achieved. Initially I wasn’t too pleased about this setup, but I was completely hooked by the end of my first playthrough, and the second playthrough does prove to be different from the first. It should also be mentioned that NieR: Automata contains over 20 different endings – however, some of these aren’t as fleshed out as the others and almost act as joke endings. For example, when customizing plug-in chips, the player has the option of deleting the OS chip. Doing so will bring the game’s conclusion rather quickly.

Combat in NieR: Automata is addicting and lightning-fast with a surprising amount of depth and customization when it comes to weapons and plug-in chips. Plug-in chips act like an RPG’s character attributes. As 2B levels up by gaining experience, more and more plug-in chips can be installed. For example, some allow for health to be absorbed upon dealing damage or enemy death, while others trigger a Shockwave to implode on successful hits, or increase overall health points or movement speed. For players who don’t want to get lost in the endless chip combinations, there is an auto function which allows the player to select their preference between Defence, Attack, or Balanced Focus chip installation. Weaponry is as important, and sticking with a set of weapons from start to finish proves to be beneficial as the cost of increasing all the weapons in the game is less efficient than upgrading one or two sets alone. There are multiple weapon types and each feels and wields differently from the others.

Once the dodge ability is mastered, working this into attack combos becomes exhilarating and stylish, as there is a visual spectacle when dodges are successfully executed.

It is important to mention that the camera system in NieR: Automata plays a vital role in making the gameplay feel fresh and dynamic. Most of the game will be spent looking at your character in the conventional third person perspective, but there are certain gameplay sections where the camera will shift, restricting the player to only two-dimensional movement controls. During flight sequences, the camera shifts to a top-down perspective where the player is forced to stay alive by dodging enemy bullets while firing back simultaneously. This unique shift of perspective allows for some memorable sequences and exciting battles.

A key component to being successful in NieR: Automata’s combat system is mastering the dodge button. This causes time to slow down, allowing 2B to steer clear of the enemy attack. Similar to Bayonetta, once the dodge ability is mastered, working this into attack combos becomes exhilarating and stylish, as there is a visual spectacle when dodges are successfully executed.

2017 proved to be an excellent year for video game soundtracks, and never before this year have I actually listened to game soundtracks outside of their game. In this regard, NieR: Automata does not fail. Its soundtrack delivers emotionally-stirring melodies that thematically capture the worlds that are being explored, from toe-tapping tunes and adrenaline-inducing orchestral string melodies, to sad and melancholy sound. My favourite theme is Pascal’s Village, which still manages to give me goosebumps every single time. The emotions it brings to the surface are a mix of happiness, sorrow, as well as hope and optimism for the future.

NieR: Automata’s online component involving other players is interesting and similar in concept to the system in a Dark Souls game, where players exploring the world will encounter the corpses of other players who have died in that area. Upon encountering a corpse, the player has two options: they can repair the deceased player’s android for experience and aid in combat, or they can retrieve any plug-in chips and experience from the body instead. When a player dies in their own game, they have the option of going back to their body to retrieve the experience and plug-in chips obtained between their death and their last save. Retrieving your body isn’t imperative, but if you want to reclaim any lost experience or plug-in chips, this is the best way.

Fishing for aspects of NieR: Automata that don’t shine as brightly as others is challenging, as it is truly hard to find anything negative to say. My only criticism is that the weakest aspect of the experience is the in-game graphics and environments that can be explored. As the story plays out, in-game events affect the landscape and colours appear dull. Some the environments do utilize different colour palettes, but for the duration of the game, it mostly stays the same. Despite this, I did not mind traversing the same open areas back and forth repeatedly to complete side quests.

In today’s day and age, we are coming up on an era that was once entirely considered to be science fiction. Rapid advancement of artificial intelligence and technology has opened doors humanity didn’t even know existed. Television shows like the insanely popular Black Mirror have started to ask some of these questions – what happens when our technological advancements exceed us? What if an artificial intelligence created to mirror a human mind starts to believe it is the human it mirrors? In NieR: Automata, some of these questions venture into interesting territory. For example, the android and machine lifeforms all exhibit some disturbing human characteristics, two of them being fear and the innate desire to survive, no matter the cost. There is even one point where 2B and 9S encounter machines that are endlessly rocking baby cradles, behaviour that is not typical of a non sentient machine. NPCs that encounter the main characters will sometimes offer side quests for the player to take on. When I declined a request, one NPC would irritably make a comment about how declining the request is fine for now, but that 2B and 9S ultimately don’t have the option of turning it down. Not only this, but many NPCs speak to the androids with prejudice against the fact they are YorHA androids. Furthermore, 2B encounters a robot pleading with her to spare its life. Instead of hearing the robot out, 9S cuts in and says, “Don’t listen to it, just kill it!”, even though the robot was not displaying any aggression. Moments like this speak to the human impulse to destroy, especially anything that is unfamiliar. When NieR: Automata’s final credits rolled, I was grasping for words. Down to the last second, the game managed to surprise me in more ways than I was comfortable with. Because of that, NieR: Automata provides an experience like no other. All the key pillars of a fantastic game are present: a thematically complex and layered narrative, an emotionally-stirring soundtrack that perfectly captures the mood and feel of the game’s themes, and an excellent combat system combined with a dynamic camera that allows for encounters to always feel fresh and exciting. Aside from the aforementioned dull colour palette issue, finding faults in NieR: Automata feels more like nitpicking, because of how the game innovates, and always keeps the player guessing. At the time of writing this review, NieR: Automata is the best game I have played in 2018. For those looking for an unparalleled experience in narrative, sound, and gameplay dynamics, NieR: Automata is the game for you.

FINAL REVIEW: 9.5/10