I went into this one with big expectations only knowing there were lots of endings and after Replicant's poignant tale supported by not-so-strong combat and sidequesting there was potential for something incredible here.

And it is. It is incredible that such a world and theatrical performance was formed and can feel and look like this, flourishing all of these approaches to life computers take when their creators are no more and the logical trappings they fall into, desperate to be "human".

While the gameplay itself isn't as innovative as I'd hoped (there are still plenty of cool original mechanics to discover) and there aren't loads of fleshed out endings, Automata is undeniably a conceptual feat with a ton of surprises set on an impressively focused stage. They did a great job exploring the world they built to logical extremities.

Cinematically, there is bereft a miss. The action sequences are pretty masterful, having you fight not only for survival but also with the weight of the actions that are unfolding or the truths that are revealing. The latter usually being the more overwhelming, I do wish there could have been slightly more time to process some of the final plot. And before that, I think I needed to see more of an important character.

I won't ramble on this but levelling systems often lead to running into avoidable grindy OR underwhelming fights. Here is no exception. There's a system where you can equip different chips to tailor your build and experiment with which would work great on its own. I'd rather a one-hit death feel more intended by the designer. My abilities could gel more cohesively with the opponents'.

And while gameplay and combat mechanics being more cohesive with the message and feeling of the story in a compelling way would be great, I realise these things are minor aspects that achieve these things well enough. I still can't help but feel sad I can't rate this higher.

Logic indicates annihilation is worse than the possibility of a horrible future, because the chance of a better future is therefore greater than 0%. Is this humanity? Maybe they were successful.