NieR: Automata

 PlayStation 4
User Score
8.9

Generally favorable reviews- based on 4607 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4,076 out of 4607
  2. Mixed: 223 out of 4607
  3. Negative: 308 out of 4607
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  1. Piaskoryb
    Aug 20, 2019
    6
    This game isnt masterpiece. It have nice story, nice mine characters. But.. The whole gameplay i feel like i play incomplete game with limited budget and lack of content. Main plot is ok, gameplay? Well i do not know what to say. Spend on this game about 40h, i have fun but.. Never comeback to this title. I think nier is overhyped in some reasons, but i do not know why. The whole model isThis game isnt masterpiece. It have nice story, nice mine characters. But.. The whole gameplay i feel like i play incomplete game with limited budget and lack of content. Main plot is ok, gameplay? Well i do not know what to say. Spend on this game about 40h, i have fun but.. Never comeback to this title. I think nier is overhyped in some reasons, but i do not know why. The whole model is interesting thou, but not enough.… Expand
  2. vahn
    Aug 11, 2018
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This game is 100% "okay" and that's really the best thing I can say.

    After playing for 30 hours, doing all the quests i cared to do (about 83%), doing the main 5 endings (ABCDE) and enjoying and hating aspects of it, i just thought that "this game was ok". Really, it was just okay, especially when there are so many flaws - both gameplay and story-wise - that just don't really make it that great.

    For instance the combat is fun! Repetitive but fun, really REALLY repetitive but very fun, and I always loved using 2B for the fighting, which was smooth and easy to use but too bad the controls are utter crap and the lock on is awful.

    You also get to control 9S in the second playthrough, who is a scanner (aka hacker) and can kill most enemies with ease making the combat easier against tough enemies. Too bad that in exchange for that 9S fights like ASS, having the worst and most unreliable combat ever that I had to rely on the pod's gun to do damage. And the hacking is also repetitive too - what a surprise!

    The story is well done too: I had legitimate times where it surprised me and it had some very good scenes, especially the last endings.
    I won't lie when the game tried its best it did impress me with some deep scenes and sad ones too but at the same time it's ruined by a LOT of scenes that try SO HARD to make you feel sad it was hilarious.
    I wish I was kidding but that's actually how the game tries to make you feel sad, with forced scenes of death and dialogues ending with ellipses all the time.
    The only thing missing was a sign saying "Feel something", which I did: an urge to laugh.

    Some characters are well done too - I particularly loved Pascal and 9S (the start) - and I was legitimately curious to see how the game would end, but unfortunately most of the rest are either boring (2B) not well developed (Devola/Popola, Anemone, A2)) or just done there for that brief moment of sadness I was talking about (the random chats with your operator, quest related characters, etc).

    And the story itself...it's really not unique: it's basically a story of how androids and machine try to emulate humans and how they learn the meaning of existing. I don't dislike that though because it's HOW you tell a story that matters, but here's my problem with it:

    You can switch anyone with the binomial Android/Machine with anything and not much would change - besides the obvious stuff - and honestly there's not even much of that: the androids act like humans, the machines act like humans, everyone acts like humans...so why was it necessary to turn them into machines? It would've been more interesting if they were SLOWLY turning into humans, discovering feelings, having sadness, ANYTHING but they already know that stuff! They even say "Feelings are prohibited" because they KNOW feelings are a pain to deal with - which is true...WHICH IS WHY IT MAKES NO SENSE WHY ROBOTS WOULD HAVE FEELINGS, IT ONLY HINDERS THEIR ACTIVITY, AND IT EVEN SHOWS LATER IN A QUEST WITH PASCAL, YOU DUMB MORONS!
    There is a reason why the goddamn terminator had no feelings: if he did he would be freaking out whenever he terminated someone!
    In other words, this plot makes no sense and whereas they could've made some badass robots that start to learn what it means to have feelings, to slowly learn what it actually means to be human, including its weaknesses, but by giving them feelings right away they don't become more relatable: they just become annoying ****
    I've met real women with bigger balls than 2B and 9S! I'm not exaggerating!

    So...do I recommend it? Yeah sure: it's an okay game with good combat, a pretty decent story (which is more than can I say about Square Enix nowadays) and it has a good amount of pros and cons that beat each other out, making the experience equally balanced.

    I guess what makes the game better is the music which is good (not a fan myself) and the voice acting is QUITE amazing, probably one of the best of latest times and helps following the plot better even during its hiccups.

    But best game ever? not even close, at least for me, a spot taken for Berseria who not only made me sad for actual good reasons, it also had bits and pieces of existence too that were better explained and not too pretentious either.

    Overall I can recommend, get it on a discount if you're curious and enjoy/hate it.
    I did my part and I also got my saves deleted for others' sake because even if I didn't enjoy it, others might. That's the great thing about opinions.

    I simply don't understand what's so special about it and frankly I still prefer the original Nier way more than this.    … Expand
  3. Supervillan
    Mar 24, 2018
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Just finished this game, watching E ending. Since playing this game with too much expectation, I feel a little bit awkward when I realized this is the end. (I thought the factors people praise on this game just didn't show up yet even just before the ending.)

    First of all, the scale is too small to call it the war of species. Of course it's ok if it's just for efficiency of directing, but it's too much small reminding of children's role play, which I can't be immersed.

    It pursued open world game but I think totally failed. Every sub-quest wasn't interesting or intriguing because all they are too simple errands (at war?) and following rewards are not attractive at all.

    What I really don't get it is why people admire this common Japanese subculture story that somewhere I've already seen. And the way of disclosing truths is not that dramatic. (It feels like when I saw how Assassin was originated at Assassin Creed Origin. Just... flat) And Why does 9S fall in love with 2B in the first place? Was there something between them that I don't understand? Or just for her nice butt like everyone praising this game?

    I admit music is awesome, but graphic is ... sometimes it doesn't seem released in 2017. Quite many textures have very low definition with blur effect. But overall, the colors or atmosphere is quite emotional.    … Expand
  4. aditya1101
    Sep 4, 2018
    7
    I'm not 100% done with my playthrough yet, but I'm already incredible impressed by this game. One of the best stories i've seen in a while, and it's the kind of story that really is best told through an interactive medium - it's always a big plus when video games really take advantage of their medium to tell stories that wouldn't be as good in other mediums. The gameplay is superI'm not 100% done with my playthrough yet, but I'm already incredible impressed by this game. One of the best stories i've seen in a while, and it's the kind of story that really is best told through an interactive medium - it's always a big plus when video games really take advantage of their medium to tell stories that wouldn't be as good in other mediums. The gameplay is super entertaining, the upgrade system was really fun to play around with, overall just felt incredibly well done and polished as well as super fun and satisfying to play.… Expand
  5. LordOMO
    Jun 29, 2019
    7
    The game is very overrated in my opinion. This game may have surprised me if I discovered it myself without any prior knowledge but since everyone hyped this game up for me i was a little diappointed.
    The most obvious complaint is how incredibly ugly this game looks (at least on base PS4 where I played it). If you played something like Horizon Zero Dawn prior to this it looks like it's a    The game is very overrated in my opinion. This game may have surprised me if I discovered it myself without any prior knowledge but since everyone hyped this game up for me i was a little diappointed.
    The most obvious complaint is how incredibly ugly this game looks (at least on base PS4 where I played it). If you played something like Horizon Zero Dawn prior to this it looks like it's a generation behind visually. And still the framerate dips at weird instances.
    My second complaint is the story which is supposed to be great but i didn't get it at all. The "first" ending feels very rushed and i was shocked by how little was done with the main characters and villains. I then dove into the new game plus content where a lot of stuff is fleshed out more but even after getting the ultimate ending i still don't feel like i understood the story. Sure, lots of stuff happened but the why is missing for me, as if i skipped through half of the game. That's why I enjoyed the side quests much more especially when they were little self-contained stories. The combat is really weird but mostly good. There is depth to the role-playing elements and the music is ok.
    Overall a good Action-RPG with sub-par visuals and a disjointed and confusing story    … Expand
  6. VmsCritic
    Jun 27, 2018
    7
    The game is pretty impressive in a few aspects: history, level design, soundtrack. The most surprising element is the diversity in the gameplay: you can play puzzles, you can play in 2D, 3D, air space fight and you can smash giants such as Shadow of the Golossus (but giant machines). I also found the game more difficult than I've imagined....the saving is soulsike, you need to checkpointThe game is pretty impressive in a few aspects: history, level design, soundtrack. The most surprising element is the diversity in the gameplay: you can play puzzles, you can play in 2D, 3D, air space fight and you can smash giants such as Shadow of the Golossus (but giant machines). I also found the game more difficult than I've imagined....the saving is soulsike, you need to checkpoint in order to save. One thing I really disliked was the death. if you use all your options against an enemy and you die, once you're back you'll have 0 potions. How can you survive the fight this way?

    I felt difficult in understanding the gameplay, it's not very well explained, as the developer really wanted to show everything as an android program. The hack and slash action is beautiful, but I found it limited. I've played several hack and slash games, and this is not my favorite. DmC Reboot for PS4 is a better option if you're looking for action, and NieR Automata is a smoother option.

    I only played the Route A and had other 3 endings (short ones). I really wanted to play the Route C but I couldn't find enough material to teach me how to do it, and didn't feel like going over the game again (didn't feel it was worth it).    … Expand
  7. ZaPaAl
    Feb 6, 2018
    6
    Overhyped. Basic fighting gameplay is pretty enjoyable, but that is about all on it's strong side.

    Some interesting philosophy sprinkled across the game and story has a few moments, but sceneries and story are unbelievable for something to be so far in the future. The graphics and the 6-7 environments / areas are very very bland. Enemies to fight are basically machines based on a    Overhyped. Basic fighting gameplay is pretty enjoyable, but that is about all on it's strong side.

    Some interesting philosophy sprinkled across the game and story has a few moments, but sceneries and story are unbelievable for something to be so far in the future. The graphics and the 6-7 environments / areas are very very bland.

    Enemies to fight are basically machines based on a core design in many variations. The hacking mini game is an incredible basic shoot em up. Many weapons to find and some items to collect and upgrade, but they hardly make a difference. Difficulty on normal is near not existent.

    Overburding amount of backtracking and revisiting the areas, over and over again. 3 runs long, with minor changes. Fast travel and loading are oppressing with slow animations. Feels like the game was stretched as far as humanly bearable.

    Was it worth it for me? No. I was highly annoyed even before the first ending, but you are supposed to stick with it, it get's better. Well it did, but in the end, not enough at all. Endings are full of ... not alot at all. Like the game.    … Expand
  8. wolfie79
    Jul 31, 2018
    5
    I'm so tired of these over rated games that are littered with faults that no one mention. First of all, knowing where to go in this game is nearly impossible. It gives slight hints but you'll guess your way around. So the map is borderline useless. Second, you have an AI with you, and he works great but looks almost exactly like you so good look keeping track of who is who. Third, theI'm so tired of these over rated games that are littered with faults that no one mention. First of all, knowing where to go in this game is nearly impossible. It gives slight hints but you'll guess your way around. So the map is borderline useless. Second, you have an AI with you, and he works great but looks almost exactly like you so good look keeping track of who is who. Third, the challenge when you die isn't to go back and pick up your stuff, it's to FIND where to pick up your stuff. Forth, invisible walls! It's not open world! It's an extremely linear game and you have no idea where you can jump down or where you can't. It's like playing a remastered 90's game. Other than that, fun combat, beautiful graphics and excellent music.. If anything I pointed out isn't your cup of tea: DON'T BUY THIS GAME..… Expand
  9. pongkrit03
    Jul 25, 2018
    6
    Nier has some merit but to give a 8 or 9 is too exaggerate. I was having a high hope after read all reviews here but after I played it myself. It is not the game I was looking for. It is still fun sometimes, but not anywhere near other great games out there. In fact, apart from charming main character model, it is average game at best.

    Note: I finished first ending then tried playing    Nier has some merit but to give a 8 or 9 is too exaggerate. I was having a high hope after read all reviews here but after I played it myself. It is not the game I was looking for. It is still fun sometimes, but not anywhere near other great games out there. In fact, apart from charming main character model, it is average game at best.

    Note: I finished first ending then tried playing second one half way then felt too bored to continue, people who praise the game usually say that you have to play at least 3 endings, so I don't know, maybe it get better, but I have no motivation anymore.

    Pros
    - Charming unique character models (2B) - you can see her pantie while playing.
    - Unique camera style - the camera keeps switching between 3D and 2D, and bird view. allow various style of gameplays
    - Good unique BGMs

    Cons
    - Very Outdated graphic
    - Empty & Small World
    - Repetitive looking enemies
    - Shallow combat mechanic - Combat in this game is various but everything is shallow. You can melee or range, dodge .... etc. Nothing serious since you can drink potion anytime with no animation, so as long as you have plenty health potions, you should not die unless due to carelessness. Moreover, dodging is too powerful, you can spam dodging button endlessly and nothing will hit you due to very long i-frame. I would say Nier is kind of jack of all trade, master of none. It gets repetitive real fast.
    - Hard difficulty is not fair - Devs just raise dmg to the point that normal enemies can kill you in 1-2 shots, it is just artificial challenge.
    - Boring Side quests
    - The game is very short 10-13 hrs

    Story is subjective one. It is very creative world, about the fight between android and machine, but personally I feel like the story of Nier lacks of backbone. It feels like anything can happen in this world without any reason. I do not care that much about relationship between characters but the devs emphasize this too much. It was disappointed for me.

    In the end, score 6/10 is the best I can give for this kind of quality and quantity. For those who never play this game before, there is a free demo, but warning, that demo stage is the best of combat stage they could offer. If you expect something better, you may get disappointed.    … Expand
  10. Nimzabaat
    Nov 14, 2018
    5
    Nierly unplayable (heh). So to be completely honest, I really hate bad in-game camera. I hated it in the Resident Evil series and every single time it shows up. Nier makes the terrible camera a mechanic and constantly changes modes to throw the player off. I see that some people like it, but honestly, I'd rather play Too Human again than another minute of Nier. While the story is rumoredNierly unplayable (heh). So to be completely honest, I really hate bad in-game camera. I hated it in the Resident Evil series and every single time it shows up. Nier makes the terrible camera a mechanic and constantly changes modes to throw the player off. I see that some people like it, but honestly, I'd rather play Too Human again than another minute of Nier. While the story is rumored to be good, the best way to experience Nier is to watch a "Let's Play" with a player who has the patience to get through the awful gameplay.… Expand
  11. Vadrael
    Dec 2, 2017
    5
    I enjoyed the game sadly it has a few points which i think could have been better.
    The story can be confusing but isnt to bad, but the major issues lies with the world which should have be a little bit bigger and the weapon upgrading system is kinda cheap with only a max of 4 upgrades per weapon.
    The Music was good and the game mechanics were fun as well as the great graphic but i    I enjoyed the game sadly it has a few points which i think could have been better.
    The story can be confusing but isnt to bad, but the major issues lies with the world which should have be a little bit bigger and the weapon upgrading system is kinda cheap with only a max of 4 upgrades per weapon.

    The Music was good and the game mechanics were fun as well as the great graphic but i wished for more content in exploration and customization.    … Expand
  12. JYDeAlberto
    Apr 4, 2018
    6
    All this people rating this game 10/10 are just people who loved the game and are biased, or just people who don't know or played an actually interesting story and fun open world game.

    The reality is that while the art is amazing, the soundtrack stellar, and the writing has wtf moments that are really cool... Graphics look old, the world is big but empty and with so much backtracking    All this people rating this game 10/10 are just people who loved the game and are biased, or just people who don't know or played an actually interesting story and fun open world game.

    The reality is that while the art is amazing, the soundtrack stellar, and the writing has wtf moments that are really cool...

    Graphics look old, the world is big but empty and with so much backtracking the game has you doing, it starts to annoy you.

    You can make a postapocaliptical setting but at least fill it with stuff besides robots and ruins and just two different types of animals.

    Regarding difficulty there is a huge imbalance in between modes: on easy the game plays for you.On normal the game is easy. On hard you are mostly 2 hit ko regardless of your upgrades or level. And on very hard you are 1 hit ko by anything, even enemies at lvl1.

    The boss fights are cool when you fight robots but uninteresting when you fight humanoids cause these boss fights share the same mechanics every fight, with the same moves, and sometimes they get a couple extra attacks but it just feels like fighting the same boss with just slight variations.
    In addition, the game makes these boss fights challenging by making the bosses just hit sponges. Its like if you play skyrim on legendary difficulty where it takes forever to do some decent damage.

    The story is badly written,you may like it but it is badly executed. There are major plot holes even if you do the side quests that expand on the main story line and explain it, even if they explain it, it is bad writing.

    Not to mention these side quest are tedious and boring fetch quests and escort missions.

    The bullet hell and 2d sections in the game are fun. The rest is very dragging and boring, and from time to time you watch some crazy stuff happen which is really cool.

    Overall:

    Graphics: 5/10. Really old looking

    Story: 6/10. Interesting but with major plotholes and just bad writing.

    Gameplay: 6/10. Combat can feel fun but theres not much enemy variety which contributes to boredom and while robot boss fights are fun the humanoid ones are uninspiring and repetitive.

    Score: 6. Interesting and fun some times but mediocre and boring the rest of the time.    … Expand
  13. YakusokuNoJi
    Jul 20, 2023
    7
    Spoilers ahead.

    An Age where the Children of Mankind and Extraterrestrials are the next Generation: A.I. vs A.I. When Nier Automata was announced I could not have possibly been more happy. Nier Gestalt is my second favourite game of all time. The setting, the main character, the story - I always wanted a sequel. And it is finally here. I am also a great of the ficitional theme of    Spoilers ahead.

    An Age where the Children of Mankind and Extraterrestrials are the next Generation:

    A.I. vs A.I.
    When Nier Automata was announced I could not have possibly been more happy. Nier Gestalt is my second favourite game of all time. The setting, the main character, the story - I always wanted a sequel. And it is finally here. I am also a great of the ficitional theme of A.I.s, so not the ones that we as computer scientists make that do not live but the A.I.s that are actually already alive from developing a consciousness.
    And Nier Automata takes exactly this theme. Drakengard already introduced A.I.s as it already consisted of Androids. Nier Automata takes it to the next level. It puts you into the role of the Androids, this time fighting machines that were brought from outer space. And as we think of it from out ordinary A.I.s, the Androids think of the machines as mere machines without consciousness and emotion. No person, no A.I. Of course this brings some twists with it within the story as Androids obviously are not the only artificial lifeforms that achieved psychological living. At the same time, while appropriate to the Drakengard series it brings several tragic questions with it concerning your side and that of the others. Granted, it is not as good for me as the first one. But I did not expect that anyway. I knew from the very beginning that it would not be the case because Nier Gestalt, so the Western Nier has a father-child story and talks about what you would do for your most precious while giving you the original you were cloned from as antagonist who of course feels exactly like you and at the same time shows that with both sides to be pities people still do not have the right to de-value other lifeforms like clones for example just because they were not born naturally or intended.
    The story of Nier Automata still brings its own nice side of life and valueing and all with it and the post-apocalyptic setting together with its incredible music, character design and a wonderful combat system from platinum games does the rest.
    Con:
    Unfortunately, though I love it as part of the Nier timeline, I cannot just normally enjoy Nier 2 as I did the first one. The decision of making this RPG more action-oriented heavily influenced the overall design of the game. I prefer a more simplistic style like in the first Nier where I can just sit back and enjoy instead of getting constantly frustrated. Example: Nier Automata tells you it has no auto-saves. Well, that is not 100% accurate. Still, while there are some automatic moments where you get set back in case of losing you might find yourself in trouble. In some situations you just cannot save manually and Nier 2 consists of those Gundam air battles. One of them was very long and I ran out of Potions. It should not be a thing that even on Normal difficulty you are stuck in a battle forever because you are allowed to make only very few mistakes. This is the most apparent checkpoint complaint I have but there were a few more moments. Another thing is the hacking: Hacking is a little minigame feature in the game that you just have to go through even when doing the regular storyline. The problem is, this minigame consists of just moving your analogue stick and shooting. You cannot evade anything other than by moving away, you cannot heal, you cannot really do anything in a problematic situation. The mingame consists basically of the thought of "Learn the pattern for the harder ones" but that is easier said than done often. You are allowed a few mistakes but sometimes even when already knowing what to expect the maneuvering alone might lead you to the need area where the enemy units that you want to destroy with the hacking shoot at you. There are several hacking instances which are very easy and then some where I think they should just ot have been there because whenever something needs simply too long then it should be re-considered. Hard Modes exist for a reason but why doing such frustrating things on lower difficulties - it just is an obstacle so you cannot fully enjoy and that is something I really think of as a real pity for a sequel of Nier.
    Finally, the last thing I think that was very risky: The narrative style. Drakengard is always known for a very unusual narrative style both theme-wise as well as how the story is put together. The thing is: In Drakengard you might be used to the story being presented after a few playthroughs but in Nier 1 it was more like you had to go through the same storyline, then go through it again and again with just a few additions ad endings. Here you have the first two endings in the middle of the story, get more to know during run 2 and after run 2 you actually continue with what happens after those endings, so unlock the rest of the game you could say. I am fine with it but I am not sure how many people who are not used to this actually have the nerve to do 2+ runs. Still: I love Nier and recommend it.    … Expand
  14. silencer
    Feb 9, 2018
    7
    Here's an honest opinion from someone who's not a fanboy of ps4 or japanese devs:
    Nier is a very nice 3rd person open world action rpg. It has beautiful environments, engaging stroy for the 1st part of the game (more on that later), fantastic atmosphere and one of the most beautiful soundtracks I have ever heard in a video game.
    However, the story is not complete until you reach part 3    Here's an honest opinion from someone who's not a fanboy of ps4 or japanese devs:
    Nier is a very nice 3rd person open world action rpg. It has beautiful environments, engaging stroy for the 1st part of the game (more on that later), fantastic atmosphere and one of the most beautiful soundtracks I have ever heard in a video game.
    However, the story is not complete until you reach part 3 of the game, and to get to part 3 you have to play part 1 all over again with tiny variations (call it part 2). It's such a chore that by the end of part 2 I was completely burned out on the game. Still, I got to part 3, and after an interesting story-filled section what does the game ask you to do? Go to 3 different places and collect keys. That's right, fetch quests in the middle of the action. That completely kills any momentum the game has going. Given how atrocious the save system is in this game (you can easily lose up to an hour of progress) and cheap deaths from some of the enemies, I feel like the game simply does not appreciate the time of the person playing. So, I give it a solid 7. It's a good game with some major flaws, but it's artificially stretched and level-gated. Part 1 is a lot of fun, but if you value your time, just stop there and watch the rest on youtube.    … Expand
  15. vampyren
    Jul 20, 2018
    6
    I play allot of games on many consoles so i can compare this game to allot of other games.
    After reading so much positive about it i decided to play it right after i finished Horizon (which was an amazing game experience!).
    I do like the sort of games Nier tries to be but in all honesty the game never delivers the experience everyone here trying so hard to convince you about. The story    I play allot of games on many consoles so i can compare this game to allot of other games.
    After reading so much positive about it i decided to play it right after i finished Horizon (which was an amazing game experience!).
    I do like the sort of games Nier tries to be but in all honesty the game never delivers the experience everyone here trying so hard to convince you about. The story is so so. The menu, map and even the annoying item pick up where you accidentally talk to your partner got me quite mad at first. Ok i got used to it at the end but for a game people give 9 or 10 that is just not acceptable.
    And even if i only played it 1 time the game is not that appealing enough for me to continue. Many games like dark soul or even Horizon or Witcher are so amazing that i can keep playing them but not this game. Its just boring. Enemies are pretty much all alike. Stories are just so so.
    Its a ok game but no where near a 9 or 10 grade games. Also its way way to short even if they say you need to play it multiple time. The first run took me 3 days or so. That is no where near a 9 grade game!
    Personally i dont like huge games that takes months to finish but even for me this was way to short.
    Just my 2 cent anyway. Enjoy.    … Expand
  16. Grahl1
    Sep 25, 2018
    6
    What could have been a great game ends up being quite a banal experience due to a lack of balance in difficulty. I found the game simply unplayble in anything above Normal (you get one-shot by everything, and how are you supposed not to take damage in such an ultra fast-paced combat style), while the combat in Normal and Easy is just not challeging, just hack away and press that healWhat could have been a great game ends up being quite a banal experience due to a lack of balance in difficulty. I found the game simply unplayble in anything above Normal (you get one-shot by everything, and how are you supposed not to take damage in such an ultra fast-paced combat style), while the combat in Normal and Easy is just not challeging, just hack away and press that heal button that will give you acess to a limit 300 very cheap, very easy to acquire potions.

    I just feel like this is a game made specifically for 13 year olds. From the "shallow-philosophical" story of 2 emo robots, from the fact that you see 2B's panties all the time, to the boring hack and slash and loot. It all made for a very bland experience, in a world and environment and concept with the potential for much more.

    Really, I can't get it how this is only getting 9s and 10s. Seems like people no longer play a game to have a challenge, to actually have some dopamine going in their brains, no, they just want an overpriced interactive Hollywood movie.    … Expand
  17. stavrosperi
    Mar 31, 2017
    7
    Honest review from a guy who loves challenging games,loves japanese made games and loved to death Bayonetta and it's battle system

    Graphics: 8 Technically the graphics are ps3 but the artwork is amazing and builds excellent atmosphere.Artwork>graphics so 8/10 here Sound: 9 The soundtrack is truly memorable,one of the best i have heard in years in a videogame and it really compliments    Honest review from a guy who loves challenging games,loves japanese made games and loved to death Bayonetta and it's battle system

    Graphics: 8 Technically the graphics are ps3 but the artwork is amazing and builds excellent atmosphere.Artwork>graphics so 8/10 here

    Sound: 9 The soundtrack is truly memorable,one of the best i have heard in years in a videogame and it really compliments the mysterious setting of the game.The fx sound of the game is good, could be worse could be better.Not every dialog is voice acted though.It gest a 9 mostly for the amazing soundtrack

    Gameplay: 7 Serious balancing issues for the difficulty levels.Very hard=one hit killed.That makes the different enemies irrelevant. Weather u get him by the smallest enemy or from the largest robot it's the same and it kills any purpose of having different enemies and different levels of enemies.In normal u have to try hard to get killed.the camera is bad in this game.You don't have lock on on hard and very hard and i had to move the camera far away from me because u constantly get attacked my mobs and u have to be aware of your surroundings 360 degrees.That creates another problem and that is that u can't really see the animations of the opponents when the are ready to strike.This and the fact that u always get attacked by mobs makes the combat more like hit,hit evade and repeat repetitively without really reacting to whats happening on the battle.Combat can be satisfying but it has these serious problems that truly hold it back from being great and deep.

    In conclusion i give it a 7/10 it is a game with fresh ideas, excellent setting and atmosphere,engaging story and there is some fun to be had by the combat but at the same time it is severely flawed in the battle department and the difficulty imbalance.I find it quite good but certainly overestimated and judging by the scores it got and from the fact that it is developed by a company that i absolutely love, i must say i am a little bit disappointed.    … Expand
  18. Gotrek74
    Sep 28, 2017
    7
    An accomplished game with a seamless transition between 3D platforming and combat, 2D side-scrolling game and a top down twin stick shooter. The story is very good and the art design is good but it just doesn't excite me the way it seems to excite others.
  19. mrlee97
    Apr 3, 2017
    7
    While the gameplay is fantastic and the soundtrack is decent, this spiritual successor really falls short of what made the original Nier such a masterpiece. The story in this title is pathetic, and the music is pretty underwhelming compared to its predecessor. The characters and world are also in particular very weak. But what saves this game is tight, TIGHT gameplay. Great combos, greatWhile the gameplay is fantastic and the soundtrack is decent, this spiritual successor really falls short of what made the original Nier such a masterpiece. The story in this title is pathetic, and the music is pretty underwhelming compared to its predecessor. The characters and world are also in particular very weak. But what saves this game is tight, TIGHT gameplay. Great combos, great selection of weapons, multiple ways to fight, and fantastic directing. I hope they can make another sequel with a story as great as the original but with this fantastic gameplay.… Expand
  20. GrumpyReviewer
    Apr 6, 2017
    7
    I think Nier Automata is a fantastic game. The story is intriguing, the art is incredible and the gameplay is smooth and a lot of fun. But there are some basic aspects that really frustrate me: 1) the map/exploration and 2) side quests.

    The map is a MESS. Hard to navigate, hard to read, hard to know where to go. It's a chore. And the side quest system is all over the place. Some quests    I think Nier Automata is a fantastic game. The story is intriguing, the art is incredible and the gameplay is smooth and a lot of fun. But there are some basic aspects that really frustrate me: 1) the map/exploration and 2) side quests.

    The map is a MESS. Hard to navigate, hard to read, hard to know where to go. It's a chore. And the side quest system is all over the place. Some quests are OK, some are fun, some are confusing and you don't even know exactly where you are supposed to go (due to the map being a complete mess).

    On top of that, the game is still buggy and the framerate drop is ridiculous and distracting. A beautiful, fun, very nice game. A very sexy game, I'd say (and not just because of the protagonist). The whole thing feels sexy and monochromatic and post-apocalyptic in the best way possible. But the game is far, far from perfect.    … Expand
  21. ElleryHQ
    Jan 26, 2019
    5
    Как оказалось, в демо показали самые интересные моменты всей игры. Боевая механика неинтересна и никак не развивается. Посредственная в графическом плане. Игра БЕЗУМНО скучная. Пара интересных сюжетных моментов и фан сервис - успех популярной игры. А, ну еще саундтрек понравился, потому оценка не совсем плохая.Как оказалось, в демо показали самые интересные моменты всей игры. Боевая механика неинтересна и никак не развивается. Посредственная в графическом плане. Игра БЕЗУМНО скучная. Пара интересных сюжетных моментов и фан сервис - успех популярной игры. А, ну еще саундтрек понравился, потому оценка не совсем плохая.
  22. xboxlikewater
    Sep 6, 2019
    6
    Probably Platinum's worst major game, particularly gameplay-wise. It has very simple, watered down Bayonetta combat with poor RPG aspects implemented into the game. Infinite dodging, an empty world, awful hacking segments, having to play through the game multiple times, a generic story, poor enemy variety. The music and ending are great but the rest is subpar and a real disappointment.Probably Platinum's worst major game, particularly gameplay-wise. It has very simple, watered down Bayonetta combat with poor RPG aspects implemented into the game. Infinite dodging, an empty world, awful hacking segments, having to play through the game multiple times, a generic story, poor enemy variety. The music and ending are great but the rest is subpar and a real disappointment. For me, Astral Chain does everything this game does better barring character writing and is a real step up for director Taura. Automata is a decent game, especially if you're a casual generally not into Platinum's typical action games, but if you're more into weaving complex combos and getting highscores such as in Bayo or DMC this game might be a bit disappointing.… Expand
  23. jewel5
    Jul 25, 2018
    6
    Geez, I don't understand people going **** over this game. The story and characters were average at best. The gameplay was ok, but very repetitive. I enjoyed the characters and story of the 1st Nier so much better. This one left me cold.
  24. witcher6999
    Dec 23, 2018
    7
    прошел 3 раза, короче если сравнивать по уровню scifi то это лайтовый версия horizon, так как тут много условностей не объясняется нормально, а точнее объясняется списыванием на то что это японщина. Например почему все в Yorha женского поло и один сканер 9s мужского? Плюс полно таких нелепостей по всему сюжету. Пару твистов были понятны задолго до конца, что касается человечества и из чегопрошел 3 раза, короче если сравнивать по уровню scifi то это лайтовый версия horizon, так как тут много условностей не объясняется нормально, а точнее объясняется списыванием на то что это японщина. Например почему все в Yorha женского поло и один сканер 9s мужского? Плюс полно таких нелепостей по всему сюжету. Пару твистов были понятны задолго до конца, что касается человечества и из чего созданы Андроиды, ну это было логично. А вот про истинное предназначение 2b и про циклы приятно удивило. Хотя последнее было и в horizon, причем объяснено очень классно по научному, без лишнего пафоса и соплей, ну опять же это японщина, так что на это списывается. Что касается геймплея, понравился хакинг и управление другими машинами, элементы шутемапа, тоже класс, а вот боевка печаль, печальная, очень скучно мешить 1-2 кнопки прижимая то и дело уворот. Плюс было много бесячих геймдизайна хорошо моментов, когда по сюжету Андроида парализует и он не может прыгать и уклоняться, а только ходит, при этом ты падаешь куда-то, где тебя зажимают андроиды со своей икрой и все. Было также пару моментов когда квиксейв не срабатывал...… Expand
  25. CoreGamer1408
    Aug 1, 2019
    5
    I could not take the game or story seriously with those costumes and character types. The switching between the different views like full on 3D to side scroller and top down was not fun. I found the action was fast fluid and easy to pull off. The locals looked interesting, but the enemy types not so much. Game felt weird and off. Just not my thing I suppose?
  26. canceRnya
    Oct 29, 2018
    6
    Ужасна технически, играл на фатке, слишком однообразна для такой продолжительной игры, и при этом тебе зачем-то дают еще раз проходить одни и те жи миссий за 9S, так что когда приходит время A2, ты ужэ слишком устал, и хочешь просто быстрее закончить это.
    Ну и теперь о хорошем: трусы, музыка, да и не плохая развязка, изначально оценивал эту игру намного ниже, но если взять перерыв где-то    Ужасна технически, играл на фатке, слишком однообразна для такой продолжительной игры, и при этом тебе зачем-то дают еще раз проходить одни и те жи миссий за 9S, так что когда приходит время A2, ты ужэ слишком устал, и хочешь просто быстрее закончить это.
    Ну и теперь о хорошем: трусы, музыка, да и не плохая развязка, изначально оценивал эту игру намного ниже, но если взять перерыв где-то на середине, то получится не так уж и плохо, наверна.    … Expand
  27. zbucket
    Jul 28, 2018
    5
    A confusing mix of genres that feels more of a chore than a game. Switching from a side scrolling space shooter to a running platformer to an open world 3rd person rpg is novel for the first few hours. It soon becomes more irritating than fun though and that is where my biggest problem with this game is... I've now played for +20 hours, on my second playthrough, and can't think of aA confusing mix of genres that feels more of a chore than a game. Switching from a side scrolling space shooter to a running platformer to an open world 3rd person rpg is novel for the first few hours. It soon becomes more irritating than fun though and that is where my biggest problem with this game is... I've now played for +20 hours, on my second playthrough, and can't think of a single part of the game where i was enjoying myself.

    space shooter + uninspired fetch questing in a ps3 level rpg was just boring.

    Combat generally works well and has a depth to it if you are willing to work at it, but 90% of enemies can be killed just by holding the shoot button and running around so there is little incentive to.

    Music is nice though... which i guess is a thing    … Expand
  28. riken
    Jun 20, 2019
    6
    Nier: Automata surely has some interesting philosophical motives, but the rest of the game is a nightmare. Story is really messy and don't even get me started on all of those interpretations... I saw like 20 different videos and articles trying to explain it and everyone fails to do so, probably because it is meaningless and without any real conclusions. But at least it hides it prettyNier: Automata surely has some interesting philosophical motives, but the rest of the game is a nightmare. Story is really messy and don't even get me started on all of those interpretations... I saw like 20 different videos and articles trying to explain it and everyone fails to do so, probably because it is meaningless and without any real conclusions. But at least it hides it pretty well with some nice ideas and motives and that are the good side of this game. Combat isn't really pleasurable and that open world is a disaster. Half of side missions were good, the other half... disaster again. Graphics are ok for me, but soundtrack is amazing on the other hand. Well, I wouldn't recommend it to casual players, because it's not really a game, that will fit a typical person, but if you are a fan of nonsense and japanese styled games then you might ignore Nier's flaws.… Expand
  29. duarte2377
    Feb 28, 2019
    7
    Good game, but due to the lack of Russian subtitles I can not put a higher rating
  30. Colericus
    Aug 11, 2019
    5
    Buen gameplay, pero simplimente esas historias que buscan ser profundas y oscuras, que se fuerzan a ser filosoficas me parecen basura, que al final es pretenciosa y le gustara a fans de basura pretenciosa, como juego es exelente pero la historia se amcae por buscar ser más de lo que podia.
  31. tkmtch
    Aug 29, 2019
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Overview
    I played through the main content of the game including the E ending, but the game never got as interesting or entertaining as I thought it would be while I was playing. The game is actually really good at making players excited and think that there's a lot more to this game, but I ended up expecting the game to get more interesting till the very end, and it never did. It was not a bad game, it was good enough, but it's not like a 10/10 masterpiece game. There are lot of things in this game that's really good, but they never fully commit to improve it as the game proceeds, and the result is a really mediocre game.

    Let me explain further by breaking this game into 3 parts; story/narrative, combat, and the map design.

    Story/Narrative
    When we are looking at the story/narrative, it actually consists of 2 parts. #1 is the plot itself, and #2 is how the story is being delivered. This game has done a significant job on the way the story is delivered, and I believe that's what most people give credit for this game. However, I feel like the plot itself wasn't fully developed. Having finished the game, I feel like the whole story was shallow, while they had an opportunity to deliver deeper story/narrative.
    And this is where the spoilers comes in.

    After I finished the B route, big operation starts, but all the androids got hacked and was taken over, the base explodes, A2 stabs 2B, 9S falls of the bridge, giant white tower appears and boom there's the title Nier Automata on the screen and I was like oh my god, the game hadn't even started until now....but the reality was, it didn't take long to finish the game from that point. I'm not talking about the whole volume of the content, but I think not a whole lot has happened storywise from that point.
    And there's a lot they could have delivered. Why did A2 kill the baby forest king in A and B route? What was her motivation and goal? We can learn her past but I could never get to understand her because they never delivered a narrative to portrait how she felt or what she was thinking.
    And what meaning or role did the whole Pascal going mad part of the story have in the whole plot? There's no way we can find out how A2 felt after that incident or if it changed her in any way. Also, why did some machines start to go mad suddenly? Why did other machine lifeforms attack them?
    There's so much things we can learn as a fact, like A2's past, 2B's true mission, whole reason Yorha exists, machine lifeform's original plan to attack the server on the moon but changed it to launch the arc instead etc but the only character to build some kind of feeling or motivation or change over that was 9S. They could've gone deeper into A2 as a character. They could've included a scene to reveal how 2B felt all along. They could've explained why Adam and Eve were born and what it was all about. The mastermind of machine lifeform appeared suddenly in the end only to reveal the truth but he had no part in what was really going on, he failed to be an interesting character. I tend to love the story with no real hope, I tend to love the story when the main character dies tragically, but I never really loved the story of Nier Automata. Was the story really as epic as many people credit it to be? I doubt it, but in the end it's all up to personal perspective and preference.

    Combat
    Combat was another thing that I wished to become more interesting over time but never did. The combat system itself is actually pretty good. It's really fun to play, with different ways to attack enemies, with different types of weapons to choose from. However there are no interesting bosses or maps to beat. They never fully commit to make this game interesting as an action game. Instead they try to fool the player by including shooting game style stages and 2D action style maps. These really work well to prevent the whole game from getting too repetitive, but since they never tried to make an interesting action RPG game, the whole thing feels like an attempt to fool you into thinking it's entertaining than what it actually is. The gameplay overall is really shallow as well like the narrative is, and I just wish they included more 3D maps with interesting enemies and bosses to deal with.

    Map Design
    My friend recommended this game to me as an open world game, but more like a linear design game with some open areas you can kind of explore. It's more like the old Zelda games rather than the latest one.
    Just because the game doesn't offer open world experience doesn't mean the game is bad. Linear game design is fine. However the map design of this game tries to get the best part of both open world and linear game design and fails, resulting the open areas to be small and linear stages to be short and boring.

    Summary
    Nier Automata had the potential to be a masterpiece. Developers tried to do something really great and they partially succeeded, but the core content of the game was abandoned.    … Expand
  32. TheRavS
    Oct 10, 2020
    6
    Nier: Automata has broken my heart not in the way the game intends.

    Yoko Taro's game is a beautiful action rpg with great visual design and gorgeous music. In addition to that, the way the game plays with its UI is very pleasant and ultimately adds to the overall experience. However, those are the only qualities of the game I can praise. I really wanted to like this game; perhaps    Nier: Automata has broken my heart not in the way the game intends.

    Yoko Taro's game is a beautiful action rpg with great visual design and gorgeous music. In addition to that, the way the game plays with its UI is very pleasant and ultimately adds to the overall experience. However, those are the only qualities of the game I can praise.
    I really wanted to like this game; perhaps because of the general praise I had heard since 2017 or because it comes partly from Platinum games, but I simply couldn't ignore the blaring issues this game has and that make it, in my opinion, something very far from a masterpiece.

    First I want to talk about the combat, to which there is some slight depth with abilities (or chips) and the weapons you can use. However, though some work has been put in it, its depth is completely unnecessary, as one can simply level up the character and upgrade their main, original weapon and melt the enemies either way without any need to switch weapons, despite how much the game wants and makes it available to you. Therefore, as an action game, Nier: Automata falls in the painfully lower end of the spectrum, as the bare mechanics obsolete themselves into button spamming. This is surprising, as the game seems to rely on combat a lot to drive you towards 90% of the objectives and story, but it feels like no one sat to play-test the game and figured that in the 50h of gameplay it would get very old or that the dissonant difficulty in some parts (mainly bosses) was a red alarm indicating there is a problem with this unnecessary core mechanic.

    As an rpg, the game isn't anything special either. You have abilities that are mostly passive abilities to aid you in combat and which can easily break it, such as having passive regen or recovering 30% of your health each time you kill an enemy (of which there are too many to excuse the existence of this ability). There are a few actual abilities, such as pod programs (super moves with cool-downs) or being able to taunt, but they're scarce and overall they don't rock the combat as they could or should.
    Objects, whether materials for upgrading gear or consumables, become more of a chore than an actual nice system towards the overall experience you're given. This, added to the very "Go there, kill that"; "Go there, pick up that"; and "Go there, protect that" with a side of cheap morals/philosophy type of side-quests makes it very hard to actually care about the world you're playing in or to explore it and discourages you from really engaging with the NPCs. This is when the section you're in has been filled, as another issue is that most of the world is far too small and empty to usher the sandbox-ish map, that ultimately also becomes a nuisance rather than adding to anything.

    Given this is a story-heavy game, it makes a very poor job at keeping you engaged with both its plot and characters, as the latter are incredibly 2 dimensional and barely have any depth. Their interactions appear to create some depth, but neither the characters' minds or the themes the game "explores" have anything beyond surface level exposition, which is really heartbreaking. As for the plot, while it could work in some other medium, an interactive videogame is most certainly not the way this story should be told: the storyline is an incredibly bland and uncharacteristic one that pretends to have something to say but ultimately doesn't and tries to hide that through meaningless interactions, eye-candy like androids 2B or A2 and the illusion that you, the player, have some agency, such as with its "gag" endings in this light novel with combat.
    Also, having to repeat 5 hours of unnecessary gameplay just because, when what is added there could have been implemented in the first play-through, makes me think the writers didn't know how to structure a story.

    Conclusion: though Nier: Automata deserves a 10/10 in the visual and musical department, its gameplay, characters and plot completely crash down, mainly because this universe and story should be explored in a novel, not in a videogame. Because of this, it seems Taro's game wants to be a game by adding action rpg elements, but it completely misses the mark or whatever it tried to achieve, completely wrecking the story that could have been told or the entertainment it could have provided.

    The visuals and music made me give it a 6, but were they not there, this game would be a 3.5 out of 10.    … Expand
  33. geoxd88
    Jul 20, 2017
    7
    The only reason I give this game a 7 is for the idea, the story and (at some points) for the presentation. As a game I don't think it deserves more than 6. Platinum games has made a lot of well received games in the same genre, yet I see no progress. The mechanics feel aged, the weird restrictions send us back at least a decade and in general it has a playstation 2 era feeling from startThe only reason I give this game a 7 is for the idea, the story and (at some points) for the presentation. As a game I don't think it deserves more than 6. Platinum games has made a lot of well received games in the same genre, yet I see no progress. The mechanics feel aged, the weird restrictions send us back at least a decade and in general it has a playstation 2 era feeling from start to finish. It's a solid game, don't get me wrong, but I can think of at least 100 things that could be done better, especially considering the talent and technology owned by the development company. Be warned that It requires a lot of dedication to see the vision behind it in its entirety, otherwise you will be left with a bitter taste, unless you are satisfied with bullet-hell inspired projectiles filling your screen every 10 seconds.… Expand
  34. frysguineapig
    May 8, 2017
    7
    I liked the game overall, but it didn't blow me away either - while the story was fairly strong, it was also a bit repetitive to get most of the various endings.
  35. UncutSuspiria
    Jun 16, 2017
    7
    UPDATE: I lowered from 8 to 7. This got boring real quick. I will definitely pick it back up again, but it drags.

    I will start off by saying I was hesitant about buying this game because I HATE anime and Japanese styled cartoons/characters/story/etc/etc/etc.... But, I am glad I bought it. Gameplay 10/10 - Extremely fun and addictive. Soundtrack 10/10 - Some of the greatest music    UPDATE: I lowered from 8 to 7. This got boring real quick. I will definitely pick it back up again, but it drags.

    I will start off by saying I was hesitant about buying this game because I HATE anime and Japanese styled cartoons/characters/story/etc/etc/etc.... But, I am glad I bought it.

    Gameplay 10/10 - Extremely fun and addictive.

    Soundtrack 10/10 - Some of the greatest music from as game that I can recall.

    Story 8/10 - Definitely not original. Almsot the same as Horizon Zero Dawn. Luckily is told in a different way.

    Characters 7/10 - The main characters are androids/robots, thus they act like them. not characters you will get attached to. 2B sexy af though.

    Innovation 8/10 - how the game cycles camera modes and goes to 2D and aerial view is pretty genius.

    Visuals 10/10 - The style is fantastic. Like Horizon Zero dawn, this games visual are stunning.

    Graphics 8/10 - Graphics are great and run at 60fps. Those that say they are bad failed to see that at times they are intentionally meant to be this way at times. Some parts are supposed to be grainy, some parts are supposed to be black and white.

    Again, I was hesitant but bought it anyways. Something I do not regret. It has been a long time since I owned a game where I counted the minutes until I could go home and play it. I would give this a 9 but I have yet to fully complete it.    … Expand
  36. xGodModeONx
    Mar 19, 2017
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. So I just beat the ABC paths with a couple of random endings (41 Hours on Normal) and I have to say the game, while mostly enjoyable also leaves a lot to be desired and is a bit tiring.

    Solid but inconsistent game play elements helped me trudge along through a good story that is unfortunately supported by numerous cookie-cutter fetch-quest side missions which I thought we hated these days. The combat is good but lacks the depth from previous Platinum titles. There's no special attacks to really unlock and you enhance your stats through "chips" which you find everywhere which you must assign to a limited amount of slots allowing you to create anything from a damage absorbing tank to a glass-cannon. An additional game play twist in the game is the perspective will switch to overhead or side view at points which is a neat novelty at first but isn't really very good except for the overhead view hacking portions which have some real nice game play elements in there.

    Graphics are fine, nothing special, but performance ranges from excellent to nauseating through a lot of the areas, especially the Forest which has frame rates somewhere between 30-40fps with awful jittering and this is on a PS4 Pro.

    So a very important bit here. There are two halves of this game (your first ending isn't the "real" ending, (there are 24 I believe) but you have to play the first half all over again with a different character to get to this second half. The problem with this is that I don't believe the game respects the time you put into it but forcing you to replay this only to get some additional story info and some additional side-quests they could of easily rolled into your first play through (why not switch characters on the fly?). So here you are trudging through most of the same stuff a second time while also having half your combat ability taken from you but you can hack into enemies at this point which is fun but wears out its welcome come the third play though.

    Music in this game can be really good as well but if I could turn off the vocals, I would. When my wife is in the other room asking me to turn it down because the "singing part is annoying" there is problem. In fact there is a jukebox in the Resistance camp where you can play the soundtrack and can turn the vocals off. The Music is best at this point.

    The story itself has some strong moments and will keep most interested but I can't help but think we've seen most of it before. Themes of the soul, what it means to be alive, and if artificial beings can have feelings are prevalent and there are moments of tenderness and bonding that not even human characters have in games. But the story is also too stretched out by forcing you to replay many parts and in my opinion is kinda of hindered when you have these mature themes but your enemies are dorky trash-can looking robots that sound ridiculous. The story does pick up in the third run (second half of game) when you are given control of the third primary character who is interesting but never really is given a lot of time to develop back story as it happens mostly through text archives you find in the world. In this part of the game is when everything starts getting explained as well.

    There is a very good game here but it is under a layer of odd design choices that make it hard to really hold on and not let go. It will take a bit of patience to really get going so I suggest not getting into it if you can't spare the time.

    It gets a 7 from me which is "Good" in my book.    … Expand
  37. gummibear
    Mar 22, 2017
    6
    Not a game for everyone!

    I bought this game after reading all the amazing reviews on metacritic. I realize this is a dissenting opinion but Nier Automata was not for me. I really wanted to like the game and pushed through despite that fact that I wasn't having a lot of fun. I won't give it a negative review just to offset the many 10s, instead I will give it what I got out of it.    Not a game for everyone!

    I bought this game after reading all the amazing reviews on metacritic. I realize this is a dissenting opinion but Nier Automata was not for me. I really wanted to like the game and pushed through despite that fact that I wasn't having a lot of fun. I won't give it a negative review just to offset the many 10s, instead I will give it what I got out of it.

    All these things combine to provide very little immersion factor from my point of view.

    1) The story and characters did nothing for me. Its obvious early on that there is no real purpose to the story if you do not care for the characters and honestly I just didn't care at all. Its a game where you never really feel a sense of purpose.
    2) Combat may look cool at first but there is not very much in terms of mechanics and there is virtually no challenge to any of the boss fights. I could care less for the 2D or top down shooter or hacker segments...seem more like pointless minigames.
    3) RPG element of the game is kinda missing with there being very little difference is what your skills or weapons are like from beginning to end. I was never looking forward to my next level, upgrade or weapon. It never felt that I was building my character towards any goals or improvements.
    4) GUI is serviceable but 3D map was clunky with very little instruction of how to use...eventually you figure it out but there were some annoying moments early on.
    5) I hated the shifting of perspective from 3D to 2D because it added nothing to the game beyond trying to hide the linear nature of the missions.
    6) Rigid environment where you are force-fielded out of passing through some areas where you should realistically be able to fit.
    7) Consider me not a fan of the sound track. Some segments were annoying, others depressing for no reason, others just weird for weird's sake. I can't say there was a single track which I actually enjoyed listening to.

    I can actually understand all the 10 reviews because this game is very much about tastes. If you are really into Japanese Action RPGs then you might just love this. This genre has been hit and miss for me and this time I'm afraid that Nier Automata just hit on all the parts that I tend to not like.    … Expand
  38. BedhedEdWed
    Jul 31, 2017
    6
    Nier: Automata is an overrated game, receiving undeserved praise for its quirky, and for lack of a better word, its Japaneseness. The gameplay, developed by Platinum Games, is surprisingly boring and stale. Platinum is known for its fantastic hack-and-slash gameplay, so I don't know what the **** happened here. Enemies will either go down in two hits or two-million hits. The combat isNier: Automata is an overrated game, receiving undeserved praise for its quirky, and for lack of a better word, its Japaneseness. The gameplay, developed by Platinum Games, is surprisingly boring and stale. Platinum is known for its fantastic hack-and-slash gameplay, so I don't know what the **** happened here. Enemies will either go down in two hits or two-million hits. The combat is repetitive and monotonous, lacking any real combo system. Instead, it has only a light and heavy attack, along with an A.I. pod that you will forget is even there most of the time. Over the course of the game, you will notice that the combat has devolved into dodge and spam light attack, OVER AND OVER AND OVER. The other aspect of this game, the story, is just alright. It was compelling enough for me to complete the game and obtain the platinum trophy in it as well. It is not a story that I would consider tracking through one more time, though. The story is the only reason that this game is a six instead of a four. I would not recommend it, but because of all the critical praise you've likely heard about this game, you'll probably pick it up anyway. I would just say that if you do, wait for a price drop.… Expand
  39. sandlefoxiv
    Mar 13, 2017
    6
    Excellent characters and music but a very stuttering frame rate and subpar combat really make this game drag on. Platinum is definitely on the rise again after their last few outings but they just don't have the formula for success. What a shame.
  40. jpoid
    Mar 30, 2017
    6
    Not for a hardcore player. I definitely do not recommend it after playing Nioh.
    There is some good things about Nier, like graphics, the transition between 2D and 3D scenarios, and the sound (although the music becomes a bit repetitive after a while). But the over-simplified combat system is thought for an 8-year old person. After playing Nioh, where you need a lot of skill to dodge and    Not for a hardcore player. I definitely do not recommend it after playing Nioh.
    There is some good things about Nier, like graphics, the transition between 2D and 3D scenarios, and the sound (although the music becomes a bit repetitive after a while). But the over-simplified combat system is thought for an 8-year old person. After playing Nioh, where you need a lot of skill to dodge and managing your stamina, here you need just to spam the infinite ammo of you Pod, which does a fair amount of damage, and stay safe at mid/long range. Enemies are so slow, that is almost hard not to avoid their hits, you should be really a troll in order to die there.
    Another very important fact, I have ended the game after only 9 hours of game play!! And it says: you can keep playing the sub-quests, but this is obviously not great, the main history should have been much more polished and complex than it is.    … Expand
  41. jpacor
    May 19, 2017
    6
    I must say, I was pretty disappointed by this game. The opening hours are promising, with fun combat and an interesting story, but the game soon becomes repetitive and dull. Mostly boring fetch side quests, and very limited fast travel requires frequent running around. The boss battles are relatively fun and exciting, but after finishing the game once, I would definitely not go through itI must say, I was pretty disappointed by this game. The opening hours are promising, with fun combat and an interesting story, but the game soon becomes repetitive and dull. Mostly boring fetch side quests, and very limited fast travel requires frequent running around. The boss battles are relatively fun and exciting, but after finishing the game once, I would definitely not go through it again just for another ending.… Expand
  42. wesker2012
    May 4, 2017
    6
    I bought this game and beat the game once. I realize there are at least 3 other endings, but I didn't feel any incentive to play the game again once I beat it the first time. The game was unique and creative, and I also played the first Nier, but this game just didn't feel fun to me. Would of been great as a rental. I also bought the game after reading all the hype. And I don't thinkI bought this game and beat the game once. I realize there are at least 3 other endings, but I didn't feel any incentive to play the game again once I beat it the first time. The game was unique and creative, and I also played the first Nier, but this game just didn't feel fun to me. Would of been great as a rental. I also bought the game after reading all the hype. And I don't think the game is as good as the hype suggests. I was preparing for a very engrossing plot, but the plot was super thin. I finished watching the plot/story on youtube and still don't understand whats so great about it. Who knows, maybe its one of those games you have to play yourself to fully understand. The time investment was just too much for me though.… Expand
  43. SuperkenGaming
    Mar 18, 2017
    7
    Nier Automata
    A game that plays itself.
    Nier Automata is a 3rd person hack and slash open world action adventure rpg game where you play as android 2B accompanied by 9s and a droid This game takes place after Nier, though this is a spin off, there are nods to the past game here// but other than to appreciate those moments, playing the past games is unnecessary.. This continues the    Nier Automata
    A game that plays itself.
    Nier Automata is a 3rd person hack and slash open world action adventure rpg game where you play as android 2B accompanied by 9s and a droid
    This game takes place after Nier, though this is a spin off, there are nods to the past game here// but other than to appreciate those moments, playing the past games is unnecessary..
    This continues the human vs robot war in a post-apocalyptic open world where robots are beginning to feel emotion…
    2B and 9S have an endearing relationship here... 2B being programmed to be more calm and composed, while 9s is more emotional…
    Leads for some great moments and dialog in the game,, its just a shame theyre so few and far between because watching their growth is the best part of the game..
    The game takes around 8 hours to complete… though there are multiple endings and perspectives the game shows you if you’re interested in checking them out...
    After playing through Automata the first time though... I was fine with that ending being my final ending…
    Because unfortunately neither the story nor the world enticed me enough to want to play again
    The world is tiny, dull, colorless, lifeless, not fun to explore…
    And the entire 8 hour journey is spent revisiting all of these locations over and over…
    There were very few moments I thought wow... this game is beautiful or this section is really cool…
    It looks and feels generic throughout…
    I did enjoy the fact that the camera is constantly pulling in and out, changing game perspective, to where at times the game feels like a 2d platformer.. I just wish more was done with it than give us the typical grey and brown rusty structures to run through…
    For the most part you get a task, go to the location on the map, turn in your progress, go to a different location... fight a boss that all but maybe 2 are just spongier hack and slash battles… rinse and repeat…
    The world feels connected… but back to the point that it feels generic…
    Nothing feels like you haven’t seen it before…
    Making your journey back and forth feel like a drag…
    the combat here is fairly fun… I wouldn’t necessarily call it satisfying though…
    Not much to it other than light and heavy attacks…
    You can find new weapons in the world and upgrade them with the parts and materials you find in the world and off of robots to make the battle grind a little quicker…
    but much like the world... the combat was just there. It was good… the world is good... but again, never felt fun to me… just existing
    plus there’s a setting in the game where all you have to do is move your character... The game does the attacking for you…
    Almost turning this into a twin stick shooter hack and slash game if you want…
    I dipped my toes in both styles
    but after fighting enemies that all felt the same over and over... I actually started to prefer the autopilot mode.
    I’m sorry, I know this dislikes are coming... I’m in the minority here…
    But I don’t see the upper 8s and 9s this game is getting by everyone else
    Nier Automata has great characters in B2 and 9S...
    But the story of these robots feeling emotion is never told in an impactful way…
    the world is no fun to explore..
    the bosses feel uninspired and the combat is just there…
    This is a good game, I had fun…
    you won’t regret playing through…
    but I don’t honestly believe you’re missing anything if you choose to skip this one…
    I give Nier Automata
    a 7/10    … Expand
  44. ace_pilotson
    Apr 8, 2017
    5
    This game is certainly not for everyone. I bought it because of all the great reviews and scores and didn't enjoy a moment playing it. The music is annoying, the camera and controls are a pain in the a**, the checkpoint/autosave feature is a joke. The story is the usual Japanese futuristic nonsense some will love, some will not, but no-one will understand a thing.
  45. whiteclover
    Jun 10, 2017
    7
    Visually it's amazing, the main character looks really cool... I found it a bit stressful to be honest. I had high expectations for the storyline but got a bit disappointed in the end. I guess I was expecting a plot twist or something lol
  46. pdh115
    May 16, 2017
    5
    This Game Has Good Story, Good Sound, Good Mood
    But It's Battle Skill System is Bad. There is only one customize System Pod Program, Bad Map And Bad Ranged Battle
  47. TatsMcGee
    Sep 8, 2018
    5
    I tried this game on Saturday so it’s still very fresh in my mind. There were a lot of things that I didn’t like about the game so I just stopped playing it fairly quickly. I hated the music, I just found it to be very annoying and distracting. For the most part, music is not that important to me and as long as I can zone the music out then I’m fine with it. This was so bad that I couldn’tI tried this game on Saturday so it’s still very fresh in my mind. There were a lot of things that I didn’t like about the game so I just stopped playing it fairly quickly. I hated the music, I just found it to be very annoying and distracting. For the most part, music is not that important to me and as long as I can zone the music out then I’m fine with it. This was so bad that I couldn’t do that and I would say that five minutes into the game, I had to mute the game music.

    The combat itself, I didn’t like the way that the cameras kept shifting from an overhead view to a 2-D plane to 3-D plane. I know its a way to shake up the combat but the only plane that I enjoyed was the 3-D plane because that felt like the most natural in this type of game.

    Finally, what turned me off from this game was, I was on a bridge and I had to fight two Compound Miter Saw things and it wasn’t fun trying to dodge those and I ended getting stuck in between both of them and I died. Which this is a fun game where if you die within the first half hour of the game then you have to start the whole thing over again because that’s how I like to play video games. Redoing things that weren’t that much fun to begin with.

    I have sent this game back to Gamefly and I will not be playing this game again.    … Expand
  48. SplitMind
    Aug 8, 2018
    6
    I feel like I'm the only person who didn't really like this.

    Contrary to a lot of people, the restrictions on saving were manageable, but I do think this was an unnecessary element to have in the game. It seems that the developers really wanted to be original here and whilst they have succeeded, they may have hindered the game in some ways. My biggest gripe is with having to travel    I feel like I'm the only person who didn't really like this.

    Contrary to a lot of people, the restrictions on saving were manageable, but I do think this was an unnecessary element to have in the game.

    It seems that the developers really wanted to be original here and whilst they have succeeded, they may have hindered the game in some ways. My biggest gripe is with having to travel from place to place. In my first few hours of the game there was no quick way of doing this and it quickly became cumbersome and monotonous to complete quests.

    This leads me to another frustrating factor, in that the quests and general narratives do not flow very well; even in the early periods of the game I was left wondering where to go next or how to progress the story, making me feel like I was wasting time. Having to resort to online guides and videos makes the game feel more like a DIY project rather than fun or a pleasure.

    Would I recommend this game? At a decent price, yes, but bear in mind the issues delineated above. The high review scores this game has gotten has me very confused indeed.    … Expand
  49. Gold_Grande
    Mar 8, 2017
    7
    Nier: Automata is a great title with fun environments and characters. Its hack and slash style of gameplay is an extremely satisfying feel. The game has difficulty settings for players of all types but is still a challenging piece due to its save system. While all that is great, Nier: Automata does not change itself up too much from beginning to end. Diversity of common enemies and bossesNier: Automata is a great title with fun environments and characters. Its hack and slash style of gameplay is an extremely satisfying feel. The game has difficulty settings for players of all types but is still a challenging piece due to its save system. While all that is great, Nier: Automata does not change itself up too much from beginning to end. Diversity of common enemies and bosses is not great as other games in this category. Though when it comes to mechanics, it's one of the best of its kind. It's a fun piece which I recommend a play-through.… Expand
  50. CharlePL
    Mar 13, 2017
    6
    Game with huge potential. Unfortunately this potential is not met. Game is full of different bugs, drop frames a lot. Side quests are stupid to say the least. Nice, indie game, but massively underdeveloped.
  51. Steff86
    Jun 5, 2018
    5
    Found Nier Automata very dull and boring! Started off ok but then it was much of the same with forgettable characters.
  52. NightmanCometh
    Mar 7, 2017
    5
    Visuals are repetitive and boring. The environment seems empty and devoid of real detail. Non-immersive.

    Gameplay is repetitive and at times, gimmicky.

    The story is the only redemption.
  53. Subject98
    Jul 16, 2020
    5
    To me the praise Nier Automata gets is like someone saying 'This toaster is a **** masterpiece. You put bread in the slot, push the lever down, then 3 minutes later it pops back out! See how ground breaking and innovative it is?'

    N:A doesn't do much of anything that hasn't been done already, and it doesn't do any of it justice. The world is really small, kinda ugly to look at and    To me the praise Nier Automata gets is like someone saying 'This toaster is a **** masterpiece. You put bread in the slot, push the lever down, then 3 minutes later it pops back out! See how ground breaking and innovative it is?'

    N:A doesn't do much of anything that hasn't been done already, and it doesn't do any of it justice. The world is really small, kinda ugly to look at and overall not gratifying or rewarding to explore. Graphics aren't everything but most environments don't even look good artistically. RPG elements are really tame, almost non existent despite the game being advertised as an RPG. Sidequests are mostly fetch quests, NPCs are mostly lifeless, just standing around staring blankly ahead like action figures.

    The story can be entertaining but whether or not you still care by the time you get to the good stuff will depend on how many times you can stand being forced to retread the same bland locations, since the full story is locked behind NG+.

    The combat functions fine but even that is screwed to a degree because your only options for difficulty are play on autopilot, or die in 2 hits and go back to your last manual save, which feels totally out of place in a game like this and ends up making it even more tedious than the easier mode.

    It's a serviceable enough hack n slash if you're just looking for something to turn your brain off and slice up enemies, just beware of the hype surrounding this one.... It's just a freaking toaster!    … Expand
  54. DJKrimson
    Sep 15, 2021
    6
    This game has it's good and negative side. It has amazing music, good graphics and okay gameplay. There are some really annyoing flaws though:

    *Like the manual saving that made me redo 30 minutes gameplay for being instakilled by a boss:s first attack (after the hacking tower with 9s). * The 9s playthrough is pretty much exactly the same as 2b:s. * The fact that 2b ans 9s being so    This game has it's good and negative side. It has amazing music, good graphics and okay gameplay. There are some really annyoing flaws though:

    *Like the manual saving that made me redo 30 minutes gameplay for being instakilled by a boss:s first attack (after the hacking tower with 9s).
    * The 9s playthrough is pretty much exactly the same as 2b:s.
    * The fact that 2b ans 9s being so affectionate towards eachother makes no sense, they have known eachother for like no time at all and aren't even supposed to being able to develop feelings.
    * Combat is classic japanese like, it takes ages to kill some of the monster and you'll have to bulk up with a million pots.    … Expand
  55. Denis94
    Sep 7, 2021
    7
    Es un título que hace cosas de 10 y otras que no llegan al 5 me explico: la banda sonora es una autentica maravilla y quizás sea lo más destacable del juego, la jugabilidad se nota fresca y rápida, no tiene muchos combos pero si variedad de armas para dar profundidad al combate, gráficamente está bastante descuidado excepto los modelos de algunos personajes que lucen bastante bien, elEs un título que hace cosas de 10 y otras que no llegan al 5 me explico: la banda sonora es una autentica maravilla y quizás sea lo más destacable del juego, la jugabilidad se nota fresca y rápida, no tiene muchos combos pero si variedad de armas para dar profundidad al combate, gráficamente está bastante descuidado excepto los modelos de algunos personajes que lucen bastante bien, el mapeado de mundo abierto es un auténtico solar en ocasiones caminarás y correrás sin apenas encontrarte nada y la historia sin ser una revolución se puede decir que cumple, en definitiva un juego que podría ser un 10 pero se queda en un 7 por esos aspectos poco pulidos.… Expand
  56. vvv123
    Sep 3, 2021
    5
    I loved the visuals and soundtrack, but the story is lackluster and the enemies are all too similar. I think the first route should be enticing enough for me to play the other routes, but as it wasn't I don't think I'll come back to it. Imo, there are many other RPG/JRPG to get into that have a better story.
  57. Elite_Soldier
    Feb 3, 2023
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Route A Review
    -Enemies are generic and boring
    - Combat is repetitive, just spam square essentially
    - 2b and 9s have no personality. 2b developed by showing her emotions but it's feels really shallow
    - The characters contradict themselves all the time between side quests and main quest cutscenes. One second she's supportive of non-combative machines and in other moments she doesn't give a toss
    - Her caring for 9s felt forced, they had like no chemistry (you find out why in future routes but it still was poorly done)
    - Voice acting in this game is amateur
    - Villains had no personality, they were just bad for the sake of it (In future routes you see why, but it still wasn't organically fleshed out)
    - Map and UI is clunky
    - Side quests were BORING
    - By the end of route A, it felt like I played a stupid anime kid's game

    The one good thing about this route was the music.
    5/10, the most average game ever. It tried to be deep, but it wasn't.

    Route B Review
    -Very repetitive as it's the same story, but with some interesting bits.
    -The delivery for some big story beats fell flat, like the info on humans. 6/10

    Route C, D, and E Review
    - Thought the story would be a mind f like people say, but it was straightforward, kinda boring actually.
    - Sometimes the game impresses you with certain sequences but it's always short-lived.
    - Last 10 mins of C and D and E were good. 7/10

    The game is a 6/10 overall. It was poorly directed and executed. It was tedious, and the gameplay dragged; cut scenes featured poor voice acting(English DUB) and stiff animations. It felt like the writer was lazy by making the lore boring and meaningless. Keep in mind that I don't particularly like Eva. If you want to play Japanese games with better stories and gameplay, you should play Shadow of the Colossus and Gravity Rush. Though the story of Gravity Rush was a little disappointing, it had much better gameplay and much more interesting characters. And SOTC is a classic, highly recommend.     … Expand
  58. RCAVHS
    Mar 20, 2022
    5
    Add this to the list of games I put down after 10 hours or so. I really wanted to like the game but it never gave me anything to want to keep playing it. Fetch quests are okay if the open world is filled with things to encounter on the way. This world was not. One thing I've noticed in games that I stop playing is they have items laid out around the world as simple glowing orbs (seeAdd this to the list of games I put down after 10 hours or so. I really wanted to like the game but it never gave me anything to want to keep playing it. Fetch quests are okay if the open world is filled with things to encounter on the way. This world was not. One thing I've noticed in games that I stop playing is they have items laid out around the world as simple glowing orbs (see Xenoblade Chronicles). Please just put them in a treasure chest or some sort of box (see FF7R). Or maybe make them a part of the environment (see BOTW).

    But hey the music was amazing.    … Expand
  59. Yotanabe
    Sep 8, 2021
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Probably One of the best games i ever played in the playsation!!
    - Story Wise? It's a masterpiece
    - Gameplay? lot of weapons, different Kinds of fighting style, fun combat movements
    - Voice acting? English and Japanese Dub did they very job to make this game wonderful, they managed to Relay the feelings of the androids even if its hard because they supposed to not have any feelings.
    - Music? Nier have the best ost out of all the games i played, Really hits you right into the heart and feelings
    - Design? superb, Well not going to lie most of people came for 2B's Cultured Android Parts but i know very well that we all stayed for the story
    - Characters? everyone of them got their own Characters and behavior, i may find 9S little bit unreasonable at the end but i find it really beautiful.. the brothers adam and eve, they both really have a wonderful relationship, mostly eve being a little spoiled brother.. Machines like Pascal Really well made, it's a little bit sad that everything that he tried to protect gone and at the end he chose to forget it since he said that it pains him in his heart (even if he is a machine), A2 your typical Tsundere type but really fun to play and watch with, she may not straight with her feelings but when she do, you know it's something special.. 2B although 2b's original mission was regarding to all the YoRHa units, she still forced herself composed with her emotion, it's indeed a curse of cycle of life and death. The Twins Devola and Popola, Same as Adam and eve, The Twins really made the story much more interesting, also them dying together rather than being alone is little bit sad but beautiful reason.


    overall this game has been one of the greatest choice i ever made in my life, with the ability to do the things at the end of Ending E (which is deleting data just to help the other players stucked) i found it very beautiful, to me deleting all the data i had (more than 50 hrs) even if i picked yes out of curiosity, in the end when i found out that it really got deleted, it was the best choice i did not because i hated it but because it's the best way to end a journey!! Thank you very much yoko taro for making this game and as for the other nier games i highly recommend you all to play it!!    … Expand
  60. Jofe
    May 15, 2022
    5
    "Dodge the balls: The Game". Bad gameplay, uninteresting characters and boring writing. It's fun the first two hours, not more.
  61. ZangBang
    Oct 30, 2022
    5
    54/100
    Automata aims to explore the human condition through inhuman characters, tackling themes of identity and existentialism, but it fails at it, completely lacking the nuance to do it in a compelling way, with heavy-handed dialogue and simplistic, basic characters. Even with such flawed writing, the plot itself manages to surprise and entertain thanks to a great art direction, coupled    54/100
    Automata aims to explore the human condition through inhuman characters, tackling themes of identity and existentialism, but it fails at it, completely lacking the nuance to do it in a compelling way, with heavy-handed dialogue and simplistic, basic characters. Even with such flawed writing, the plot itself manages to surprise and entertain thanks to a great art direction, coupled with a beautifully melancholic soundtrack and a couple of captivating segments that take full advantage of videogames' systems and interactivity as an artistic medium to enhance the player's involvement in the narrative, even more than its predecessor did. Also like the original Nier, Automata frequently shifts its camera perspective, going from third-person to top-down, from side-scroller to isometric, giving each area a distinct exploration flare with varied battle scenarios. This framing variety accompanies combat's multifaceted structure, since the captivating blend of Action RPG and Bullet-Hell is also back. The combat system is greatly entertaining thanks to a nice weapon variety and fluid combos, while the Bullet-Hell element is now even more relevant but greatly suffers from severely repetitive battle scenarios. Physical combat has a similiar problem due to a shortage of meaningful variables unlocked throughout the experience and an extremely poor enemy variety, but the game partially makes up for it with great boss fights and a pleasantly extensive equipment system allowing players to strategically organize inventory space to add various active and passive abilities, suiting different playstyles and customizing progression.    … Expand
  62. GuiBio
    Dec 31, 2022
    5
    Got a little desapointed about this game, it tryed so hard to be emotional and stuff, but didn't work for me.
  63. DinoBeam
    Jul 11, 2020
    5
    In the beginning of the second play-through [where you play as a different character with different moves and some new story elements] I picked up a quest I had done in play-through one. Go kill these machines in this red circle on the map and bring back the parts. Just like the first time, I killed them all and got 3/4 parts. Looking it up online I had found out that the only way toIn the beginning of the second play-through [where you play as a different character with different moves and some new story elements] I picked up a quest I had done in play-through one. Go kill these machines in this red circle on the map and bring back the parts. Just like the first time, I killed them all and got 3/4 parts. Looking it up online I had found out that the only way to complete this quest is to quit and reload the game and do that quest yet again. It was at this point, I realized this game has no respect for me alot of the time.

    At first this game's aesthetic and unique chip upgrade system. had me thinking this might be one of my favorite rpgs. But you've heard the hype, lets get down to brass tacks the mainstream reviewers blatantly ignored.

    -Grossly poorly designed and super cringily cheesy shirtless anime boys turn out to be the villains, and ruin the games entire aesthetic and believability

    -There are no level indicators for missions which makes for tons of frustration and backtracking and wasted time

    -seeing enemies level up when I do to stay the same level as me just feels like cheap plastic

    -There is absolutely no warning that you are about to progress the story to a point of no return and loose all those unfinished quests you've already completed 75% of.

    -I did a side quest that took me all around the map and it gave me a key to a mysterious elevator. Found the elevator and it wouldn't open, had to look it up online, turns out because I didn't have a character with me for the rest of the game due to story reasons, I could no longer go down that elevator. No story reason for it, just a blatant big ol' slap in the face.

    -A quest where you hunt down defectors just straight up broke

    -Make sure you save in the middle of big sequences because just because you think it would autosave after a big fight while the action is still building, it may not

    -Plot starts strong and inspiring, then gets generic, predictable, and juvenile

    -I was told i was given a chip and could take it off, spent a long time looking for it. Turns out that chip doesn't actually exist, unlike every other chip in the game, such as the chip that is your life, which you can remove to kill yourself.

    -Finding stuff the world is an annoying chore, had to keep looking up a guide to find how to get places.

    -there is even a part where you get in a giant cannon and have to shoot a giant epic enemy, and they don't even let you aim. might as well have been a quicktime event

    This game is verrry overhyped, and i really hope they come out with a sequel that is much much better, because there is some cool stuff in this game.

    [Update]

    -upon watching the rest of the story on youtube, it is over drawn out despair porn, do not play this game if you want to be happy    … Expand
  64. scorp332211
    Mar 23, 2021
    5
    The game starts out pretty exciting. There’s various means of fighting and even vehicles. But once it gets past the Factory it gets pretty slow and kinda boring. There are tedious fetch quests that are just not interesting. Sometimes it’s hard to know what you’re supposed to do next. I thought this would be non-stop action like Bayonetta- but it’s not. Not sure why it got such glowingThe game starts out pretty exciting. There’s various means of fighting and even vehicles. But once it gets past the Factory it gets pretty slow and kinda boring. There are tedious fetch quests that are just not interesting. Sometimes it’s hard to know what you’re supposed to do next. I thought this would be non-stop action like Bayonetta- but it’s not. Not sure why it got such glowing reviews. At about 4 hours in I was ready to quit. I cannot recommend this game.… Expand
  65. DKR
    Oct 22, 2020
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. (wip) It hurts me to give NA this score. There is so much here that is so good! Rarely does a game NAIL it's atmosphere like NA does. Chrono Trigger, Kirby Super Star, Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory, FF7-8, there are some games that make such an immersive atmosphere that stands out above others. The gothic, anime style, the dark story, the giant-robot battles, the delicious waifus (rock on, Japan!), the slick sword play, the numerous, engaging side quests, and HOLY JEEBUS THE REPLAYABILITY, so why the low score?

    NA follows a sexy android known as 2B. 2B is a combat android that can swing swords that gravitate to her back like a sheathe, fly jets, super agile, and assisted by a little floating robot with an SMG, while sporting her standard-issue micro skirt and white thong. Tagging along is 9S, a young male android that's smitten with her. He's a hacker and scout.

    It all starts with 2B entering her mission via jet. The "machines" - more robust, less intelligent, and collective-zealous robots - are building something big, and she's off to save the day in an over the top clash with a giant robot. It's standard and ho-hum....but things eerily change as the machines grow more sentient, and start asking questions about their existence, form religions, and even try to procreate. Even the fellow androids 2B works with start behaving like adolescent teenagers. Things quickly spiral as you realize the game has no villain. You're slaughtering waves of confused innocents, as the game keeps reminding you NOT to feel bad for any of them. They're all just robots, right?

    This story telling is by far the most powerful aspect of NA. It does story-telling techniques of visual metaphors that has long since been lost in writing in recent times i.e. both the heroes wear blindfolds; signifying their ignorance to truth or purpose in a cruel world, or how NPC's are named after famous philosophers and behave similar to them. The story is wrapped in philosophical questions about god, religion, existence, war, meaning of life, meaning of suffering, and so on. It's a story like the books of old - Orwell's 1984, for example - where the events stayed with you; loomed in your mind and challenged what you believe in. It even inspired many youtubers to cut into NA's meaning, and they were very entertaining to watch! NA also has about 20 different endings, most of them 10s long jokes, but the final ending, and seeing it all come together had me crying a little.....but...

    The gameplay is where NA falls flat. It's a mediocre hack-n-slash that has 2 maps: a beige, city ruins, and a desert. They're about as exciting as they sound. What really kills it is enemy variety. I think I fought 3 enemies the entire game, outside of bosses. It gets really, really tedious, but what keeps you in it is the looming eeriness of the characters around you changing, along with that weird, anime s*** that ppl love, like if you play online and die, you have to leave a message of your death to other players based on presets. You'll make things like "A desperate android.....thought they heard an old friend....at a familiar place".

    Equally as good as the story is the majestic soundtrack. If I had any power to do so, I would put it somewhere in a list of "Top 50 video game soundtracks of all time". Some of these tracks will stay with me for the rest of my life, like:

    Vague Hope (featuring a beautiful, fictitious language called Chaos)
    City Ruins
    Wretched Machinery
    Treasured Memories
    Weight of the World (English)
    Grandma Destruction (ironic name, epic track)

    NA's OST captures a wide range of sounds from tragic, to nostalgia, to epic battle, to grim and soothing.

    What I commend NA the most for is taking such creative risks with the plot. I suppose I can only speak for myself when I say: I'm sick of every video game having # stories: ex-military's wife/daughter are killed/kidnapped, and now he's out for revenge, WW2, a little boy runs an errand and comes back to a burning village, WW2, a tyrant is taking over the world but stands no chance against the marine that can take a tank shell to the face but as long as he hides behind sheet metal and holds his breath for 10s, he'll be fine, WW2, the princess was kidnapped, WW2, OMG ZOMBIES, WW2. COME. ON. RISKS, like after you beat it once, you play it again but as 9S, and the game is slightly different with some plot insights, then a 3rd time through as the assassin droid A2 where the plot REALLY goes nuts.

    So do I recommend? Not really. You can get anything you want out of this game by watching a youtube playthrough, though I still highly recommend supporting NA in any way you can.

    Conclusion: NA is a captivating experience and a meal for the intellectual mind with lovely waifus to top it off. Epic story, but there isn't much gameplay, which is feeding a trend of playable movies instead of video games.

    "I came for the thighs, and stayed for the cries." -Anonymous    … Expand
  66. AlvaroK95
    Sep 10, 2020
    6
    La jugabilidad no está mal pero se hace repetitiva por la falta de progreso real en la variedad de posibilidades que puede ejecutar el jugador y por la repetitividad de las zonas, la historia está muy bien pero no llega a emocionar tanto como parece en un inicio, los gráficos son reguleros y la banda sonora es excelente.
  67. karmic_devil
    May 2, 2021
    7
    Nier Automata is a beautiful game with a beautiful score in a fascinating world that falls short of greatness by quickly becoming repetitive. In the beginning of the game as you figure out the combat and learn about the world it does a great job of capturing your interest but as it goes on the battles all feel the same and the questing devolves into simply heading to the illuminated pointNier Automata is a beautiful game with a beautiful score in a fascinating world that falls short of greatness by quickly becoming repetitive. In the beginning of the game as you figure out the combat and learn about the world it does a great job of capturing your interest but as it goes on the battles all feel the same and the questing devolves into simply heading to the illuminated point on the map - and worse sometimes the spot on the map is so vague that you can be right next to it and then spend 30 minutes wandering around to figure out how to actually get TO it.

    This game isn't terrible. On the contrary it's quite good. But at some point in your play the frustrating is likely to outweigh the fun. And that's a shame.    … Expand
  68. edxtan
    Jun 19, 2023
    6
    Both the story and gameplay of NieR:Automata™ repeatedly change your perspective, but the gameplay is boring and the more ambitious choices feel inconvenient and pretentious.
  69. JettFueled
    Jan 14, 2021
    5
    This game has nice character design, decent combat, but that's about it. The chip upgrade menu is absolutely terrible, the world isn't one that feels worth saving, the music puts me to sleep, the bosses suck, the side missions are boring and weird, it just feels like I'm going through some sort of contemporary art museum instead of enjoying a bright and inspiring video game. EverythingThis game has nice character design, decent combat, but that's about it. The chip upgrade menu is absolutely terrible, the world isn't one that feels worth saving, the music puts me to sleep, the bosses suck, the side missions are boring and weird, it just feels like I'm going through some sort of contemporary art museum instead of enjoying a bright and inspiring video game. Everything about the world is painfully bleak. God, I just, really REALLY hate the map. People have told me you have to get through the first playthrough before the game gets good. I'm sorry, no. If you have to play a game for 8 hours before things come together, and it hasn't grabbed me in that time, then it is NOT a good video game. Why not START with the good part, and keep that consistent for the whole game?… Expand
  70. Skyyfall
    Dec 3, 2020
    7
    For 2017 year this game not bad. Very bad graphic and open world looks like empty. I think this game needed remake!
  71. Neodamus
    Oct 28, 2020
    5
    This action shooter relies heavily on its quirky setting (an earth which humans left to flee from aliens who created androids to battle humans and now are gone themselves but androids and a few humans are left), its weird battle system (hack 'n slay against thousands of purple bubbles in either third person slasher or 2d side scrolling spaceship mode) and its annoying fan service. TwoThis action shooter relies heavily on its quirky setting (an earth which humans left to flee from aliens who created androids to battle humans and now are gone themselves but androids and a few humans are left), its weird battle system (hack 'n slay against thousands of purple bubbles in either third person slasher or 2d side scrolling spaceship mode) and its annoying fan service. Two androids are on a scout mission on earth and do repetitive and boring side missions for humans while discovering a twist that makes your eyes roll and forces you to several replays of the campaign until you try the bitter-lame final ending and true conclusion.… Expand
  72. Kanon-mg0
    Aug 18, 2020
    5
    Cada video juego tiene algo que atrapa a las personas! Yo ame cada momento de este juego
  73. tjhillman
    Sep 6, 2020
    5
    Unfortunately, no matter how layered and philosophical the games “endings” are, the game fails to capture any sort of emotional attachment to the characters and themes due to its poor gameplay, voice acting (including voiceless lines), and graphics. An overall tedious, grossly overrated experience.
  74. JoseManuel10_
    Jun 24, 2023
    5
    +The combat is fun
    +The soundtrack is great
    -Too long with too many endings
    -The map is awkward with ugly environments
    -Invisible walls
    -Same type of enemies
    -Some parts are annoying and tedious
  75. MarleyW
    May 16, 2021
    6
    Only did first play through started 2a and have to say this game is extremely overrated. It has no real story on the first play through and first personally wasn’t good enough to warrant a 2nd play through as a less fun character.
  76. AdrikD
    Dec 5, 2021
    5
    I don't understand why do people like this game so much. Long, not interesting fights, terrible graphics
  77. Crimson9
    Dec 25, 2022
    7
    Games are rarely philosophical like this. And even more rarely do they successfully deal with these themes and tie them into an interesting story. That's what Nier does better than any other game. Its a decent example of games as an artform, although I'd argue that it falls short of other examples such as Dark Souls and Shadow of the Colossus.

    Other than that, I loved the music, and    Games are rarely philosophical like this. And even more rarely do they successfully deal with these themes and tie them into an interesting story. That's what Nier does better than any other game. Its a decent example of games as an artform, although I'd argue that it falls short of other examples such as Dark Souls and Shadow of the Colossus.

    Other than that, I loved the music, and enjoyed the variety of different gameplay.

    But overall, despite the variation of different gameplay, it overstays its welcome and becomes really dull. Level design and the main type of combat are pretty uninspired. Its very tedious.

    1 point off for the oversexualization of the main characters too. Its just JRPG cringe.    … Expand
  78. OriginalGinyu
    Sep 2, 2023
    7
    Pretty unique in a lot of ways, but definitely super overrated!!!! The open world isnt exciting at all and it has a lot of annoying game design choices (for example the save system).
  79. Sigarda
    Aug 24, 2023
    7
    A good game, but VERY overrated. While polished and enjoyable, has many flaws. Huge lack of enemy variety, too few bosses, combat is clean but gets repetitive, the story is predictable if you are not under 14yo, and I couldn't care for any of the main characters. A good game overall and better than most of modern games, but as I said, really overrated.

Awards & Rankings

6
#6 Best PS4 Game of 2017
6
#6 Most Discussed PS4 Game of 2017
6
#6 Most Shared PS4 Game of 2017

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
88

Generally favorable reviews - based on 101 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 98 out of 101
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 101
  3. Negative: 0 out of 101
  1. Gamers' Temple
    Aug 21, 2018
    95
    NieR Automata: Beyond Gods Edition was a total shock to me with how much I enjoyed it. It takes a very solid experience for me to enjoy an RPG lately and NieR grabbed me quite well from the beginning and kept me entertained throughout. It's the type of game where I want to do everything that I possibly can just to make the experience longer - a type of game I rarely find nowadays. I went into NieR Autamata with no expectations other than the good gameplay that I usually find from Platinum Games, I went away floored with a near perfect action game.
    Read full review
  2. Power Unlimited
    Oct 19, 2017
    87
    NieR: Automata is not for everybody. In fact, the game looks to be aimed at the most refined fans of the medium by not caring about the regular gaming conventions, in the same way the works of David Lynch are perfect for the hardcore moviegoers.
    Read full review
  3. games(TM)
    Jun 14, 2017
    80
    Melancholic, wistful and creative at every turn. [Issue#186, p.80]
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