NieR: Automata

 PC
User Score
8.7

Generally favorable reviews- based on 1804 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,528 out of 1804
  2. Mixed: 126 out of 1804
  3. Negative: 150 out of 1804

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  1. nyeven
    Dec 28, 2018
    10
    An absolute game designer masterpiece with a masterpiece tier story. A must play for everyone.

    A word of caution: this is a game with multiple endings. Don't ALT+F4 the game when you get to the first credits roll. Let them play out. Okay, back to the review. Even though I'm going to list a few negatives, the game deserves a perfect rating when you take it into context. This is    An absolute game designer masterpiece with a masterpiece tier story. A must play for everyone.

    A word of caution: this is a game with multiple endings. Don't ALT+F4 the game when you get to the first credits roll. Let them play out.

    Okay, back to the review.

    Even though I'm going to list a few negatives, the game deserves a perfect rating when you take it into context.

    This is primarily a hack and slash third person shooter, but the game subtly changes genres throughout the whole game! It ranges from platformer to top down bullet hell shooter!

    The graphics, the atmosphere, the setting, the voice acting and general execution is top notch. There is not much to praise without spoiling the game.

    The only downsides are that the actual hack and slash combat is not that deep. At least for me who played on normal difficulty. But, on the other hand, that might be a good thing because you can fool around with the builds and play with the one that is most fun to you!

    The worst thing that happened to me was one situation when I played for solid 15 minutes before the previous save, and I encountered a mini boss. Everything was going well, I downed him to 10%, when suddenly he for the first time initiates an undodgeable grab move where he grabs you and one shots you...... Not fun...

    But in spite of all those downfalls, the emotional impact the whole story and the ending has are mind blowing.

    I recommend watching this Extra Credits video (link: https://youtu.be/rxC0iIdkO6o ) up to the point of 4:23 when he announces spoilers. Then, I recommend watching the rest of the video after you complete the game. I can't really say when exactly because that would spoil stuff, but the real ending should come around the 20 something hour mark.

    Then I recommend watching this video: https://youtu.be/UiOTSKBy6ME

    Enjoy!    … Expand
  2. GameMode
    Nov 12, 2017
    5
    The game has a deep, intricate story that ties up to the start of the Drakengard's time-line, so it isn't short at the story or lore department, controls are meant to be responsive and fast paced, OST is just there on the expectations and art-style is just wonderful, but the PC version of the game has GAME-BREAKING bugs and crashes across most systems, the game is just broken, and the soThe game has a deep, intricate story that ties up to the start of the Drakengard's time-line, so it isn't short at the story or lore department, controls are meant to be responsive and fast paced, OST is just there on the expectations and art-style is just wonderful, but the PC version of the game has GAME-BREAKING bugs and crashes across most systems, the game is just broken, and the so promised patch never arrived, they just turned their heads and just pretended that nothing happened, the promise of a fix for the vast count of bugs was just the Square Enix PR doing some good old damage control, that is it, the perfect example of a masterpiece thrown into the mud for the sake of the fast cash-grabbing and the struggle of the community in order to try makeshift fixes for a game that should have been fixed by platinum ASAP.… Expand
  3. EpicJessey
    Nov 27, 2017
    9
    NieR: Automata is by no mean a flawless game, It didn't had a big budget in terms of "Triple A" and the development time was short from the early concept arts to release.
    You can clearly see the lack of enemy varity and the empty "not so detailed" world filled with invisible walls and it runs on a **** in-house engine...
    But yet, imo, it has more character and uniqueness than anything    NieR: Automata is by no mean a flawless game, It didn't had a big budget in terms of "Triple A" and the development time was short from the early concept arts to release.
    You can clearly see the lack of enemy varity and the empty "not so detailed" world filled with invisible walls and it runs on a **** in-house engine...
    But yet, imo, it has more character and uniqueness than anything else seen in past few years.

    Platinum Games satisfying smooth and action packed combat system from 3D to Side-scrolling to Top-Down with ideas that have never been in a video game before combined with definitely one of the best soundtracks out there (over 40) that come in many variations +8 Bit versions! (And not a single one of them is weak, no wonder they are giving concerts for them.) and crazy Yoko Taro's way of telling you a mature story with some hilarious and questionable moments was what made this game unforgettable.

    You don't beat the game, the game beats you.    … Expand
  4. MetalRobot69
    Feb 3, 2022
    8
    It is a great game. It has a story that is very philosophical, although it can be sometimes not very believable. And it is very original since it has many endings and the ending A and B are pretty much the same but playing with different characters. That is pretty original.

    It has one of the best OST in pretty much all games and with the original storytelling that I've mentioned, it    It is a great game. It has a story that is very philosophical, although it can be sometimes not very believable. And it is very original since it has many endings and the ending A and B are pretty much the same but playing with different characters. That is pretty original.

    It has one of the best OST in pretty much all games and with the original storytelling that I've mentioned, it hits really different than every other game that I've played, it is a good sensation.

    The graphics are good.

    But the bad part is the combat, it isn't bad but it isn't good. It is just ok. It is a hack and slash with a simple dodge bottom. I don't like the combat system so simple and I think the game had much to improve in this aspect. God of War is an example of an awesome hack and slash combat system.    … Expand
  5. Kosama
    May 19, 2018
    10
    Uff uno de los mejores juegos de pc del año pasado, la música del 10, jugabilidad de 10 y 2B de 10 :3
  6. bramon
    Jan 24, 2019
    10
    Game that should have never been produced...
    This game may have bad graphic, strange form of gameplay, bad optimization, being too "Japanese like" But this is not what you should looking for in this masterpiece. Soundtrack, story, the minor details that complete experience, the good written characters, and advice for humanity that what are the strongest parts of this game.
  7. nitorita
    Sep 25, 2018
    9
    An intense hack-and-slash action RPG which plays like an open-world version of Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance while also incorporating gameplay from other types of games to give you a one-of-a-kind experience.

    Although the open-world aspect of the game is somewhat shallow relative to the rest of the game, the side quests and the enormous map will have you exploring for hours upon hours.    An intense hack-and-slash action RPG which plays like an open-world version of Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance while also incorporating gameplay from other types of games to give you a one-of-a-kind experience.

    Although the open-world aspect of the game is somewhat shallow relative to the rest of the game, the side quests and the enormous map will have you exploring for hours upon hours. Too much can be said about this game, and it would be difficult to describe each aspect in full. It's a new game that tries to stand out from other action RPGs and comes with a beautiful female protagonist to start with.

    There are five main endings and 21 secret endings in this game for you to uncover, and you must play the game from start to end at least three times to unlock them all. Each of these three iterations are different because they're based on the perspectives of the three main characters shown on the cover art (2B, 9S, and A2). They each have their own storylines, and chronologically, 2B and 9S happen at the same time, while A2 is like an epilogue (a sequel to the game itself).

    You are allowed to change the difficulty at any time during the game. However, if you go beyond Normal, your Pod (a flying robot that helps you dish out some damage) becomes virtually useless and the game becomes more stressful. The game even states that Normal is recommended to get the full experience. If you're a casual player who plays games for story, I highly suggest just sticking to Normal, because it is the most balanced difficulty.

    Since the game is a port, the keyboard and mouse controls aren't very friendly to use. The game has many commands that don't work well on them, so I strongly suggest playing with a controller.

    When you first start off, you are given a really lengthy mission that is arguably the hardest mission in the game for most players and is akin to playing against the first boss in the first Dark Souls. If you die, you're forced to start over all again from the beginning. I don't really understand why this was included in the game, because the rest of the game is not as difficult and allows you to save often.

    At death, you "lose" all of your character's upgrade chips, but you are given a chance to head back and recover them (as long as you don't die again) similar to Dark Souls.

    A major balancing issue occurs when you play as 9S in the second iteration. 9S has the ability to hack enemies, so when you do, the game initiates a 2D shoot'em up mini-game that is easy (especially on keyboard) and also incredibly tedious. If you constantly win, you can easily speed your way through the game, even against extremely high level enemies.

    Another major balancing issue occurs when you stack up a ton of healing chips, which makes you tanky and virtually invincible.

    Overall, the game deserves a thorough play to experience all that it has to offer. It's not the most refined diamond out there, but it will easily provide you with dozens of hours of entertainment that you won't regret spending.

    I haven't once felt that the game was a grind, and I've sank dozens of hours into it without any hesitation. Each playthrough lasts around 15-20 hours (including side quests), which means that you'll get around 60 hours of play time once you're done with the three main iterations.    … Expand
  8. ayush42
    Sep 9, 2017
    10
    Great game. Loved playing it. One of the best part of this game was the background music, the fighting system and the inner consciousness which got developed overtime in this game as the game progressed. Apart from that, the game is very vast with many side quests in it and there is a lot more to explore in this game. If you haven't played it, go and play it now because this game is "A joyGreat game. Loved playing it. One of the best part of this game was the background music, the fighting system and the inner consciousness which got developed overtime in this game as the game progressed. Apart from that, the game is very vast with many side quests in it and there is a lot more to explore in this game. If you haven't played it, go and play it now because this game is "A joy forever."… Expand
  9. YossaBlackMage
    Sep 22, 2017
    10
    There is no way a few words written here would ever do this game justice. I won't go in depth repeating all the reasons this game has been praised as an artistic masterpiece. Although there are people for whom this game didn't work, the majority seem to have come away feeling like they have experienced something special and unique. There is a quote going around that I think was from aThere is no way a few words written here would ever do this game justice. I won't go in depth repeating all the reasons this game has been praised as an artistic masterpiece. Although there are people for whom this game didn't work, the majority seem to have come away feeling like they have experienced something special and unique. There is a quote going around that I think was from a reviewer who said 'if history forgets this game, then f**k history'. And I believe that the videogame community at large and videogame journalists aren't actually capable of praising this game enough. Individuals can do it justice, especially some of the heartfelt youtube reviews, but the masses? For this reason I think, in spite of the 'masterpiece' and 'groundbreaking' rhetoric being used by some, Nier: Automata will become one of the - if not the most - underrated game ever created.

    Play this game. You are doing yourself a huge disservice if you pass it up as you will be missing a truly unique and moving experience. Couple of caveats though. Play it with a gamepad. If you don't have one, buy one. Also, download the FAR mod program that fixes a number of issues. The PC port wasn't handled well, but get a pad and the mod and it's all good.    … Expand
  10. JessTurner
    Feb 12, 2018
    10
    Extraordinary. Very little in _any medium_ comes close to this. Its creators have... become as gods.

    My only complaint: levels serve no purpose in a game like this, really in no game other than table top games and text based games where technological limitations required a RNG to essentially play for you since there was no means of performing combat yourself. Instead levels completely    Extraordinary. Very little in _any medium_ comes close to this. Its creators have... become as gods.

    My only complaint: levels serve no purpose in a game like this, really in no game other than table top games and text based games where technological limitations required a RNG to essentially play for you since there was no means of performing combat yourself. Instead levels completely destroy the replay value of the game and the entertainment value of completionist playing since you become totally overpowered compared to whatever level the enemies were set at.

    Proposal: allow difficulty to be entered as a number for 'damage multiplier'.

    People giving this other than 9+: did you beat it the 4 times required to see the full story? It gets _way better_, and you also need to read some key data files for the really deep story.    … Expand
  11. procamper666
    Sep 22, 2017
    9
    Nier: automata is waarschijnlijk een van de grootste verassingen die uitgekomen is dit jaar. Het spel is een vervolg van de PS3/XBOX 360 Nier. Het verhaal neemt je echt mee tot het einde. De gameplay is ook zeer gevarieerd en neemt elementen van hack en slach, bullet hel en schooters. Het enige wat ik jammer vind is de staat van de PC-port. Het spel heeft namelijk zwarte bordes bij hetNier: automata is waarschijnlijk een van de grootste verassingen die uitgekomen is dit jaar. Het spel is een vervolg van de PS3/XBOX 360 Nier. Het verhaal neemt je echt mee tot het einde. De gameplay is ook zeer gevarieerd en neemt elementen van hack en slach, bullet hel en schooters. Het enige wat ik jammer vind is de staat van de PC-port. Het spel heeft namelijk zwarte bordes bij het spellen van het spel. Ik raad aan om gebruikt te maken van borderless gaming om deze probleem te regelen. Een andere ernstige probleem is het gebruiken van muis en keyboard. Ik persoonlijk niemand aan om het spel te spelen met muis en keyboard. Want het spel is duidelijk geoptimaliseerd voor controllers.… Expand
  12. tomato1982
    Sep 25, 2017
    10
    The more I think about this game after the event the more i realise what a masterpiece it is, and how it stands head and shoulders above whatever else i've played.
  13. eeDymon
    Nov 2, 2017
    10
    Despite people complaining about technical difficulties, to me the game worked perfectly. It's actually one of the best games I've played this year. Intensely deep and emotionally rich. Tons of plot twists
  14. RagingPoet
    Nov 7, 2017
    8
    Nier: Automata is a good game, but I couldn't bring myself to finish a second run while the game was clearly designed for multiple playthroughs. Gameplay is just not fun enough to make you play for another ~30 hours. And hacking mechanics introduced in second playthrough is very boring.
  15. wpadka
    Nov 19, 2017
    10
    One of the best Games i ever played 10/10. I know that this game have some cons like pretty bad port and bugs but plot,world,music make up everything. Long time i didnt think so long about game after ending it. This game is made in it own unique style and this is made in the best possible way. This game is must to play. I hope that now there will be more gameslike this.
  16. maximilianyuen
    Feb 23, 2019
    10
    This is one of the best game I ever played. Or the best one.

    Beautiful, fun, engaging, story rich, surprise twist. And have the best game OST ever.

    The only problem for me is that once I beat everything there's little to no replay value after about 100 hours. But hell it's totally worth the most expensive package you paid for.
  17. Balager47
    Nov 25, 2017
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I could discuss things like the combat system (fun) the animations(superb), the music (fantastic), 2B's butt (also fantastic), the PC controls (this is how you properly do them) or the optimalization (this is NOT how you do it), but that would be irrelevant. In fact, almost everything about Nier Automata is irrelevant when a rude emotionless robot mourning an irritating and slightly racist robot's death can make you cry. And it absolutely will. The game has some strong points and some issues as well. But it also has a soul.… Expand
  18. alekseyburakov
    Nov 26, 2017
    10
    Уже давно меня ничего не могло поразить. Кино, книги, аниме, сериалы, комиксы, манга, ранобэ, Казалось бы, всё, изжили своё творцы. Так и было... пока не появилась Nier Automata
  19. redne7
    Dec 16, 2017
    10
    I have played many games in the past. This is the first game that evoked such strong emotion from me that after finishing it, I used chapter select to go back and finish the many quests that I ignored in the first playthrough. And I savored every little interaction between the main characters during these quests.

    The only other experience comparable to this one that I can recall was    I have played many games in the past. This is the first game that evoked such strong emotion from me that after finishing it, I used chapter select to go back and finish the many quests that I ignored in the first playthrough. And I savored every little interaction between the main characters during these quests.

    The only other experience comparable to this one that I can recall was playing through FF7, MGS1, and watching Neon Genesis Evangelion. But back then I was still a teenager so I was easily impressed. Now I'm in my thirties.

    One thing that I regret was letting the costume design and fan-service aspect of the game mislead me into underestimate the game initially. What I had dismissed as lazy-writing and cliched dialogues during some of the scenes turned out to be pure gold.

    The mechanics aspects of the games are far from flawless, as many review sites will tell you, but to me, judging this game based on things like how much it scores in the graphics or music department (which is epic) is completely missing the point. Nonetheless, I do want to mention one technical point of the game that completely blew my mind: the animation of the female characters. Such elegance, style, and beauty. Hats off to the mocap actors and animators. If this cannot be called art, I don't know what can.

    To summarize, this is a game that transcends the norms, and pushes games as an (albeit young) art form forward. It will be a yardstick that future titles will copy from and be compared against.    … Expand
  20. KesslerE
    Dec 26, 2017
    10
    Ok - I love this game.

    The story in itself is probably one of the best to have ever come out of a game. If there is any reason to buy this game, it should be for the story. But if there's anything to keep you here, it's the gameplay. While it's true some of the "2.5 dimensional" gameplay bits can be somewhat annoying at times, the vast majority of the game takes place in normal 3rd    Ok - I love this game.

    The story in itself is probably one of the best to have ever come out of a game. If there is any reason to buy this game, it should be for the story. But if there's anything to keep you here, it's the gameplay. While it's true some of the "2.5 dimensional" gameplay bits can be somewhat annoying at times, the vast majority of the game takes place in normal 3rd person. The combat is very satisfying, especially when you successfully do a dodge attack.

    This is all without mentioning the visuals. This game is absolutely beautiful. The world you'll find is very immersive.

    Do be warned though - this game takes your emotions directly from your brain and crushes them right in front of your face. So if you don't like that feeling, this probably won't be the game for you.    … Expand
  21. Garpery
    Jan 3, 2018
    10
    one of the best game I have played.
    1.excellent action game.
    2.good story
    3.good music
  22. KayNeko
    Jan 22, 2018
    10
    Amazing story, versatile game play and beautiful music.
    Glory to mankind!
    Thank a lot to Yoko Taro for this masterpiece.
  23. Andrea9922
    Feb 5, 2018
    10
    perfect game, beautiful story, perfect songs, wow! i never tougth i will love it that much! great work!!
  24. g-of-harrenhal
    Mar 3, 2018
    10
    Stunning game. Amazing Gameplay, unreal soundtrack, addictive as hell. Best game I've played in a long time.
  25. pawq
    Apr 22, 2023
    8
    First off, urgent advice: before attempting to play NieR:Automata on mouse and keyboard, install the Input Overhaul (NAIOM) - the game is NOT playable without it, and I mean it - in some parts of the game it's impossible to do what's needed because of ridiculous controller>mouse mapping. Some other quality of life mods are recommended too - look up the definitive mod guide on Nexus.First off, urgent advice: before attempting to play NieR:Automata on mouse and keyboard, install the Input Overhaul (NAIOM) - the game is NOT playable without it, and I mean it - in some parts of the game it's impossible to do what's needed because of ridiculous controller>mouse mapping. Some other quality of life mods are recommended too - look up the definitive mod guide on Nexus.

    Second urgent advice: do not stop playing once you see the end titles for the first time, this is only about half of the story. It's more than worth it to continue until you've obtained endings A-E; it's not just other perspectives later on, it's also literally a continuation of the story.

    -------------------------------

    On one hand, NieR:Automata really deserves a 9/10, but on the other it deserves at most a 7/10. In the end, I'm giving it an 8/10, and below I'll explain why.

    It deserves a 9/10 because in many ways it's an utterly brilliant game. The concept of the world is fascinating, the few main characters are very authentic, and the story (once you get to the >actual< end!) is so powerful that it left me emotional for days. The world design is charming and memorable, despite sub-par graphics in the vanilla version, voice acting is amazing (the Japanese voice-over is hugely recommended), and the soundtrack is otherworldly - even though there aren't too many tracks there, they're SO GOOOD that I didn't want to stop playing the game just because of the music. Combat is fun and well-balanced too, with a satisfying progression curve. Maybe the strongest suit though is that the game is original and surprising in so many ways. I won't give examples here because it's amazing and you have to see it for yourself! But let's just say that there are at least 6 different modes of gameplay, with virtually seamless transitions.

    And then we get to the second part - why it deserves a 7/10 at most. It's really down to the fact that I felt compelled to give two pieces of advice at the beginning of the review - part of it is due to it being a terrible port, and part due to questionable design decisions. The game is literally unplayable on mouse & keyboard, which is just unacceptable. Some examples: negative mouse acceleration in 3rd person mode (the faster you move the mouse the slower the camera movement), and broken aiming in side-scrolling mode (mouse movements cause the crosshairs to jump up or down, but it jumps back to horizontal after each increment). Luckily modders sorted this out (in say 98% - there are still minor issues at some stages).

    And by far the most questionable design decision in my view is the decision to split the game into three playthroughs, forcing the player to essentially replay the game with only minor changes and additions after "finishing" the story, in order to get to the actual second part of it, which let's just say is CRUCIAL. Even though at the end of the first playthrough the game tells you "please continue" I wasn't sure if I wanted to or if it was worth it - I looked online and saw some people saying it was worth it, so I did, but also saw plenty of people saying they gave up because of the repetitiveness, which is SUCH A SHAME. After playing through the whole thing and thinking and reading about it a lot, I remain unconvinced that this was necessary - I think the different perspectives and elements of the second playthrough could be integrated into the first, just like different perspectives were integrated at the beginning of the 3rd playthrough. It would avoid alienating many players, and make for a more cohesive and less grindy experience.

    After all the experience was so amazing that I couldn't give less than an 8, but I wish I could give more.    … Expand
  26. Bananatak
    May 19, 2018
    10
    Mi juego favorito del 2017 increíble estética gráficos MAGISTRAL HISTORIA si jugaste el primer nier este nier automata te llega al corazón amo este juego se ve mejor en pf q en la ps4 pero disfrútenlo cuando salga a Xbox one x se verá mejor aún con el 4K real
  27. jhollis977
    Apr 21, 2020
    9
    Beautiful game, good combat, great story. You should play this if you haven't.
  28. pmasterfunk
    Mar 14, 2019
    10
    Nier: Automata is one of the greatest games I've ever played, and it's all in the story. Mind you, the gameplay is good - a simplified Bayonetta if you will - the music is great, the voice acting is top notch, and the graphics are good. But it's the story that really makes the game memorable.

    There aren't many games that I've played where a story builds and creates a perspective and    Nier: Automata is one of the greatest games I've ever played, and it's all in the story. Mind you, the gameplay is good - a simplified Bayonetta if you will - the music is great, the voice acting is top notch, and the graphics are good. But it's the story that really makes the game memorable.

    There aren't many games that I've played where a story builds and creates a perspective and worldview, only to then shatter those preconceived ideas that were built in the first part of the story, and then not only make me rethink all I thought I knew about the game, but actually ponder on the basic concept of what it means to be human.

    TL;DR: The themes of Blade Runner as a video game, with the action of Bayonetta. If you like neither of those things, what's wrong with you?    … Expand
  29. Galactica
    Sep 30, 2018
    10
    So much variety in gameplay and storytelling.
    Never seen such an unique game with strong character personality build-up.
    Waiting for a Sequel to nier:automata.
  30. tamzord
    Oct 8, 2018
    9
    Great game! I loved the musics, really liked the combat system, liked the story, felt disappointed by characters development, hated stupid bad endings. I played on a NVidia 1060 GPU, with a controller, and have not had a single issue (except that Alt-Tab disables full-screen every time - who thought that was a good idea?)

    Overall, a great game, well worth the money.
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Awards & Rankings

29
#29 Best PC Game of 2017
10
#10 Most Discussed PC Game of 2017
74
#74 Most Shared PC Game of 2017

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
84

Generally favorable reviews - based on 12 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 10 out of 12
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 12
  3. Negative: 0 out of 12
  1. PC PowerPlay
    May 11, 2017
    90
    Sometimes frustrating but always compelling, Nier: Automata is a wondrous and strange experience that could only ever be a game. [Issue#261, p.60]
    Read full review
  2. Riot Pixels
    Apr 10, 2017
    91
    This unusual action game set in an offbeat world created by Taro Yoko is a treasure trove of pleasant surprises. It's not often that we meet such a stylish, offbeat, memorable game.
    Read full review
  3. IGN Spain
    Apr 5, 2017
    70
    There is no doubt that Nier Automata is a great game, but the PC version does not do it justice. A new case of a shameless port for PC.
    Read full review
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