03-13-2017, 08:16 PM
(This post was last modified: 03-13-2017, 08:16 PM by RepentantSky.)
This one took me a while to get through, and not because I couldn't make myself play it, but because I couldn't get enough of it, and I wanted it to last as long as possible, here's my review for NieR: Automata.
Having played the first game to completion once, and then watching the parts of the story that you get through several playthroughs, I can honestly say that the first NieR was okay, but that this one was a huge improvement from it. The faster gameplay makes it more fun, the better variety of weapon styles, always prevented me from growing bored of the game, and the multiple endings really played out well.
The story as first seems simple, Mankind has fled the earth after an alien force invaded it with machines. In response, the human's, unable to suppress the onslaught, created androids to do the fighting for them, while the few surviving humans fled to the Moon. Of course, games with simple plot line like that, rarely tell the whole truth, and that's what makes the story of NieR: Automata so interesting and engaging. Playing through to get all the endings is not only fun, but it can be challenging and lead to some truly memorable moments. It doesn't reinvent the wheel, but it takes it for a good spin, and even managed to pull out one plot point, I never saw coming, and even though there were no hints of that until the moment it happened, it didn't seem like it was forced, and made the overall plot of the game, that much more enjoyable. Despite the story focusing on machines and androids, two beings in fiction that aren't generally related to humans emotions, both sides have characters that can be emotionally invested in and when they meet their ends in relation to the overall plot, as all games must focus on main characters eventually, or even at times where the story wasn't ending, I found myself moved by what they do or what happens to them. During the second playthrough, you'll get more insight into some minor characters, and they to, might tug at your heartstrings a bit. If you don't like violence, be warned, the game is rated M for a reason, as graphic moments are not uncommon place.
I wish I could say the combat, had the same near flawless flow of the story, but at times it felt clunky when I had several enemies around me, and I would try to focus on a certain one with my sword attacks, only for it to aim at something different, causing me to get hit. This problem, while rare, grew incredibly frustrating at times, and appeared to be random. Sometimes it would attack the enemy I was the nearest to, sometimes it would aim for one off screen that I was trying to ignore at that moment. Either way, it was rather annoying when it happened, and I checked several times to make sure I didn't have some sort of auto-locking on, it just didn't listen to my commands at times for no given reason. That said, when it did work, was 99 percent of the of time, the combat was fluid, fast paced and highly enjoyable. A huge contrast from Horizon Zero Dawn, the last game I played, but still incredibly fun and actually highly engaging for an action RPG. Another side of combat, was a hacking mini-game not unlike what you'd have seen if you ever played a Sly Cooper game, but this was not as fun as those ones were, back from one and even two generations ago. The hacking also felt too varied in a sense of it's own rules. Sometimes hacking was simple, a but of easy aiming and done, sometimes it was a little more complicated, but still challenging to the point of being fun, but other times, it felt like the commands I was putting in were not being recognized and that easily made it the most frustrating bit of the whole game. The bullet hell sections of the game are done wonderfully, and really ask of you to use your skills, unless you have item equipped that allows you to gain health for enemy you defeat. I suggest, you don't do that, and enjoy this bit of combat style, it may just be the most fun part of all.
The music and setting of the game complimented themselves perfectly, possibly even better than Horizon Zero Dawn, and I couldn't wait to see how the next bit would feel when they met. If the action was in full swing, the music met the challenge to make you feel every bit of it, if was time for a generally emotional moment, the music let you feel it as well. Even in times where the game was calm and relaxing, moments not often felt, the game's music would match, and the end credit song, is amazing.
It's not unfair to say, that you need to find all the main endings to get everything out of the game, but it's also worth doing, as the world is captivating and the wish for it to continue, should be strong in any fan of RPG's. It's also to fun to see all the joke endings of the game, which usually revolve around the player leaving an area during a serious moment, and joke dialogue saying they are pretty much just left everything to be as it would. NieR: Automata, is nearly perfect game, and don't worry, if you miss a quest, you can always go back after getting one of the main endings through a chapter select, so there's no pressure to do everything all at once. The final rating I give this title a 4.5/5. It's not quite perfect, but it's a huge step up from the previous game, and the perfect stepping stone for another game in the series, should that happen.
Having played the first game to completion once, and then watching the parts of the story that you get through several playthroughs, I can honestly say that the first NieR was okay, but that this one was a huge improvement from it. The faster gameplay makes it more fun, the better variety of weapon styles, always prevented me from growing bored of the game, and the multiple endings really played out well.
The story as first seems simple, Mankind has fled the earth after an alien force invaded it with machines. In response, the human's, unable to suppress the onslaught, created androids to do the fighting for them, while the few surviving humans fled to the Moon. Of course, games with simple plot line like that, rarely tell the whole truth, and that's what makes the story of NieR: Automata so interesting and engaging. Playing through to get all the endings is not only fun, but it can be challenging and lead to some truly memorable moments. It doesn't reinvent the wheel, but it takes it for a good spin, and even managed to pull out one plot point, I never saw coming, and even though there were no hints of that until the moment it happened, it didn't seem like it was forced, and made the overall plot of the game, that much more enjoyable. Despite the story focusing on machines and androids, two beings in fiction that aren't generally related to humans emotions, both sides have characters that can be emotionally invested in and when they meet their ends in relation to the overall plot, as all games must focus on main characters eventually, or even at times where the story wasn't ending, I found myself moved by what they do or what happens to them. During the second playthrough, you'll get more insight into some minor characters, and they to, might tug at your heartstrings a bit. If you don't like violence, be warned, the game is rated M for a reason, as graphic moments are not uncommon place.
I wish I could say the combat, had the same near flawless flow of the story, but at times it felt clunky when I had several enemies around me, and I would try to focus on a certain one with my sword attacks, only for it to aim at something different, causing me to get hit. This problem, while rare, grew incredibly frustrating at times, and appeared to be random. Sometimes it would attack the enemy I was the nearest to, sometimes it would aim for one off screen that I was trying to ignore at that moment. Either way, it was rather annoying when it happened, and I checked several times to make sure I didn't have some sort of auto-locking on, it just didn't listen to my commands at times for no given reason. That said, when it did work, was 99 percent of the of time, the combat was fluid, fast paced and highly enjoyable. A huge contrast from Horizon Zero Dawn, the last game I played, but still incredibly fun and actually highly engaging for an action RPG. Another side of combat, was a hacking mini-game not unlike what you'd have seen if you ever played a Sly Cooper game, but this was not as fun as those ones were, back from one and even two generations ago. The hacking also felt too varied in a sense of it's own rules. Sometimes hacking was simple, a but of easy aiming and done, sometimes it was a little more complicated, but still challenging to the point of being fun, but other times, it felt like the commands I was putting in were not being recognized and that easily made it the most frustrating bit of the whole game. The bullet hell sections of the game are done wonderfully, and really ask of you to use your skills, unless you have item equipped that allows you to gain health for enemy you defeat. I suggest, you don't do that, and enjoy this bit of combat style, it may just be the most fun part of all.
The music and setting of the game complimented themselves perfectly, possibly even better than Horizon Zero Dawn, and I couldn't wait to see how the next bit would feel when they met. If the action was in full swing, the music met the challenge to make you feel every bit of it, if was time for a generally emotional moment, the music let you feel it as well. Even in times where the game was calm and relaxing, moments not often felt, the game's music would match, and the end credit song, is amazing.
It's not unfair to say, that you need to find all the main endings to get everything out of the game, but it's also worth doing, as the world is captivating and the wish for it to continue, should be strong in any fan of RPG's. It's also to fun to see all the joke endings of the game, which usually revolve around the player leaving an area during a serious moment, and joke dialogue saying they are pretty much just left everything to be as it would. NieR: Automata, is nearly perfect game, and don't worry, if you miss a quest, you can always go back after getting one of the main endings through a chapter select, so there's no pressure to do everything all at once. The final rating I give this title a 4.5/5. It's not quite perfect, but it's a huge step up from the previous game, and the perfect stepping stone for another game in the series, should that happen.