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This review contains spoilers
Nier: Automata leaves me feeling torn. On one hand, I appreciate the story it tells, the themes it interrogates and the questions it asks of the player. On the other, most of that fails to have an impact on me.
SPOILER WARNING (Already marked as such but I can't see anything on the public review and I want to be careful)
Narratively, there are absolutely highlights. Even when I could tell where the game was going, it surprised me slightly. For example: I expected the reveal that humanity was extinct, but not that the aliens were not responsible. There were always questions for which I sought answers and new plot beats or areas that I wanted to see, hence why I finished this game quite quickly.
Ultimately however, I think the amount of game between my curiosity being peaked and sated, dulled a lot of the impact. Subtle differences in how plot beats were eventually delivered couldn't really overcome the apathy that had developed in the dozen hours since I had first been interested.
Then, some of the blame for this poor pacing must be placed on the side quests. This is true, but these side quests can also be some of the best content in the game. Often mirroring the main story, they meditate on purpose and hint at the buried truth of Nier's world. Their abbreviated nature often allows them to surpass the main narrative. Ideas and questions are raised and answered much more quickly, leaving the player to ponder the answers instead of simply waiting for them to arrive.
For me, the multiple routes (specifically Routes A and B) are the true source of my issues with this game. Route B adds some new content, but with slight tweaking it could've fit just as well into Route A. Route A on its own was slightly unfulfilling (by design). While, Route B answers some importance questions and offers some new perspectives, it also serves up a platter of repetition. Take Simone's story for example, what's the point in waiting for 10+ hours and a second playthrough to reveal it? Even in a first run-through the players are beginning to recognise the humanity of the machines, so why was that not strengthened by revealing Simone's motivations immediately?
Ironically, the true victim of the repetitive content is the new content in Route B. The player (me) who is speeding through dialogue that they read yesterday, skipping intro cutscenes for bosses they've already fought, is not well equipped to appreciate the subtle, figurative language and imagery that dominates the few new cutscenes we do get (9S's storybook scenes and the Adam and Eve conversations).
So much of this game is great. But, the fact that I've drilled into one of my annoyances for five paragraphs instead of highlighting what I love is broadly reflective of what I felt having finished the game. The ending sequence is great. 2A is fun to play and carries Route C for me. The music is some of the best I've heard in a game, it is not only amazing in isolation (I'll be adding it to my Spotify playlist) but its incorporation into the game elevates every moment. It weaves melancholy as you wander an abandoned city, builds dread as a side quest reaches its (often) bittersweet end, and excitement as a fight reaches its crescendo.
To that end: I'm glad that I played and stuck with Nier: Automata. Perhaps with time my annoyances with the construction of this game will fade, and I'll be able to hear what it's told me more clearly.
P.S. I refuse to write about this more, but why the fuck isn't fast travel available more immediately? At least it should carry over into Route B :(
SPOILER WARNING (Already marked as such but I can't see anything on the public review and I want to be careful)
Narratively, there are absolutely highlights. Even when I could tell where the game was going, it surprised me slightly. For example: I expected the reveal that humanity was extinct, but not that the aliens were not responsible. There were always questions for which I sought answers and new plot beats or areas that I wanted to see, hence why I finished this game quite quickly.
Ultimately however, I think the amount of game between my curiosity being peaked and sated, dulled a lot of the impact. Subtle differences in how plot beats were eventually delivered couldn't really overcome the apathy that had developed in the dozen hours since I had first been interested.
Then, some of the blame for this poor pacing must be placed on the side quests. This is true, but these side quests can also be some of the best content in the game. Often mirroring the main story, they meditate on purpose and hint at the buried truth of Nier's world. Their abbreviated nature often allows them to surpass the main narrative. Ideas and questions are raised and answered much more quickly, leaving the player to ponder the answers instead of simply waiting for them to arrive.
For me, the multiple routes (specifically Routes A and B) are the true source of my issues with this game. Route B adds some new content, but with slight tweaking it could've fit just as well into Route A. Route A on its own was slightly unfulfilling (by design). While, Route B answers some importance questions and offers some new perspectives, it also serves up a platter of repetition. Take Simone's story for example, what's the point in waiting for 10+ hours and a second playthrough to reveal it? Even in a first run-through the players are beginning to recognise the humanity of the machines, so why was that not strengthened by revealing Simone's motivations immediately?
Ironically, the true victim of the repetitive content is the new content in Route B. The player (me) who is speeding through dialogue that they read yesterday, skipping intro cutscenes for bosses they've already fought, is not well equipped to appreciate the subtle, figurative language and imagery that dominates the few new cutscenes we do get (9S's storybook scenes and the Adam and Eve conversations).
So much of this game is great. But, the fact that I've drilled into one of my annoyances for five paragraphs instead of highlighting what I love is broadly reflective of what I felt having finished the game. The ending sequence is great. 2A is fun to play and carries Route C for me. The music is some of the best I've heard in a game, it is not only amazing in isolation (I'll be adding it to my Spotify playlist) but its incorporation into the game elevates every moment. It weaves melancholy as you wander an abandoned city, builds dread as a side quest reaches its (often) bittersweet end, and excitement as a fight reaches its crescendo.
To that end: I'm glad that I played and stuck with Nier: Automata. Perhaps with time my annoyances with the construction of this game will fade, and I'll be able to hear what it's told me more clearly.
P.S. I refuse to write about this more, but why the fuck isn't fast travel available more immediately? At least it should carry over into Route B :(
A longer game than you expect, especially if you adopt the "clear all map markers" approach that I feel the icon-filled map encourages you to take. Its main and side stories were strong enough to keep me playing on account of strong writing, voice acting and difficult choices.
However, Gwent (the card battles) can become quite stale. The game doesn't incentivise much deck-building. Personally, I chose my playstyle quite early and the remaining 30 or so hours just involved slight refinements as I swapped and upgraded cards. Thus, standard best-of-three round battles felt quite repetitive by the end of the game. On the other hand, puzzle battles were typically fresh and encourage the player to think about some cards in a new way.
Finally, its writing sometimes stumbles when positioning the player to make a choice. There can be a dissonance between the choice made and the tone/wording of the actual dialogue that can lead to an outcome that the player may not have intended.
Ultimately, the presentation and story is absolutely strong enough to keep you playing to completion, but don't expect the card battles to remain wholly interesting (possibly experimenting with difficulty in either direction could mitigate this?).
However, Gwent (the card battles) can become quite stale. The game doesn't incentivise much deck-building. Personally, I chose my playstyle quite early and the remaining 30 or so hours just involved slight refinements as I swapped and upgraded cards. Thus, standard best-of-three round battles felt quite repetitive by the end of the game. On the other hand, puzzle battles were typically fresh and encourage the player to think about some cards in a new way.
Finally, its writing sometimes stumbles when positioning the player to make a choice. There can be a dissonance between the choice made and the tone/wording of the actual dialogue that can lead to an outcome that the player may not have intended.
Ultimately, the presentation and story is absolutely strong enough to keep you playing to completion, but don't expect the card battles to remain wholly interesting (possibly experimenting with difficulty in either direction could mitigate this?).