I 100% mean it when I say Nier Automata changed my perspective on what video games and storytelling can be. I came into it expecting an average philosophical cyberpunk thinkpiece, which I am admittedly a huge sucker for if David Cage isn't the one behind it, but I came out of it thoroughly satisfied and a little traumatized. Now, I'm going to avoid any and all spoilers, and instead dispel some misconceptions a lot of people have about this game in the hopes of encouraging you to buy this masterpiece yourself:
"It relies too much on fanservice"
No. The fanservice is a completely optional experience. Blame the horny redditors for that one. Yoko Taro didn't help much either. And besides, A2 is where it's REALLY at in that department.
"It's pretentious"
This one I have to laugh at. You're going to tell me with a straight face that a man wearing his own mascot character on his head is AT ALL capable of being pretentious? That's actually hilarious.
"It's really not that deep"
Okay, this isn't NECESSARILY a misconception. Nier Automata actually has pretty simple themes. Themes of anti-nihilism, grief, and finding meaning in the small things in life. It's all pretty upfront about that stuff. Yoko Taro just likes to tell stories through emotions and lets you piece together what the message is. Any critical plot details are just there to provide context and worldbuilding. It's just one of his trademarks. So, yeah, no fucking shit. It really isn't that deep. If you state that as a criticism you're either a contrarian who would prefer if this game was about ham-fisted racism/Holocaust allegories all while Yoko Taro tries to deflect any and all such analysis, or you spent too much time staring at 2B's ass and hypocritically complaining about the tasteless fanservice.
Here's some ACTUAL criticism of Nier Automata:
- A lot of the sidequests are overly tedious, sometimes on purpose
- The hard/very hard difficulty settings are seemingly purely designed to punish you
- A surprising amount of the really hard-hitting stuff is optional and can be easily missed
- The platforming is more complex than it lets on and can be a bit counterintuitive
And lastly:
- The PC version is rife with texture and gameplay issues unless you have a military-grade computer
Well, that's about all I have to say. I've stayed up too late already. Fuckin go play it.
"It relies too much on fanservice"
No. The fanservice is a completely optional experience. Blame the horny redditors for that one. Yoko Taro didn't help much either. And besides, A2 is where it's REALLY at in that department.
"It's pretentious"
This one I have to laugh at. You're going to tell me with a straight face that a man wearing his own mascot character on his head is AT ALL capable of being pretentious? That's actually hilarious.
"It's really not that deep"
Okay, this isn't NECESSARILY a misconception. Nier Automata actually has pretty simple themes. Themes of anti-nihilism, grief, and finding meaning in the small things in life. It's all pretty upfront about that stuff. Yoko Taro just likes to tell stories through emotions and lets you piece together what the message is. Any critical plot details are just there to provide context and worldbuilding. It's just one of his trademarks. So, yeah, no fucking shit. It really isn't that deep. If you state that as a criticism you're either a contrarian who would prefer if this game was about ham-fisted racism/Holocaust allegories all while Yoko Taro tries to deflect any and all such analysis, or you spent too much time staring at 2B's ass and hypocritically complaining about the tasteless fanservice.
Here's some ACTUAL criticism of Nier Automata:
- A lot of the sidequests are overly tedious, sometimes on purpose
- The hard/very hard difficulty settings are seemingly purely designed to punish you
- A surprising amount of the really hard-hitting stuff is optional and can be easily missed
- The platforming is more complex than it lets on and can be a bit counterintuitive
And lastly:
- The PC version is rife with texture and gameplay issues unless you have a military-grade computer
Well, that's about all I have to say. I've stayed up too late already. Fuckin go play it.