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
Buy Now
Buy on

Review this game

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
    • 10
    • 9
    • 8
    • 7
    • 6
    • 5
    • 4
    • 3
    • 2
    • 1
    • 0
    • 0
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
view
per page
  1. 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    - Very Outdated graphic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
  2. kiddy2345
    Mar 31, 2017
    10
    This game is excel my expectation, the story, the plot and the gameplay is fast pace and genoiusly well done. The soundtrack is one of the best I ever heard in my life. The story start good until the half the game It gets better and better but sadder and darker. The character are well done and lore within this world is interesting. This is Yoko taro best game yet and I definitely gladThis game is excel my expectation, the story, the plot and the gameplay is fast pace and genoiusly well done. The soundtrack is one of the best I ever heard in my life. The story start good until the half the game It gets better and better but sadder and darker. The character are well done and lore within this world is interesting. This is Yoko taro best game yet and I definitely glad that his work got recognized.… Expand
  3. 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
  4. Caiobrz
    Aug 1, 2017
    10
    Nier:Automata is different and unique, and in that, it might not please some people .. some weird people. It has everything you would expect from a top game: gameplay, action, customization, leveling, easy to play but hard to master, great pace and varied - really varied gameplay. And it topples it of with an awesome thought provoking plot (and sub-plot, and sub-sub-plots, or just randomNier:Automata is different and unique, and in that, it might not please some people .. some weird people. It has everything you would expect from a top game: gameplay, action, customization, leveling, easy to play but hard to master, great pace and varied - really varied gameplay. And it topples it of with an awesome thought provoking plot (and sub-plot, and sub-sub-plots, or just random shower thoughts that hit you like a truck) and great replay value. That it changes game type often, from dual stick shooter to side scrolling, top view, 3D third person or hacking minigame is great to break the sameness of the plot, but it never overreaches to badly, so even when you dislike one of these game styles, you can be assured it will be over soon. If you like, you can seek them out in game.

    It might not feature the best graphics around, but this is a game that proves that you don't need the best graphic fidelity to be awesome. Its art style fits, and by the time you are in the middle of a bullet hell having to smash 4 buttons at the same time to master the field, you won't even care about graphics - and let it be known that this is on purpose, since the game strives to deliver 60 FPS nonstop, and manages to do so most of the time.

    That this game might not be considered the best game of 2017, of the best of our generation, is a testament to how much so many reviewers dislike the anime art style, or that it comes from a weird director from Japan. That despite that it is a huge success in both critics and sales, shows how good this actually is.    … Expand
  5. eldesgraciado
    Jul 3, 2017
    9
    ...............................................................................

    Came for the thighs, stayed for the cries.

    ...............................................................................
  6. JohnWitten
    Apr 30, 2017
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. [Portion of original Full-Length Review]

    One of the most intriguing aspects of gameplay at least stylistically stems from the change in perspective that litters some portions of the game. Typically you play in an over-the-shoulder third-person format, yet on occasion the game shifts to on the rails and top down perspectives for intense firefights utilizing your full android arsenal and party. While ultimately even the bullet-hell segments of the game boil down to eliminating your enemies and clearing the area in search of any interesting lore or story progression, I still found combat and the nice pace of breaking things up a suitable way to keep the monotony of most hack and slash titles to a minimum. The combat is solid enough that there honestly doesn’t need to be too much done with it that is flashy or gaudy and the enemy encounters and boss fights are memorable enough and frenetic and entertaining as is.

    The few complaints that I would have do touch a bit on what repetition there is actually present within the game and that comes largely as a narrative and strategic thing. Your character will be afforded the opportunity to deck themselves out in the occasional rare bonus here and there, plugging in a special upgrade chip that boosts stats in certain areas and are hard to come by. Ultimately this adds some strategy to the game, however there isn’t much diversity outside of a health or damage boost and so it isn’t as interesting as it could be in terms of use. Another case I would like to make is that Automata falls heavily into the Dragon Age II camp of adventure titles- meaning there is plenty of lore and content there and it isn’t a bad game at all, however you’re likely to retread many of the same or all-too similar areas for the duration of the campaign and throughout your quests. Although encounters will be varied and narrative progression unhindered, it’s a sort of lazy game design flaw that bugs any and everyone.

    The world and lore is entirely too intriguing for it to be limited in some of the ways it is- perhaps not literally as it is quite expansive, but in terms of scope and use as a character in and of itself. All things considered, if you played the previous installment then you’ll probably agree that Automata is certainly a leg up on the original in nearly every single way possible. The combat encounters are fun if not always diverse, the lore is handled quite well and manages to promote some intriguing plot lines, and the gameplay mechanics are quite solid and rarely offer any hiccups to halt the fluidity of the game. If you’re looking for an experience that has the ability to be a comprehensive one but doesn’t force you to explore it as deeply as you could, then Nier: Automata is for you.

    Concept: Guide your android comrades in the eternal war against the machines. Quite literally, rage against the machine.

    Graphics: While you will see ultimately a lot of the same, what is there is rendered quite well and there aren’t too many muddy textures involved.

    Sound: The melancholy mood that permeates the soundtrack and the narrative itself lends to the experience overall and is a strong selling point.

    Playability: While it has some quirky features and abrupt changes in perspective at times, the gameplay handles excellently and fluidly throughout your adventure.

    Entertainment: There are often hidden depths to be found but the main draw lies in the fact that the experience is totally what you make of it and there are many interesting facets to the characters and the world and conflict themselves.

    Replay Value: Moderate.

    Overall Score: 8.5    … Expand
  7. victhom
    Apr 11, 2017
    10
    What can I say about this game? Never played the original so was curious about this game, especially when I heard Platinum Games was helping out. This game is honestly one of the weirdest games I've ever played but weird in all the right ways. It is action packed, game play changes constantly into different styles from third person hack n slash, top down shooter, side scroller and miniWhat can I say about this game? Never played the original so was curious about this game, especially when I heard Platinum Games was helping out. This game is honestly one of the weirdest games I've ever played but weird in all the right ways. It is action packed, game play changes constantly into different styles from third person hack n slash, top down shooter, side scroller and mini game hacking segments. But above all this, it has an intriguing story and deep down an emotional core to all the madness.

    It is definitely right that passing the game the first time barely scratches the surface. you really only get about 20% of the story. Replaying the game isn't just replaying it all over again. It really feels like you're going onto the next chapter in a book. j

    The music in this game is absolutely phenomenal. They match the mood and scenes in the game and are catchy. One of the tracks in particular was so catchy I had to download it on my phone to listen to it. The soundtrack alone is enough to get this game and luckily it complements the action, story and characters.

    The characters in this game are also likeable. Some took a while for me to warm up to but you do eventually become invested in their motives and story. This game I realised in the end talks about what it means to be human - the emotions we feel, what the meaning of our existence is and how the machines and androids in this game may not be as different to humans as they seem.

    This is a must buy. I thought Breath of the Wild was my game of the year and it may still be, but now that Nier Automata has come, I'm still deciding which one takes that spot now.    … Expand
  8. claytastic
    Jan 25, 2018
    10
    NieR: Automata is stunning. It's a shining example of what games can and should be. It's always on the move, changing up and finding new ways to challenge or surprise you. It took me awhile to pick it up, but when I finally got my hands on it and played it, I couldn't have spent my money better.

    I was originally turned off by the idea of another open world action game, but I'd say this    NieR: Automata is stunning. It's a shining example of what games can and should be. It's always on the move, changing up and finding new ways to challenge or surprise you. It took me awhile to pick it up, but when I finally got my hands on it and played it, I couldn't have spent my money better.

    I was originally turned off by the idea of another open world action game, but I'd say this is the best one out there right now. The world is beautiful, and actually really well design. The different sections of the map are all different biomes, but rather than just changing the style of the setting, they have drastic shifts in design (for example, the desert is empty and barren with lots of enemies, the forest has narrowing and winding paths in a sea of trees, and the ocean swallowed some of the nearby buildings, giving you some platforming sections).

    Additionally, the story is surprisingly well done. I was worried that robots leading the main story would be a bad idea, but the way they help tell the narrative surpasses anything I expected. They have more emotional responses to things than most other games that sell themselves on their story. I won't spoil anything because I highly recommend that every goes out and experiences it for themselves.

    It's also a game where having multiple endings isn't a lame way of cramming in variety for variety's sake. They actually matter to the full game, so much so that if you got one and stopped playing, you'll only have scratched the surface. I hate to be one of those people who tell you that you're not playing a game right by only getting one ending or doing it a certain way, but that's absolutely the case with NieR, more so than any other game.

    The gameplay was another point of concern I had before the game's release. Given it's an RPG and from what I'd seen in early gameplay showings, I was worried it would have some confusing and unintuitive menus like Mass Effect Andromeda, and more recently, Xenoblade Chronicles 2. However, this was hardly a complaint, as you level up automatically, and choosing special skills and abilities and leveling up weapons are all super easy. But besides that, the gameplay is excellent. Combat handles well, the occasional platforming sections are really well done and don't happen too often, and every other different style of gameplay plays just as well as the others. This is showcased perfectly in the first 40 minutes, where it goes from being a top-down, twin-stick shooter, to a third person action game, to a 2D platformer, to a top-down platformer, then back to a third person action game, and each one transitions into the next as smooth as butter.

    Overall, NieR is easily my favourite game of the year, which in a year with Super Mario Odyssey and Breath of the Wild is no small feat. This is also already up there with some of the best games I've ever played, and might just be the best. I'm really glad it didn't get criminally underrated like the first NieR did. 10/10    … Expand
  9. grimsfield
    Aug 1, 2017
    9
    This game isn't perfect. It doesn't have the best graphics and I've run into a few minor bugs. Nothing serious, but a little annoying. That said, this game is amazing. Simply amazing. The art direction, the soundtrack, the story, the engrossing environments. Amazing. This is one of the best games I've ever played--and my top game of the year so far for 2017. Besting my previous fav ofThis game isn't perfect. It doesn't have the best graphics and I've run into a few minor bugs. Nothing serious, but a little annoying. That said, this game is amazing. Simply amazing. The art direction, the soundtrack, the story, the engrossing environments. Amazing. This is one of the best games I've ever played--and my top game of the year so far for 2017. Besting my previous fav of 2017, Horizon Zero Dawn.

    It's criminal that this game is rated below a 9, and I can only guess that's because its visual quality isn't on par with the aforementioned Horizon Zero dawn. Because the quality throughout every other aspect of the game sets an extremely high bar. I've told people this probably has one of the best, if not the best original sound tracks of any game I've ever played. And while I know that might sound a little over the top, I think it might be true. i've found myself going back to certain locations in the game, just to hear the local music play.

    What I think I like most about this game though; it feels unique. The game play is rich and interesting and and the story does a great job of making you feel for the characters while not making you watch a ton of really long drawn out cutscenes. The voice acting is top notch as well. The little comments the characters 2b and 9s share with each other, while not long winded, are poignant and effective. And the sub-quests are thought provoking and interesting, while not distracting from the main overarching theme of the game.

    I don't know what else to say... Do yourself a favor, play this game.    … Expand
  10. Muzzle131
    May 22, 2017
    10
    A true gem/masterpiece, gameplay, story, and especially the music.
    There isn't really much to say except to try it yourself and trudge through to the end that it somewhat hides from you meaning you have to put in the effort so it's not a game to play casually.
  11. JAX85
    Apr 23, 2017
    9
    The most important part of each game is its STORY !!! I like games like Nioh , Nier , Horizon zero down! Offline mode with story mode and perfect gameplay!!
  12. GamerJosh0137
    Apr 17, 2017
    8
    I don't have much, if any experience with hack and slash games or even JRPGs for that matter. Final Fantasy 15 is probably the only JRPG game I have ever played, oh and Metal Gear Solid 5 (if you consider that a JRPG. I don't but I could see why someone would). I may not know what makes a hack and slash, or a jrpg game good but imo NieR Automata is VERY good. Nier Automata makes anI don't have much, if any experience with hack and slash games or even JRPGs for that matter. Final Fantasy 15 is probably the only JRPG game I have ever played, oh and Metal Gear Solid 5 (if you consider that a JRPG. I don't but I could see why someone would). I may not know what makes a hack and slash, or a jrpg game good but imo NieR Automata is VERY good. Nier Automata makes an attempt at putting almost every genre of game into 1 title. Bullet hell, side scrolling platformer, top down shooter, etc. To my surprise all of those things are done rather well. I can't say that the story is great yet because I feel like I need to play it a couple more times to really get it, there is still much I'm not sure about but what is important here is that I am COMPLETELY willing to play through a couple more times. That says something. With all the titles released recently my backlog seems to get bigger and bigger everyday but I am content with playing Nier exclusively for the time being. Another big plus for this game is the soundtrack. The music that plays with each scenario is sublime, and should be the industry standard for what kind of role music should play in video games. One gripe I have being new to this style of game is being overwhelmed by certain mechanics that have to do with leveling up your character. You are playing as an Android named 2B and your defense, and attack protocols are dependent on the "chips" (as in computer chips, or programs) you have and equip. I still don't think I could explain it but if you are new to this type of game I highly suggest you watch some youtube videos on leveling up 2B. Anyway, the game is great and worth the price. There is a lot of game here, probably around 35 hours I think. And although the open world isn't full of intricate details, it is a blast to explore.… Expand
  13. quake2th
    Sep 30, 2017
    10
    Not much to say, this is like the most original game in the last 20 years...
    there's only one word to describe it: beautiful
    the story design is simply incredible, every 10 minutes you have an "holy sh*t" moment, something completely unexpected happens and your jaw drops to the floor this was the first game after so much time where I literally craved the next bit of plot, I wanted    Not much to say, this is like the most original game in the last 20 years...
    there's only one word to describe it: beautiful

    the story design is simply incredible, every 10 minutes you have an "holy sh*t" moment, something completely unexpected happens and your jaw drops to the floor

    this was the first game after so much time where I literally craved the next bit of plot, I wanted to know what happened next, I FELT for the characters, very few games can do this after 30+ years of gaming...

    It's a game you will never forget, it stays with you forever
    you will never forget the first time you enter the Amusement Park, trust me..., it's the single point in the game were you think "for the first time, my $ are worth it"

    pros:
    - story: simply incredible, you really feel for each character and you think about the meaning of life a lot
    - characters: they're more human than most humans I personally know...
    - ost: one of the best ever in a game, always the right music for the right section of the game, just think about Amusement Park..
    - enemies: they're incredibly good from the design point of view and they fit the plot perfectly
    - multiple endings: staying true to its roots (Drakengard and Nier), you have to beat the game several times to unlock the whole story, but each time it feels like a new playthrough, don't rush it, and be sure to beat the game at least 3 times, it is worth it (you need to beat it 5 times for the whole plot)

    cons:
    - controls: an horrible mess, why japanese developers cannot design anymore a proper control scheme is a mistery to me
    - graphics: the engine feels outdated, yet sometimes it struggles on a PS 4 Pro, unacceptable in 2017, of course, this does not really matters, given the amazing game it is...
    - dlc: totally useless, does not add anything to the story (unless you want to beat the sh*t out of SquareEnix's CEO), please use this money for a Nier Remaster, at least...

    now we just need to wait for a Nier Remaster, hopefully will come    … Expand
  14. Steven105
    Oct 22, 2017
    10
    Nier: automata is a masterpiece , sure it has flaws but it is worth the experience and this is coming from someone who didnt even play the first one. When i first put the disk in, the first thing i noticed was the brilliant soundtrack , every song in the game just gave me the feeling of nostalgia to the point where i had to buy the soundtrack on itunes, it is amazing how the music immersesNier: automata is a masterpiece , sure it has flaws but it is worth the experience and this is coming from someone who didnt even play the first one. When i first put the disk in, the first thing i noticed was the brilliant soundtrack , every song in the game just gave me the feeling of nostalgia to the point where i had to buy the soundtrack on itunes, it is amazing how the music immerses you into the game . The story kept me on the edge of my seat the entire way through . There are multiple endings but when you get the true ending it is very satisfying . Do not listen to the bad reviews , these are people with no imagination who dont have the attention span to take the time to sit down and unfold a complex story . Yoko tarro and platinum games did a fantastic job with this gem , nier automata is now one of my favorite games of all time… Expand
  15. gq_foine
    Jun 17, 2017
    10
    I wrote this review because Nier Auotmata is the greatest RPG game ever made! People play RPG games mainly for the story, right? And therefore this is truly a masterpiece! The game is absolutely beautiful and artistic. I wrote this review because it whole heartily deserves a 10/10. I just finished the game with the “True Ending” with over 50hrs of play time. Be prepared to bring someI wrote this review because Nier Auotmata is the greatest RPG game ever made! People play RPG games mainly for the story, right? And therefore this is truly a masterpiece! The game is absolutely beautiful and artistic. I wrote this review because it whole heartily deserves a 10/10. I just finished the game with the “True Ending” with over 50hrs of play time. Be prepared to bring some tissue. This is NOT a perfect game, but it’s a masterpiece which I will later elaborate as to why and share some minor issues I had with it.

    Pros-

    +The Story – 10/10- It’s about a story of elite special forces (YORHA) who are helping humanity from the tyrannical machines. You don’t know much about the character’s, background, and what exactly happened to humans? We are being told they fled to the moon for safety? The story will begin to unfold after the 2nd play through and that is why you have to play through till the end to uncover the truth. If you want the best ending, you need to play the 3rd time. I was frankly confused after it ended so abruptly on the first run. If you are able to get to the “True Ending” which I consider is route E, where it has the mini-game at the end of the credits- you have finally made it! But there are multiple endings if you are interested in those others. The story is deep and philosophically intriguing.

    +The Music is by far the best I have ever heard in any video games- it is an absolute gem– 10/10! Classical and melodramatic tones really brighten up the environment, characters, and story. I even downloaded and purchased the soundtracks since I couldn’t get enough of it and I wanted to listen to these songs on my Iphone every day! The entire album is absolutely amazing! They work harmoniously with the game and is perfect for the battles, stages and ending.

    + Gameplay– 10/10 – It is primarily a hack and slash, but they added so many different and other variety of ways to play -such as side scroller, top down- airplane mode similar to Gradius, mini hacking games. While the battles can seem overwhelming at times and unfair because you forgot to save and to have to reload and start from where you last left off so don’t forget to save! They incorporated the different variety views/angles, side games, and etc, which shines through rather than just playing the hack & slash the entire game.

    Indifference-

    *Graphics are ok but not great for PS4. I thought it could have been better with more livelier environments- like Horizon Zero Dawn. The CGI cut scenes are great, but some of the environments seem rather dull.

    *The lack of variety of enemies and boss machines are a little sparse? I would have added some more mechanical beasts and or other different machines.

    *Lack of equipment. They have variety of weapons. You use chips to incorporate to enhance some skills - defense, offense, support and etc. But where is the armor? -None, which I would have liked some. The variety of weapons are nice and upgrading level is fine, but what about adding chips to weapon or armor to add more customization to increase different stats?

    *When you have 9s or 2B fighting alongside of you there should more customization rather than setting them as Balance, Aggressive, and etc. under game settings. I would have liked them to back up the main character for healing, or other various purposes.

    Cons:

    -The difficulty level is very erratic. NOTE: Make sure to equip the Auto-item chip so it automatically heals you when your life is low when you are in a middle of battle. Enhancements on your character can do some real damage. Some hacking games can become almost impossible to clear because movement is very fragile and sensitive. If the hacking games become too difficult then adjust the difficulty to “easy” to have it automatic shoot and move – assuming you have the chips.

    -Some minor bugs and frame rate issues on PS4 (not Pro) in certain areas of the game – Like weapons list doesn’t show the picture. Frame rate drops.

    Summary:
    Overall, if you are looking for a profound story with beautiful music and unforgettable/memorable characters (2B, A2, 9S), this is a game not to miss! The game can be unforgiving without the proper save points and forcing you to restart again, but don’t let these frustrations overcome the beauty of the story, music and characters! If the hacking game becomes too challenging switch it up to easy and then switch it back up to normal/hard. Nier Automata's story is so fresh and enlightening. Frankly, it was emotionally draining and can make you sad at times and confused. But the real truth and reality can be unsettling. This game does not have the best graphics, some minor bugs, difficulty unbalanced, and improper save points, but this game simply has the most unforgettable story, music and characters, which makes it the BEST RPG GAME TODAY! Chrono Trigger & Persona 5 have been dethroned.    … Expand
  16. OrionHamake
    Sep 23, 2017
    10
    -Awesome game, it's bringing me several hours of fun. The gameplay is excellent and well diversified. It constantly changes to sidescrolling and when control your fly unit, reminiscent of old snes games like aero fighters. This was a very thoughtful addition to the gameplay that makes it more interesting.

    The soundtrack is beautiful. It surprises me that they managed to make a    -Awesome game, it's bringing me several hours of fun. The gameplay is excellent and well diversified. It constantly changes to sidescrolling and when control your fly unit, reminiscent of old snes games like aero fighters. This was a very thoughtful addition to the gameplay that makes it more interesting.

    The soundtrack is beautiful. It surprises me that they managed to make a soundtrack as good as the first one that seemed unique to me.

    -The game has a semi open world map, but it has several things to do. Constantly you will find some random missions and the game itself has many side quests.

    -The story is very good and I liked all the characters.

    The only things that I should criticize in this game are the carelessness with small details. Like for example, when the protagonists are talking outside the cutscene their mouths do not move. It would also be nice if the npcs looked more alive, having a cycle of activities and rest, as it works in games like skyrim and the witcher.

    However, this game is one of the best I've ever played, easily in my top10    … Expand
  17. Wifflum
    Jun 12, 2017
    10
    This game has the best execution of a story that I've seen in my life. I say execution because, while the plot points have a pretty substantial effect on me, the emotional moments are hundreds of miles beyond any other game, or even movie. Without a doubt this game is a highlight of my video gaming life, and I strongly doubt I'll ever forget about this game.

    As for the combat and the    This game has the best execution of a story that I've seen in my life. I say execution because, while the plot points have a pretty substantial effect on me, the emotional moments are hundreds of miles beyond any other game, or even movie. Without a doubt this game is a highlight of my video gaming life, and I strongly doubt I'll ever forget about this game.

    As for the combat and the large changes in gameplay, I think you'll get a lot of mixed opinions from people, but personally I'm playing through fresh once more. The gameplay is good enough to make doing everything again on a harder difficulty appealing, but maybe that's me. I also don't want this game to leave my life for as long as I can hold onto it.    … Expand
  18. mackenzie129
    Sep 14, 2017
    9
    Is it good? YES! But honestly this is it. There is no other DLC or Expansions coming out. Once you beat the game you can run for the other endings and that's about it. It is really fun the combat is nice and quick a lot of free flow . The story is amazing and satisfying. For all the pervs L3+R3 enjoy
  19. Elite74
    Apr 18, 2017
    10
    The game may be seem average at first. However, after multiple playthroughs, my opinion of the game changed drastically.
    Pros:
    -Great Story
    -Unique Presentation
    -Combat
    -Soundtrack
    -Character development
    -40+ hours of content
    Cons:
    -Hacking may seem frustrating at times
  20. grab41
    Apr 3, 2017
    10
    One of the best games EVER! Real masterpiece from Yoko Taro.
    Superb music and epic story you can't forget!
    Just don't stop playing after first ending!
  21. Modesta
    Apr 18, 2017
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I played P5 after finishing N:A, and i still love N:A more than P5. Compared to high polished stuff like P5, N:A feels really raw. But that's the charm of N:A for me, and probably because of my age and my life experience till today. I can absorb and understand about the message that was hidden behind the stage play of this game. The combat system is nice and difficulty level easily adjustable with chips, and far from boring buttons smasher like Dynasty series. Really really satisfied with it :)… Expand
  22. SeiferAlmasy
    Apr 16, 2017
    10
    French review here :

    Ce jeu est juste une oeuvre d'art, c'est vraiment compliqué de décrire ce jeu sans spoil et en même temps c'est vraiment compliqué de spoil étant donné que ça gâcherait la surprise à tous ceux qui n'ont pas joué au jeu ! Car ce jeu se vit ! Si ce que vous cherchez dans un jeu c'est avant tout un bon scénario, une bonne narration Si vous aimez les    French review here :

    Ce jeu est juste une oeuvre d'art, c'est vraiment compliqué de décrire ce jeu sans spoil et en même temps c'est vraiment compliqué de spoil étant donné que ça gâcherait la surprise à tous ceux qui n'ont pas joué au jeu !

    Car ce jeu se vit !

    Si ce que vous cherchez dans un jeu c'est avant tout un bon scénario, une bonne narration
    Si vous aimez les retournements de situation
    Si vous aimez vous posez des questions existentielles, ce qu'est réellement l'humain ? Quel est le sens de la vie ?
    Si pour vous le sens même du "RPG" c'est le sens premier du terme, à savoir incarner un joueur, être le joueur, avoir l'impression d'être dans le jeu, avoir l'impression que ce n'est même pas un jeu au final, que c'est bel et bien réel..

    J'ai rarement vu un jeu entreprendre et réussir à développer toute son intrigue entièrement et qu'en même temps ce soit fait d'une main de maître, que la qualité, la quantité et la diversité soit présente et que l'impact sur le joueur soit aussi grand et persiste même après 1 mois

    Je vous invite de tout cœur à acheter ce jeu, il mérite tellement la reconnaissance des joueurs, il mérite tellement d'être connu de tous
    1 million de vente c'est tellement peu pour tout ce que ce jeu a à offrir aux joueurs et au monde du jeu vidéo

    Avec l'apparition des nouvelles console et des nouvelles technologie, le jeu a pris un virage tellement extrême, l'accent est surtout mis sur les graphismes à présent, sur le gameplay, sur les quêtes annexes
    Je dis pas que c'est mal, mais tout ce qui est scénario, approfondissement des personnages, narration, toute cette partie qui nous permettait de réellement vivre le jeu vidéo en temps que personne
    Toute cette partie qui donnait l'impression au joueur d'être à la fois acteur et spectateur d'un récit a quasiment disparu

    Toute cette richesse scénaristique apporté par les jeux PS1, PS2 n'existent quasiment plus maintenant et il est rare de trouver un jeu actuel qui rivalise ne serait-ce qu'un peu avec les chefs d'oeuvre que nous avons connu auparavant

    Rappelez vous de votre enfance, rappelez vous quand vous jouiez à Final Fantasy 7 ou 10, à Onimusha, à Grandia
    A tous ces jeux qui mettaient avant tout l'accent sur un scénario approfondis, un développement des personnages, une narration excellente

    Ca ne vous manque pas ?

    Vous pourrez retrouver toutes ces sensations avec NieR : Automata, j'y crois vraiment

    J'espère vous avoir donné envie d'y jouer, ne vous arrêtez pas aux graphismes et ne retirez pas votre jeu après la fin A

    Les fins A et B ne sont même pas des prologues, ce sont des mises en situations, le générique d'introduction défile au début de la troisième run, c'est à partir de là que le jeu commence réellement
    Et à partir de ce moment le jeu va enchaîner twist sur twist sur twist sur twist jusqu'à la dernière seconde de jeu qui est aussi un putain de twist

    Ce jeu m'a retourné le cerveau et m'a donné une bonne leçon, ce jeu m'a appris ce qu'étais réellement le jeu-vidéo

    Un pur chef d'oeuvre

    Et au passage, la DA est somptueuse, l'OST est incroyable (probablement une des meilleures OST de jeu vidéo que j'ai écouté de ma vie), le gameplay est fluide, prenant, diversifié, nerveux, parfait ! La durée de vie est plus qu'acceptable, les quêtes annexe ne sont pas toutes Fedex, la plupart approfondissent certains éléments du scénario

    Je ne saurais comment décrire à quel point ce jeu est génial, sérieusement, achetez ce jeu, il mérite d'être joué, il mérite une plus grande reconnaissance, il mérite tellement plus ♥    … Expand
  23. Elkamyst
    Apr 21, 2017
    10
    First play through and ending A is only 40% of the game. Replay for rest of the game and story. All replay will have different main story so it's not boring like other game replays. Main endings are A, B, C, D, and E.
  24. skiits8
    Apr 23, 2017
    10
    Incredible game. Would recommend for anyone. Had never heard of the game and didn't even really like the look but I guarantee it's worth your money - it's the most intriguing, beautiful game and Yoko Taro is an incredible writer. I could go for days about how much i love it but you've got to give it a go for yourself.
  25. Kaminami
    Apr 28, 2017
    10
    Simple review:

    PROS: -Godlike narrative and characters -the soundtrack is one of the best ever, perhaps the best(best imo) -Multiple endings (26 endings) -Combat by platinum games -Multiple Routes that tell more and more sides of the story -Fun side-quests, all carrying some sort of message -A philosophers wet-dream CONS: -Open-world can feel really empty, mostly due to    Simple review:

    PROS:
    -Godlike narrative and characters
    -the soundtrack is one of the best ever, perhaps the best(best imo)
    -Multiple endings (26 endings)
    -Combat by platinum games
    -Multiple Routes that tell more and more sides of the story
    -Fun side-quests, all carrying some sort of message
    -A philosophers wet-dream

    CONS:
    -Open-world can feel really empty, mostly due to budget limitations
    -Some side-quests can turn into boring Fetch quests
    -Game can get some major FPS drops when you destroy multiple robots

    OVERALL:
    A masterpiece of a game, easily on the level of Witcher 3 and the last of us. In my opinion, i think Nier is better than the two. If you are looking for a good story with godlike soundtrack, plus some fun gameplay and side quests, then nier is the game for you

    "If history forgets this game, **** history" - Jim Sterling    … Expand
  26. BarnabusRex
    Apr 28, 2017
    10
    The first play through (route A) doesn't do it justice. Please continue through routes B and C, they create an entirely new appreciation for the brilliants of the game in its gameplay and narrative.
  27. khanhduong
    May 5, 2017
    10
    Been a fan since the original Nier. Didn't have high hope for its sequel in terms of game play mechanism but it really surpasses my expectation. The plot and BGM are a 10/10.

    Highly recommended!
  28. YiunaFreyia
    May 11, 2017
    9
    Nier Automata, un chef d’œuvre de platinum games.
    Le jeux est un J-RPG action-aventure.
    Un gameplay très bon mêlant exploration et beat'em all, un scenario à toutes épreuves, un monde riche, des personnages attachant (lorsque que l'on avance dans la trame principale). On pourrait lui reprocher des graphismes vieillot (PS3), mais ce n'ai pas pour autant que les décors sont laid, bien    Nier Automata, un chef d’œuvre de platinum games.
    Le jeux est un J-RPG action-aventure.

    Un gameplay très bon mêlant exploration et beat'em all, un scenario à toutes épreuves, un monde riche, des personnages attachant (lorsque que l'on avance dans la trame principale).

    On pourrait lui reprocher des graphismes vieillot (PS3), mais ce n'ai pas pour autant que les décors sont laid, bien au contraire il sont somptueux.

    Une bande sonore juste délicieuse qui se fait discrète lors de l'exploration et se fait entendre lors des phases d'action.

    En bref, Nier Automata est un excellent jeux dans son genre et n'a rien a envie aux autres triple A qui peuvent sortir. Une fois entrer dans son univers, il est difficile d'en ressortir. C'est un jeux qui se vit et qui lorsque terminer laisse son empreinte en vous et créer rapidement une espèce de vide qu'aucun jeux ne peux remplacer.
    Je le recommande ÉNORMÉMENT aux joueurs qui ont soif de bon J-RPG.
    Et je ne peux que le recommander au néophyte du genre (mais néanmoins gros de jeux-vidéos) qui devrait y trouver ici une perle rare eux aussi.

    Par ailleurs, le jeux est en promo actuellement en dématérialiser sur le PSN a 50e au lieu de 70e jusqu'au 25 mai 2017.    … Expand
  29. kiddy23
    May 25, 2017
    10
    This game is great in gameplay, with an emotioanl story and with fast pacce combat syle. People who play this game is important to know that you must not stop in the second round since that just a prologue to the story, the real story start in the third round of the game ehere it gets better from there in term of storywise.
  30. jrpgmaniac201
    May 31, 2017
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I have been a fan of JRPGs since i played one of the Tales series from bamco, but never i have encountered a game that's both cool and emotional. This game perfectly express each and every moment during your gameplay, from the curiosity of entering a amusement park in a post apocalypse timeline to the last moments of your life leading to an inevitable death. IMO this is one of PlatinumGames' strenghts, since Metal Gear Rising they have hit the mark in the soundtrack, you can feel every moment as if you're living on it. In terms of storytelling, Yoko Taro may have created his greatest work in my honest opinion, the plot was perfect, the different perspective is perfect, the slight but great freedom of choice is amazing, even if its just for the joke endings still. NieR: Automata is no doubt my GOTY, Game of the Generation even. Out of the all reviewed games in metacritic, i think this game deserves to be on top of the list, this game is just to perfect to this imperfect world.… Expand
  31. Chenhanhnannnah
    Jun 3, 2017
    10
    For me this game is a 10/10 because I have never seen anything like this before. Either the game is a master piece per se or because I am not an experienced gamer. Overall, this game is as impressive as MGSV and TLOU.
    The game play is intense. The story, taught by multiple play throughs, is mind-blowing. The Art design is a bit plain but suitable for the apocalypse setting. The sound    For me this game is a 10/10 because I have never seen anything like this before. Either the game is a master piece per se or because I am not an experienced gamer. Overall, this game is as impressive as MGSV and TLOU.
    The game play is intense. The story, taught by multiple play throughs, is mind-blowing. The Art design is a bit plain but suitable for the apocalypse setting. The sound track is one of the most beautiful one I have ever heard in a video game. It even echoes in my head days after I have finished the game.    … Expand
  32. seyiDALegend
    Oct 7, 2017
    9
    My Doubts
    Initially, I was fascinated by the trailers and videos I saw online but was also sceptical. Fans had hyped this game up with so much praise all of which sounded vague when you tried to understand what made this special. Things such as "it will make you cry", "it gave me an existential crisis", "the story is amazing" didn't prepare me for what was in store and to top it off the    My Doubts
    Initially, I was fascinated by the trailers and videos I saw online but was also sceptical. Fans had hyped this game up with so much praise all of which sounded vague when you tried to understand what made this special. Things such as "it will make you cry", "it gave me an existential crisis", "the story is amazing" didn't prepare me for what was in store and to top it off the rumoured "multiple play throughs" nearly put me off trying the game at all. I didn't want to buy into the hype only to encounter a game where the story and philosophical meaning goes completely over my head leaving me with nothing to enjoy.

    Multiple play throughs are great game design
    Fortunately, none of this happened. I found the multiple play throughs varied enough to be unique experiences, similar to experiencing the clever level design of a soulsbourne game - an ever-expanding maze. Just this time, we had different characters telling their side of the story within this maze. Some may disagree with me but the second playthrough was my favourite. It was quite fortunate that I didn't go into this totally blind as I stumbled across the best approach for myself. I played the first time through with a vanilla experience in mind ignoring the many side quests and focusing on the main storyline. This worked out perfectly as the second run with 9S - who had access to more elements of game - make exploration a lot more rewarding. You got to open more treasure boxes with your hacking ability and you received more cutscenes and world-building that were not available in the first playthrough. Also by then, I started to come to terms with the new weapons, the additional skills and items I picked up. On top of new equipment to customise my experience. I think this is best way to enjoy the multiple playthroughs. Treat the first one like a linear experience and explore the second one like a normal RPG. Try new weapons and fighting styles and you'll be better rewarded rather than burning yourself out on side missions and maxing your build the first time round. Which is what open world players tend to do. Also I would recommend saving buying the HUD Item Scan Chip for the second playthrough as it made exploration ten times better by making it less grindy more focused and rewarding.

    This is a work of art
    Everything about this game is fitted together in a jigsaw puzzle of emotion, philosophy, gameplay, character development, sound and art design. You play sections of this game from 3D Action style, Side stroller, top-down Action, geometry wars-style all the way to bullet-fest battles. It's a buffet of gameplay formats executed in timely fashion. Then you are delivered a story in carefully crafted trail of cutscenes, written text, individual character's moments, witty dialogue and plot twists. All of this is enhanced by the best soundtrack of 2017 or even this generation so far. This is how you utilise the video game genre to deliver a story in such a well-crafted way. Not many games go beyond cutscenes in terms of storytelling. Not many games draw upon elements from this many genres to deliver a complete gaming experience. I think this is what makes this game so special, it feels like a video game but at the same time, well-told story. Neither the storytelling or the gameplay are holding each other back. They work in parallel and it's beautiful.

    The game is feature packed, refreshing with enough plot twists to hold your attention on the most eloquent roller coaster ride you'll ever experience.

    The only cons I can say are the graphics / framerate / combat system which could have been more polished but that didn't take away from the experience at all.    … Expand
  33. deimon1313
    Jul 5, 2017
    10
    Do you realize how they make a desolated world to become so beautiful?
    Do you realize how they make the music with powerful feelings and lyrics for every part of the game?
    Do you realize how they make even the side story quest so meaningful? And how they make us to not give up to find the [E]nding? I have played many games, completed almost side quests in every game. But, this game    Do you realize how they make a desolated world to become so beautiful?
    Do you realize how they make the music with powerful feelings and lyrics for every part of the game?
    Do you realize how they make even the side story quest so meaningful?
    And how they make us to not give up to find the [E]nding?

    I have played many games, completed almost side quests in every game. But, this game got me so much with all their beautiful aspects and mostly the story is way beyond my expectation of this (machine world) game. Absolutely stunningly beautiful and sad at the same time. I hope this game is GOTY 2017 or even if it not, it is till GOTY for me.    … Expand
  34. RegularNormal
    Aug 5, 2017
    10
    A model for the future of gaming. This was my favorite game to come out in the past 15 years. Not since KH1 has there been a game to do what this game did for me. The action and depth of play is relatively unparalleled in games of it's type. But the story somehow outshines everything, You might guess one of the twists before it's delivered, but that won't take away from how touching it allA model for the future of gaming. This was my favorite game to come out in the past 15 years. Not since KH1 has there been a game to do what this game did for me. The action and depth of play is relatively unparalleled in games of it's type. But the story somehow outshines everything, You might guess one of the twists before it's delivered, but that won't take away from how touching it all is.. I never give 10s. This was a 10.… Expand
  35. TrophyHunter14
    Aug 29, 2017
    10
    NieR:Automata is a masterpiece of a game. This is the best game I have ever played. With amazing combat that doesn't get boring even after 35 hours, great graphics and an apsolutly amazing story it exceded my expectations. If you are going to buy this game make sure to GET ALL 5 MAIN ENDINGS!
    This is really important to understand why this game is a masterpiece (or at least an amazing game).
  36. Canon89
    Oct 19, 2017
    9
    I have to say that Nier: Automata is a fantastic and addicting game. The graphics are beautiful, the music does exactly what it should do and that is immerse you deeper in the game. The story line is great and keeps you in the game. Overall, I was not expecting much but when I got this game I found a gem!
  37. 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
  38. 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
  39. Kostas101
    Jun 4, 2020
    10
    One of the most special & unique games I've ever played. The story is masterfully crafted with some very interesting characters, and the writing is genius, the constant fourth wall break is spot on! I don't want to spoil it for you, but I can safely say that this is one of the best stories I've ever experienced, I haven't played a game that tells a tragic story in such a special way everOne of the most special & unique games I've ever played. The story is masterfully crafted with some very interesting characters, and the writing is genius, the constant fourth wall break is spot on! I don't want to spoil it for you, but I can safely say that this is one of the best stories I've ever experienced, I haven't played a game that tells a tragic story in such a special way ever before. Once you finish the first playthrough, you'll need to load from your save data to play the second playthrough & then the third playthrough to experience the whole game, and the payoff is definitely worth it! The gameplay mechanics are incredible too, from very smooth Hack 'n' Slash action, to Bullet Hail, and then Platformer, it's honestly full of surprises. Last but not least, the music is absolutely phenomenal, one of the best soundtracks ever. This game is an unforgettable masterpiece.… Expand
  40. Agent_Zigzag
    Mar 12, 2017
    10
    Good Points:
    -Fantastic story, although the story itself is very sad
    -Excellent music -Has a strong link with previous stories -Characters are pretty Bad Points: -Some of the boss fight are kind of too hard (unless you are playing the easy mode) -Some people may feel disgusting for the story -- I really like this sad story between 3 androids, I feel sad for everyone, but this    Good Points:
    -Fantastic story, although the story itself is very sad
    -Excellent music
    -Has a strong link with previous stories
    -Characters are pretty
    Bad Points:
    -Some of the boss fight are kind of too hard (unless you are playing the easy mode)
    -Some people may feel disgusting for the story -- I really like this sad story between 3 androids, I feel sad for everyone, but this doesn't means that everyone will like this story.
    -Weird control system and camera view, people may need time to get used to it.    … Expand
  41. Makaveli
    Mar 16, 2017
    10
    A flawed masterpiece. Awesome Storytelling, Awesome game-play , Awesome music.. Awesome replayability.... So far this is my Game of the Year

    Rate 9.5
  42. Dohmein
    May 29, 2019
    3
    I have seen this game everywhere being hailed as one of the best ever. I really do not get it. I got to the amusement park and was so bored and I actually fell asleep. Picked it back up a few hours later. Again sleepy. Its terrible. The game explains NOTHING to you. You have to figure out its terrible UI the silly chips, weapons - everything on your own. I died twice in thatI have seen this game everywhere being hailed as one of the best ever. I really do not get it. I got to the amusement park and was so bored and I actually fell asleep. Picked it back up a few hours later. Again sleepy. Its terrible. The game explains NOTHING to you. You have to figure out its terrible UI the silly chips, weapons - everything on your own. I died twice in that mission and uninstalled it. I just see no way this monochromatic boring game will improve in any way. I really want to see what people love so much about it but I cannot. The soundtrack which apparently is "mind blowing" annoyed the ever loving **** out of me so I killed the sound. I should have known then I was in for a bad time. To each their own but I would rather mow my lawn than play this game.… Expand
  43. Azeriel
    Mar 23, 2017
    10
    Breathtakingly complex...this game can not be more perfect even if the gods themselves crafted it.

    I've been playing video games for around 18 years now and all this time has left me jaded towards the medium. I've found it increasingly harder to find games that can capture my enjoyment and provide me an awe inspiring experience that can take me away from the real world like when I was    Breathtakingly complex...this game can not be more perfect even if the gods themselves crafted it.

    I've been playing video games for around 18 years now and all this time has left me jaded towards the medium. I've found it increasingly harder to find games that can capture my enjoyment and provide me an awe inspiring experience that can take me away from the real world like when I was younger. Nier Automata is one of those rare gems in gaming that brings me back to why I fell in love with the medium in the first place. Nier is the only game since the Witcher 3 that had me blink and 10 hours had passed without my noticing. Yoko Taro and his team have created a masterpiece that nobody should miss.

    I will start by saying that I haven't played a Yoko Taro directed game before, but I have heard a lot of great things about his weird world that he has created that links between multiple games and franchises (Nier/Drakengard respectively) so I was really excited when I heard that Square decided to give him a good budget and a very well known studio for their character action games (Platinum) to make a sequel to the original Nier from the previous generation. So without any doubt and after hearing that it got a PC release I instantly purchased it, because I was fascinated by what Yoko Taro could do.

    And what a fantastic job he and his team at Platinum Games have done. A game that shouldn't be passed on by ANYONE, because it does something that I, personally, haven't encountered in a game before (which I won't spoil here, because you HAVE TO experience it yourself).

    Imagine a Platinum game that has exquisite combat, a director that is so masterful in how he presents the story giving small information and tidbits as you go along and a soundrack by a composer that is well known (Keiichi Okabe) that you take a few moments from playing the game just to listen to the music..it's THAT GOOD.

    I won't go much into the story of the game, because it's very easy to spoil, but the story and overarching plot is so well done and it makes you question a lot of things about humanity, emotions, life itself and many other things.

    This has been an eye opening experience that I will never forget. From the amazing soundtrack by Keiichi Okabe to the wonderful directing and story by Yoko Taro and the combat by Platinum games..they all mesh together to create one of the best Action RPG's that I have ever played. Yes, the fetch quests can be tedious and grinding can be a pain at times to achieve everything this game has to offer, but I did not waver and was fascinated by this world.

    I will now post a quote from Jim Sterling's review that resonated with me so much that I cannot state it better as an ending to this lenghty review:

    "Nier itself is important. It is, as far as I’m concerned, historically significant in terms of its design and the way in which it uses the framework of a videogame to tell an evolving story. If I had my way, every budding game developer would play this game to the point of acquiring endings A, B, C, D, and E before acquiescing to its final and alarmingly direct request.

    Few games are able to showcase the power of the medium like Nier: Automata.

    If history forgets this game, then **** history."    … Expand
  44. Xanxus00
    Mar 15, 2017
    10
    GOTY so far! Best OST of the year no question about it.The only thing that I think would come kinda close for OST is Persona but even then I'm pretty sure Nier will still take it
  45. user24601
    Mar 14, 2017
    10
    First of all, this is not a game for everyone. This game is more like a graphic novel whereas the plot is carefully layered and told in an indirect way. You won't get to enjoy it unless you beat the game multiple times and get the true ending. If you are looking for just another action rpg where you just slash and mash your way to the end then this game is not for you.

    The gameplay is    First of all, this is not a game for everyone. This game is more like a graphic novel whereas the plot is carefully layered and told in an indirect way. You won't get to enjoy it unless you beat the game multiple times and get the true ending. If you are looking for just another action rpg where you just slash and mash your way to the end then this game is not for you.

    The gameplay is refreshing and comes in different forms - normal hack and slash, 2d scroller, top view shooter, Macross type shooter, etc. My first playthrough was in Normal mode, which is relatively easy for non action type players to get through, If you want more challenges, you should definitely play in hard mode.

    Similar to the original Nier, this game has one of the best soundtracks in gaming. I even dare say it beats the original Nier. I would even go AFK and stay in a zone just to enjoy the beautiful music when I want to take a break.

    Overall this game delivers, both as a Yoko Taro game, as well as a JRPG.    … Expand
  46. naughtss
    Mar 14, 2017
    10
    Absolutely everything is amazing about this game and it is well worth the price. The sound track is unbelievably good and every single track has multiple versions that the game flows between to fit the area or timing of events happening. The combat is fluid and fun as well. The story is some of the best writing I've seen in years, and after getting the platinum trophy for the game I amAbsolutely everything is amazing about this game and it is well worth the price. The sound track is unbelievably good and every single track has multiple versions that the game flows between to fit the area or timing of events happening. The combat is fluid and fun as well. The story is some of the best writing I've seen in years, and after getting the platinum trophy for the game I am still wanting more. It is a real shame that the two non positive critic reviews are from people who did not come anywhere near actually finishing the game. After reading them, it is clear that nearly all their complaints and questions would have been answered had they actually done their job and finished the game before tarnishing it with bad reviews.… Expand
  47. axxonn242
    Mar 11, 2017
    10
    Thank you, Post Arcade, for knocking it out of the 90s and into the number 2 spot. Finally a game looked like critics and users were aligned, and metacritic was accurate. There's always one...
  48. Rebelllion
    Mar 7, 2017
    8
    Graphics are very subpar, game looks like it came out 10 years ago or more. Aside from the intro that will most likely cause a ton of frustration if you didn't play the demo, the game is great. At first I thought it would be nothing like the original Nier, but it definitely lives up to the name. Just very sad they completely copped out on the graphics.
  49. KirsiKitty
    Mar 13, 2017
    10
    Please keep in mind, this game has multiple playthroughs, but each one is very different from the last you will have new experiences and learn more and new stories, you will even have new gameplay aspects.

    Nier games exist to make you question your morality, and morality in general. What you know to be the right thing, may actually be the wrong thing. The combat in Automata is    Please keep in mind, this game has multiple playthroughs, but each one is very different from the last you will have new experiences and learn more and new stories, you will even have new gameplay aspects.

    Nier games exist to make you question your morality, and morality in general. What you know to be the right thing, may actually be the wrong thing.

    The combat in Automata is outstanding, the animations really help it be that way, this is probably one of the most perfectly animated games Ive seen. Im about 30 hours in on my second playthrough and Im still discovering new places, new things and it genuinely feels like a new experience itself. The story may look thin on the first, but I promise if you keep playing and learning, it gets very deep very quickly.

    The soundtrack though...The soundtrack is ABSOLUTELY OUTSTANDING. Absolutely beautiful and so many different songs for different areas, fights, situations, and every single one of them is outstanding, havent found a song yet that I dont love.    … Expand
  50. Sharpshooter188
    Mar 18, 2017
    8
    I was always a fan of the Bayonetta, Ninja Gaiden, and DMC games. If those are your thing you need to at the very least rent this game with some kind of service. Very fluid and flashy combat, a lot of different weapons to find and expand your arsenal, and teensy bit of fan service. The story is interesting, though I admit a bit nonsensical at times. It becomes a bit difficult to followI was always a fan of the Bayonetta, Ninja Gaiden, and DMC games. If those are your thing you need to at the very least rent this game with some kind of service. Very fluid and flashy combat, a lot of different weapons to find and expand your arsenal, and teensy bit of fan service. The story is interesting, though I admit a bit nonsensical at times. It becomes a bit difficult to follow with so many twists in the story. Environments could've been more interactive as well. Soundtrack isn't bad though I'm more a fan of the DMC and Metal Gear Revengeance tracks myself. Sidequests are a bit repetitive.

    But at it's core this game is about combat. And it performs that exceedingly well. Lots to do as well as multiple endings. However, some endings are just gimmicky things. Like a short clip of something happening and then the game ending because of some vague reason. I've sunk about 50 hours of gameplay into this thing and Ive still got a few hefty things to do. There are a couple of hidden bosses as well to extend gameplay time and a newgame+ of sorts as well. No shortage of content here.

    Give it a shot. I think you'll find it worth your time.    … Expand
  51. EmilyMonster
    Oct 23, 2017
    9
    Finally got around to playing this, and I wish I had made time for it sooner. This now rivals Kingdom Hearts as my favorite action RPG game play wise.

    Pros - Solid and fluid combat, giving you a few different styles to mess around with - Memorable locations, despite the heavy use of browns due to it being post apocalyptic. I didn't need to rely on my map because I remember where    Finally got around to playing this, and I wish I had made time for it sooner. This now rivals Kingdom Hearts as my favorite action RPG game play wise.

    Pros
    - Solid and fluid combat, giving you a few different styles to mess around with
    - Memorable locations, despite the heavy use of browns due to it being post apocalyptic. I didn't need to rely on my map because I remember where everything is due to it being so memorable.
    - Amazing story and a few plot twists that had me speechless.

    Cons
    - The hacking mini game is a bit over used and over powered, but I still enjoyed it
    - To get the full story, you have to replay the game several times. I didn't have a problem with this, but by doing this many people will finish the first story not play the rest.    … Expand
  52. tomvs123
    Mar 24, 2017
    10
    This is a mature-themed JRPG that reaches philosophical levels. Like the original Nier, I believe it has gone beyond (in a good way) what people expect of video games. It does this in a different way than the original Nier, so don't expect the same game this time around.

    Unlike Yoko Taro's other games, which reach a climax (normally final ending) due to your actions, Automata is all    This is a mature-themed JRPG that reaches philosophical levels. Like the original Nier, I believe it has gone beyond (in a good way) what people expect of video games. It does this in a different way than the original Nier, so don't expect the same game this time around.

    Unlike Yoko Taro's other games, which reach a climax (normally final ending) due to your actions, Automata is all about the journey. That might make the game hard to digest for long-time fans of the series, but it's definitely still worth the journey for them. And like all of Yoko Taro's games, it takes a while (normally weeks) to fully comprehend what you just witnessed, so don't expect to come to a final conclusion immediately after finishing the final ending.

    Okay, for some normal review stuff:

    - Game play/action/etc: It works. you normally hit buttons until things die and try not to get hit. These bits of games aren't all that important to me. Though I hear it's comparatively very good. A few action segments blew me away, but I'm not sure how those compare to full-action games (since I don't play a lot of those).

    - The soundtrack is amazing and fits the world extremely well, But then again, everyone's music taste varies.

    - Story: Very good. It's more straight-forward (simple) than Yoko Taro's other games, but there's still plenty of strangeness it it to keep you interested. And this time around, you won't have to read external books or download extra DLC to get the full story. For the most part, it's all self-contained within the game.

    - Voice Acting: Japanese: top notch. English: below average (not as good as the original Nier).

    - Themes, Ideas, Thought-provoking-ness: The best I've played since the original Nier. The themes on show here are more numerous and varied than the original, so one of them is more likely to catch your attention, stick with you, and make you contemplate life/existence/etc. This is where the game is best to me and why I'm giving it a perfect score. Just be sure to do (and read) the side quests, as that's where many of the themes/ideas are explored by the world inhabitants.

    And some other less-useful information:
    - The game is complete. There's no planned DLC, no micro-transactions, and no "to be continued" after the ending credits. It's like we're back in the 90's where game developers focused on completing a single good game before asking money for it.
    - The game was made possible by fans of Nier and made by fans of Nier (in Platinum Games), and it shows. The amount of content we're getting and the quality of that content seems to be greater than what you'd expect from a game with the budget this one had.
    - If you play the game like a JRPG (do some exploration, research, and side quests), expect at least 45 hours of playtime.
    - I put Dark Souls 3 on hold three weeks ago (when I was near the end) to play this. I don't regret it.    … Expand
  53. matrixasiseefit
    Mar 15, 2017
    10
    I call Nier: Automata "unique" not because it's just a fun gorgeous action RPG , but because Nier at it's multi-layered core is a chameleon of game mechanics. If Ghost in a Shell, Devil May Cry, Final Fantasy and Robotech had a baby it would be Nier Automata. I will say this game isn't for everyone. If you are not a fan of games like Bayonetta, Devil May Cry or Metal Gear: Rising youI call Nier: Automata "unique" not because it's just a fun gorgeous action RPG , but because Nier at it's multi-layered core is a chameleon of game mechanics. If Ghost in a Shell, Devil May Cry, Final Fantasy and Robotech had a baby it would be Nier Automata. I will say this game isn't for everyone. If you are not a fan of games like Bayonetta, Devil May Cry or Metal Gear: Rising you probably wont enjoy Nier as much as I do. However, if you did enjoy the games I previously mentioned and you also like anime style hack and slash games with an intriguing (yet slightly weird) narrative, you should pick-up Nier as soon as you can. B-2 will not disappoint.… Expand
  54. Zurce
    Mar 18, 2017
    10
    Best Yoko Taro work, an ode to the videogames that rescues forgotten mechanics to give live to a master piece. Artistically incomparable with a script that will brand you
  55. rudo1990
    Mar 18, 2017
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Wie könnte ich Nier: Automata am besten beschreiben ? Für mich war bis jetzt FF7 das beste Spiel aller Zeiten und seit FF7 habe ich kein Spiel gespielt ( und ich habe viele .... viele Spiele gespielt ) welche nur im Ansatz an die Story heran kamen. Nun aus dem Nichts Nier gesehen geholt und 3 Tage nicht das Haus verlassen. Die Story die Charaktere die Grafik und vor allem die Musik haben mich zu Tränen gerührt und ich bin ein Eishockey Spieler .... wir haben keine Tränendrüsen.

    Wer denkt, das Nier zu kurz ist sollte alle 5 Enden durchspielen es wiederholt sich nichts, denn das Spiel ist darauf ausgelegt, das man es mehrfach durch spielt.

    2B OR NOT 2[B]E    … Expand
  56. Cryope
    Nov 12, 2017
    10
    Featuring a complex and intriguing story and smooth mix of hack n slash and bullet hell gameplay and one of the greatest video game soundtracks ever, if all that sounds good you will love this game. Just make sure to see it through to the end.
  57. Ventus7
    Mar 27, 2017
    10
    Yoko Taro, Platinum Games, Keiichi Okabe, thats a dream time if I ever seen one.
    This game it's just amazing, surpass any expectation and delivers a deep and emotional story with a solid cast of characters. After more than 50 hours and a platinum trophy I still want to play it, I still want to listen the beautiful soundtrack and most important I still want to fight some of those amazing    Yoko Taro, Platinum Games, Keiichi Okabe, thats a dream time if I ever seen one.
    This game it's just amazing, surpass any expectation and delivers a deep and emotional story with a solid cast of characters. After more than 50 hours and a platinum trophy I still want to play it, I still want to listen the beautiful soundtrack and most important I still want to fight some of those amazing boss fights. But to truly understand how good this game really is you have play it, it's a must, it's an experience, and trust me on this, a really fantastic one. What? Still here? BUY IT! DO IT NOW!    … Expand
  58. TXSao19
    Apr 2, 2017
    10
    In really short terms this game is simply a masterpiece!
    Everything from the character and story development to the soundtrack of the game (which is magnificent) just keeps getting better and better as you go along. The raw emotion in the dialogue and cut scenes are incredibly beautiful and powerful. It has been so long since a game made me feel this way. If you are thinking whether to    In really short terms this game is simply a masterpiece!
    Everything from the character and story development to the soundtrack of the game (which is magnificent) just keeps getting better and better as you go along. The raw emotion in the dialogue and cut scenes are incredibly beautiful and powerful. It has been so long since a game made me feel this way. If you are thinking whether to buy it or not I really recommend you to stop wasting time and pick up a copy for yourself and experience this game because i really think it will be a long time before we get another game like this one.    … Expand
  59. Prrgangsta
    Mar 7, 2017
    9
    This game is one of the many best RPG's i have played this year. The combat flows really well and the control is amazing, add on an open world and you got a RPG to be remembered. I also loved how the self destruction setting makes you feel like you are a machine that will do anything to succeed a mission even if it means death.

    The only issue is there is no autosave so you have to    This game is one of the many best RPG's i have played this year. The combat flows really well and the control is amazing, add on an open world and you got a RPG to be remembered. I also loved how the self destruction setting makes you feel like you are a machine that will do anything to succeed a mission even if it means death.

    The only issue is there is no autosave so you have to always remember every time you go to a safe area to save before heading out again.    … Expand
  60. wazula5
    Mar 14, 2017
    10
    wow. easily one of the top 5 games i have ever played. some critics say the world is desolate, but it's post apocalyptic and peaceful at the same time...you know when you're not in amazing and chaotic combat. the musical score is a treasure in it's own right. my wife likes that i'm playing just for the sake of the background music lol.
  61. theman222
    Mar 18, 2017
    10
    Nier: Automata is a work of art, and gamers everywhere need to experience it.

    It's definitely not perfect. While the combat is fun, it's a little shallow for my tastes. The graphics aren't the best, but the art style makes up for it somewhat. The narrative takes some questionable turns and the presentation isn't done very well (I'm not saying it's bad either). The difficulty spike from    Nier: Automata is a work of art, and gamers everywhere need to experience it.

    It's definitely not perfect. While the combat is fun, it's a little shallow for my tastes. The graphics aren't the best, but the art style makes up for it somewhat. The narrative takes some questionable turns and the presentation isn't done very well (I'm not saying it's bad either). The difficulty spike from Normal to Hard is completely ridiculous. There are a few good bosses, but there are just as many disappointing ones. The sidequests are hit or miss, and they all boil down to fetch quests.

    In the end, despite its flaws, it's very clear that this game has a ton of heart. My inner critic wants to give this an 8/10, but the experience as a whole had such a profound emotional impact on me (mainly thanks to the compelling narrative and the brilliant soundtrack), that I just can't do it. I know this game got sandwiched between some huge releases, but you should definitely keep it on your radar if it's still there.    … Expand
  62. BlakDak666
    Jul 30, 2017
    10
    This will be my third and final revision of my score/quick review on NieR: Automata. I very rarely give 10s for games and while many can find this game to not be anywhere near that (and even enjoy it still) it is totally acceptable to say that this will not be for everyone. Considering the PC port still hasn't been fixed (let alone any patches for the game since launch on the PS4 either),This will be my third and final revision of my score/quick review on NieR: Automata. I very rarely give 10s for games and while many can find this game to not be anywhere near that (and even enjoy it still) it is totally acceptable to say that this will not be for everyone. Considering the PC port still hasn't been fixed (let alone any patches for the game since launch on the PS4 either), you will likely write the game off as buggy and untested. Even as you come into the game in full circle, characters behave awkwardly at times, quests can be boring to complete, fighting enemies can be mundane and lack spice of variety, the writing can have dips that don't make sense and really alot of its combat and system is pretty easy to exploit. Individually, each mechanic is basic at its core with nothing to write home about. Combined however and you have an experience that is outstanding.

    I love how this game is utilized. The way the medium is played is something I rarely see in games and on top of that work and don't come off as pretentious. While Yoko Taro is very blunt and straightforward with his odd persona the reflections of his views on the world are very much in this game and it makes it more interesting to me as a player to see how he feels about something. To put this as easy as I can. NieR: Automata is one giant stage play and philosophical trip of what we humans always seem to think about in our everyday lives to some degree. The world is bland, boring and really lacks any sort of splendor, but THAT'S the beauty of it: it doesn't need pretty graphic engines to prove it and it doesn't need much color to prove it's points. The enemy variety does leave alot to be desired and even after your first act done you'll become tired of fighting them, but THAT is exactly Yoko Taro's point: killing things that are so easy to you or coming at such a repeating pace is only going to numb your enjoyment to the finer moments the game offers.

    The characters are odd and eccentric and will clearly act out of character, but perhaps that's the point. 2B is clearly a parody of sorts to the typical male soldier that follows all orders and clearly doesn't want to show feelings or emotions, yet she does and isn't technically human. She says things that contradict her previous quote, so is it a glitch in her system? A mistake by the team? It's easy to see on the surface it's the devs doing this but I playing almost 100 hours of the game has made me tear back the layers it offers and realize so much about myself as a gamer and person.

    Considering the game is a budget game on top of that, you get a rare example of a indie/AAA game hybrid that is as niche and unique compared to many other games on the market. It's why despite the issues I might have in performance, it's style and delivery is superb as you finish the true ending and sit back and think hard. If you love art games like Shadow of The Colossus or Journey, then you will understand why you should approach this with a more open mind than simply "is the combat good? is the open world full of great content?" like some critics and people who I think looked at this game all wrong.

    A 10/10 game doesn't have to be deemed perfect. Nothing is and no matter the game there will always be flaws. NieR: Automata can have even major flaws, but I tend to judge it also on how much I enjoyed the game. I was skeptical initially but by the end I embraced the game's brilliance close to heart, bought the soundtrack out of respect for Yoko Taro and his team and have not faltered on my stance for the game. If anything, the more I return to the game and look at its layers of understanding, I felt a sense of wonder that I could not find in any other game in my life. Not the graphics, or the combat, but really the medium and how well it's handled that very few games do now in an age where risk is not worth the expense of profit loss.

    Call me pretentious, call this game pretentious but I love this game for what it set out to do and nailed it through and through. Yoko Taro and his team crafted a gem that only gets better as I enter back into the game time and time again. Once again, this is not meant to appeal everyone but with it's structure I'd wager it's one of the finest examples of how mixing genres and types can prove wonderful. A 10/10 breaks grounds on what games should try to match and proceed past that with greater effect. NieR: Automata, out of the hundreds of games I've played, is one of the greatest games of all time for me and will always stay strong in my mind for years to come.    … Expand
  63. Leoxdie
    Apr 27, 2017
    10
    The game is not perfect for a 10. At least a 9. But to compensate haters by giving 0 unfairly in order to lower the score, I am giving 10.

    Story: 8/10
    Soundtrack: 10/10
    Gameplay: 10/10
    Replayability: 10/10
    Graphics: 7/10
    Hater compensation: 15/∞

    Average: 10
  64. AsrielDreemur
    Mar 17, 2017
    10
    Nier Automata is a masterpiece on it's own way. From the characters design, unique stages, the in game combat mechanics and not to mention the amazing sound track the game has to offer. For a hack and slash game i would never have thought that the strongest point in the game is the story plot it self. This is by far one the best game platinum games had ever made.

    Graphic: 8/10    Nier Automata is a masterpiece on it's own way. From the characters design, unique stages, the in game combat mechanics and not to mention the amazing sound track the game has to offer. For a hack and slash game i would never have thought that the strongest point in the game is the story plot it self. This is by far one the best game platinum games had ever made.

    Graphic: 8/10
    Character Design: 9/10
    Sound : 10/10
    Gameplay : 10/10
    Story: 10/10
    Replay Value: 10/10

    Overall: 10/10 - A must buy game    … Expand
  65. edzep82
    Mar 13, 2017
    10
    NieR: Automata is my favourite game of the year so far. Featuring a superbly presented story and incredibly fast paced, satisfying combat mechanics from Platinum Games. The combination of the two provide much desire to keep coming back for more and intrigues until the very end(s).
  66. majiayouxiang
    Mar 13, 2017
    10
    Look at how that 50/100 reviewer from Post Arcade said on his Twitter:

    Chad Sapieha‏ @chadsapieha Mar 9 Lego Worlds gobbled up time I was supposed to spend on Nier. It's rough in spots, but (close to) the game true Lego fans have long wanted. Chad Sapieha‏ @chadsapieha Mar 6 Okay, Nier, let's see whether/how much I begrudge you for taking me away from Zelda. Chad Sapieha‏    Look at how that 50/100 reviewer from Post Arcade said on his Twitter:

    Chad Sapieha‏ @chadsapieha Mar 9
    Lego Worlds gobbled up time I was supposed to spend on Nier. It's rough in spots, but (close to) the game true Lego fans have long wanted.

    Chad Sapieha‏ @chadsapieha Mar 6
    Okay, Nier, let's see whether/how much I begrudge you for taking me away from Zelda.

    Chad Sapieha‏ @chadsapieha Mar 6
    Nier: Automata arrives today. If I end up liking it that'll mean it must be really good, 'cause it's pulling me away from Zelda and Horizon.

    As a strongly biased reviewer who only finished 1/3 of the game, I was wondering how metacritic allows such an unprofessional reviewer to submit his comments and scores.

    Nier is a revolutionary game as a great combination between action and stories. Hope that it sells well and more games of this type come out.    … Expand
  67. 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
  68. DSouls_guy
    Mar 7, 2017
    9
    Nier Reminds me of the good old days when jrpg's where still HUGE and western rpg's where a rarity to be seen. however Nier is a breath of fresh air in a sense. the game play is frantic and well done, the graphics are good on a ps4 pro, the voice acting is spot on and the sound track is FANTASTIC!!!
    but let it be known that Nier is a hack N slash jrpg and it has a very anime feel to it,    Nier Reminds me of the good old days when jrpg's where still HUGE and western rpg's where a rarity to be seen. however Nier is a breath of fresh air in a sense. the game play is frantic and well done, the graphics are good on a ps4 pro, the voice acting is spot on and the sound track is FANTASTIC!!!
    but let it be known that Nier is a hack N slash jrpg and it has a very anime feel to it, and since i enjoy anime it fits right into my area. over Nier is a great game that should not be missed.    … Expand
  69. Mauge
    Mar 21, 2017
    10
    Playing this game has left me in a state of serious existencial crisis.
    It feels like i can't go on with my life as i did before.
    This game is larger than life, filled with emotion, beautiful score, and likable characters. It succesfully breaks the way we understand and play games, and does this without feeling gimmicky. For me personally this has been one of the biggest, maybe even    Playing this game has left me in a state of serious existencial crisis.
    It feels like i can't go on with my life as i did before.
    This game is larger than life, filled with emotion, beautiful score, and likable characters.
    It succesfully breaks the way we understand and play games, and does this without feeling gimmicky.
    For me personally this has been one of the biggest, maybe even the biggest experience of my life of any medium.
    There simply put is nothing that compares in existence. This game is a pure work of art,
    and therefore the best game i have ever had pleasure of experiencing.

    10 out of 10    … Expand
  70. Ormegasm
    Mar 22, 2017
    10
    I loved the first one and they managed to please my rabid fanboyism although I have bias its definitely worth the pickup. Gameplay story and characters all blend together well and the multiple endings will keep you going again and again.
  71. ehcab
    Mar 15, 2017
    8
    After playing 8 hours at a normal level of difficulty, I can decently declare that this game is fresh and fun. However, I can't find yet all the hype that I read on both User's and press articles.

    The world is immersive, the story is deep enough, the 3C's are awesome but : the graphics are not so nice, the frame rate is not constant (you do have some slight drop of frame rate) and the    After playing 8 hours at a normal level of difficulty, I can decently declare that this game is fresh and fun. However, I can't find yet all the hype that I read on both User's and press articles.

    The world is immersive, the story is deep enough, the 3C's are awesome but : the graphics are not so nice, the frame rate is not constant (you do have some slight drop of frame rate) and the rpg mechanics has so far not been useful (been equiping maybe 10% of the items i found / could buy)

    So it's a YES, but I am still eager to live the hype that I read.    … Expand
  72. uVimOvil
    Mar 21, 2017
    10
    increible juego, nunca habia jugado a nada tan innovador en todos los sentidos de la palabra hasta sus creditos del final son unicos, el juego no acaba cuando acaba ni acaba cuando vuelve a acabar y a cada vez que lo 'reinicias supuestamente' todo cambia y te van dando mas informacion hasta que pum al final todo cuadra y la historia que te cuentan es Amazing ;) un 10 ... mencion especial aincreible juego, nunca habia jugado a nada tan innovador en todos los sentidos de la palabra hasta sus creditos del final son unicos, el juego no acaba cuando acaba ni acaba cuando vuelve a acabar y a cada vez que lo 'reinicias supuestamente' todo cambia y te van dando mas informacion hasta que pum al final todo cuadra y la historia que te cuentan es Amazing ;) un 10 ... mencion especial a los 3 protas 2b, 9s y a2 son increibles...… Expand
  73. marcelus
    Mar 17, 2017
    8
    A Yoko Taro with great gameplay. Maybe not the deepest Platinum Games combat system but the sum of all things makes a great product. The soundtrack by Keiichi Okabe with vocals by Emi Evans. The story which can be deep for fans but also can be enjoyed by newcomers on the first Route (Route A Ending). Maybe the fans wanted more screen time for old characters and the cameo of a special oneA Yoko Taro with great gameplay. Maybe not the deepest Platinum Games combat system but the sum of all things makes a great product. The soundtrack by Keiichi Okabe with vocals by Emi Evans. The story which can be deep for fans but also can be enjoyed by newcomers on the first Route (Route A Ending). Maybe the fans wanted more screen time for old characters and the cameo of a special one from a previous game but they game worth it every single penny. I would write tons of lines about NieR with spoilers and all...You'll know if you become Drag-On Dragoon | NieR fan as I am now. BTW those shooters parts...Yoko Taro...you did it! :)… Expand
  74. Crext
    Apr 11, 2017
    10
    It's a system of elements which together adds up to become much better than the sum of its parts. Gameplay, story, music, etc. It's weaved together in a presentation which can only be achieved on the game media as a delivery platform. I'll remember this one, as it is more than just a game, it's a true work of art.
  75. Drakon
    Mar 25, 2017
    10
    Nier is a fantastic game, that is the simplest way to put it, I don't know what more I can say without saying to much. It is something you need to experience, I can say how absolutely amazing the story, the world, and the gameplay are, but it will never equal you experiencing it for yourself, so that said, this is a must buy for people who enjoy: RPGs, Action, Adventure, Science fiction,Nier is a fantastic game, that is the simplest way to put it, I don't know what more I can say without saying to much. It is something you need to experience, I can say how absolutely amazing the story, the world, and the gameplay are, but it will never equal you experiencing it for yourself, so that said, this is a must buy for people who enjoy: RPGs, Action, Adventure, Science fiction, High fantasy, Emotional narrative, Video games, Thinking. Enjoy the game!… Expand
  76. RpgLover1
    Mar 20, 2017
    9
    Things I don't like about this game.

    No autosaves. The first hour of this game has no checkpoints whatsoever so if you die at at any point you go all the way back to the beginning. This is the only part of the game that's like this however. It turns into an open world game with save stations around the place and some bosses have good checkpoints. Some don't and you have to listen to    Things I don't like about this game.

    No autosaves.
    The first hour of this game has no checkpoints whatsoever so if you die at at any point you go all the way back to the beginning. This is the only part of the game that's like this however. It turns into an open world game with save stations around the place and some bosses have good checkpoints. Some don't and you have to listen to the boss monologue for 10mins before the fight starts over and over again.

    Enemy design.
    It's pretty basic if you've played a platinum game before you'll fight hoards of enemies throughout this game and they only have a couple of different attacks, but it's still better then dynasty warriors. The bosses get reused a lot as well and some are straight up boring to fight. You can't even get close to them to attack in melee so you're forced to use the gun which you can't aim because there's no lock on hard and above.

    Wanted to play this like Bayonetta in a 2nd playthrough.
    There is an overclock chip in this game which gives you slow down on your perfect evades, but it doesn't give you iframes. In other words you just die and have to continue boring yourself to death only attacking enemies with the pod. This chip completely worthless.

    Obviously I was able to live with these problems and thoroughly enjoyed this game. You will too.    … Expand
  77. aquiles1990
    Mar 24, 2017
    10
    This is one of the best games ever made and i'm gonna tell you why . From a storytelling aspect just simply goes far as the human can go into philosophy themes even their characters like pascal or hegel just tell you how much heart this game has . It jump on the train of human existence question and takes the answer even further . From a soundtrack direction it simply has the finest songsThis is one of the best games ever made and i'm gonna tell you why . From a storytelling aspect just simply goes far as the human can go into philosophy themes even their characters like pascal or hegel just tell you how much heart this game has . It jump on the train of human existence question and takes the answer even further . From a soundtrack direction it simply has the finest songs from the last 10 years: Beautiful , sad , emotional that breaks your heart in to pieces. From a gameplay point of view is complete and fill with deep mechanics and 2d/4 wall breaking levels. It's just a complete package traying to reach perfection . Nier automata will be remember in the history of mankind as Art in the very best definition. I can't keep writing because there is too much talk i don't want to spoil this ride. Enjoy this masterpiece gamers it's just simply something else.… Expand
  78. Amleida
    Mar 31, 2017
    9
    After completing the first play-through of this game, I was left very disappointed. The game seemed to end abruptly, without answering any of the questions I had regarding the plot and the various characters you encounter throughout it. The story seemed very cliché, and my overall impression wasn't particularly good. Although, the music was pretty good, the game had several minorAfter completing the first play-through of this game, I was left very disappointed. The game seemed to end abruptly, without answering any of the questions I had regarding the plot and the various characters you encounter throughout it. The story seemed very cliché, and my overall impression wasn't particularly good. Although, the music was pretty good, the game had several minor annoyances, like the, at times gimmicky gameplay, stuttering frame rates and a storyline that seemed quite half-assed at the time. I figured the game had been hyped up by fans of the Drakengard series and the original Nier game, none of which I've played myself.

    How wrong I was. The overwhelmingly positive reviews I'd read, convinced me to give the game another chance and complete the "A,B,C and D routes", AKA the different endings or play-throughs of the game. And that's when I finally realized how fantastically unique the story really is. I can't believe I initially wrote it off as cliché and half-assed. Despite it's many flaws and shortcomings, Nier: Automata is easily one of the most original games I've ever played, and it's also one of the best games I've played in recent time. It's just a shame that the game forces you to play through it twice, under almost identical circumstances, before it offers the content that drastically changes the overall quality of the game, and more than compensates for the poor impression (most people) will be left with after completing the initial play-through. It's also worth mentioning that the battle system allows for quite a lot more intuitive and advanced moves than simple button-mashing, but the majority of consumers will probably button-mash anyway. Said techniques require a lot of timing and coordination, and there aren't any in-game tutorials for advanced techniques, after all - which is strange.    … Expand
  79. Tazcat2011
    Mar 14, 2017
    9
    This is a game where I didn't know much about it prior to playing it. The world is interesting and the main character is really good. This is A-Team Platinum for sure with lots of polish and well tuned controls. The saving system took getting used to and I do wish it had auto saves. The interactions between 2B and 9S are sometimes funny and touching. This game is definitely "very Japanese"This is a game where I didn't know much about it prior to playing it. The world is interesting and the main character is really good. This is A-Team Platinum for sure with lots of polish and well tuned controls. The saving system took getting used to and I do wish it had auto saves. The interactions between 2B and 9S are sometimes funny and touching. This game is definitely "very Japanese" and I am enjoying it immensely. I like the philosophical nature of the story the game world. It's a nice balance between a fun game and something that gives you something to think about. This a GOTY candidate for sure.… Expand
  80. OneLifeLeft
    Mar 22, 2017
    9
    The combat system is fast, fluctuating, and startlingly innovative.
    The vocalized soundtrack is haunting, riveting, and all but ethereal.
    But above all else, the narrative will shatter any assumption you may have, that this is just another video game. NieR: Automata deftly achieves something that few games, to date, have even attempted. It compels us to reflect on what it means, to    The combat system is fast, fluctuating, and startlingly innovative.
    The vocalized soundtrack is haunting, riveting, and all but ethereal.

    But above all else, the narrative will shatter any assumption you may have, that this is just another video game.

    NieR: Automata deftly achieves something that few games, to date, have even attempted.
    It compels us to reflect on what it means, to be human.
    And the result is a beautiful feeling of emptiness, that will linger long after you've ejected the game from your console, for the last time.    … Expand
  81. jarlaxle_95
    Mar 25, 2017
    10
    Remember that feeling when playing Demon/Dark Souls for the first time? When you realise that a master of his craft is at work here and you cannot help but carry on and see this through? Buy this game.
  82. cythrawll
    Mar 16, 2017
    9
    This open game world isn't especially large and indepth as a lot of modern open world games are. However, the game play mechanics, story, and the seamless switching between 3d action, 2.5d platformer and 2d space shooter make this game fun. The great soundtrack and visuals really give this game a coherent aesthetic, that really plays well with immersing you into the world.
  83. Niebo
    Mar 20, 2017
    10
    This game is unique, something different. Myself i compared it to undertale as it triggered similiar emotions. For me it's GOTY. For the Glory of Mankind!

    Put into bucket slasher, rpg, bullethell, sidescroller and a beautiful story which is the main point of this game!

    One final advice - See it to the very end, you won't regret it!
  84. incendras
    Mar 20, 2017
    10
    Absolute fun, the games combat style employs a hybrid of high speed combat, bullet-hell scenarios, and even a merciless '1 hit die' difficulty. After playing through normal I can honestly say that 1 hit mode is for the extremely patient. Nier: Automata offers a lot of content that does extremely well at avoiding the dreaded fetch and return style we have all come to know and despise fromAbsolute fun, the games combat style employs a hybrid of high speed combat, bullet-hell scenarios, and even a merciless '1 hit die' difficulty. After playing through normal I can honestly say that 1 hit mode is for the extremely patient. Nier: Automata offers a lot of content that does extremely well at avoiding the dreaded fetch and return style we have all come to know and despise from the 21st century flood of MMORPG's.… Expand
  85. Memoflame
    Mar 20, 2017
    10
    More a work of an art than a game. Nier Automata is a truly brilliant masterpiece that refuses to restrict itself to one thing. It is an action game, but it is also a bullethell shootem up. It can be very weird and goofy, but also very profound and deep. It will make smile and it will make you cry. My biggest criticism towards this game would be the difficulty , which can be very easy onMore a work of an art than a game. Nier Automata is a truly brilliant masterpiece that refuses to restrict itself to one thing. It is an action game, but it is also a bullethell shootem up. It can be very weird and goofy, but also very profound and deep. It will make smile and it will make you cry. My biggest criticism towards this game would be the difficulty , which can be very easy on normal, but borderline impossible on hard with so many enemies capable of one hit killing you ( unless you are overleveled)

    This aside, this is a game that needs to be experienced and one of my favorite games of the last 10 years    … Expand
  86. golden_
    Mar 22, 2017
    9
    NieR:Automata is my new favorite game hands down.
    //
    The first two playthroughs are good but its the third and fourth that really make this a 9/10 for me. The story is a masterpiece, the characters are amazing, the gameplay is good, but it can get repetitive at times mashing R2 and square while holding R1 for several minutes. I preferred the Japanese voice acting over the English this    NieR:Automata is my new favorite game hands down.
    //
    The first two playthroughs are good but its the third and fourth that really make this a 9/10 for me. The story is a masterpiece, the characters are amazing, the gameplay is good, but it can get repetitive at times mashing R2 and square while holding R1 for several minutes. I preferred the Japanese voice acting over the English this time but both were great. The soundtrack is fantastic and I have been listening to my favorite songs in my free time. I would have liked to see a larger map with more playable area, more/better side quests, and better graphics. However this was the first game in a while where i couldn't put the controller down, and after I had completed all endings I was a very satisfied and happy person.
    //
    Pros: story, soundtrack, voice acting, customization, developers sense of humor, anime waifus, worth the $60
    //
    Cons: repetitive gameplay, small map, side quests kinda sucked, graphics could be better
    //
    I strongly recommend this game to anyone questioning whether to buy it or not.    … Expand
  87. regnar
    May 20, 2017
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Make more Drakengard you **** hack **** I hate this game it's not even good I hate it so much please just make more Drakengard. Where is Caim, is he secretly the major esports host Redeye? I need to know. Please tell me Taro. I want to know what happened to the Watchers in the Nierverse. Are they responsible for the corruption in the androids of Automata? What does it all mean? Please just tell me Taro-sama I hate you.… Expand
  88. preciado_101
    Oct 18, 2017
    9
    hours and hours of quality gameplay. Grinding is quite enjoyable, you don't really have to spend hours calibrating your gear, great variety of characteristics along the gameplya. Weak story.
  89. dharma
    Jun 10, 2017
    8
    Weird. Eccentric. Completely bonkers RPG- Bullet hell- hard stylish Platinum style fighting game hybrid is a sleeper hit. You have to finish the game a couple of times to see the true ending (which shamefully,I haven't done :p). Platinum Games, collaborating with reclusive Game Designer Yoko Taro and Square Soft, given the opportunity, always create some of the best games in the market.Weird. Eccentric. Completely bonkers RPG- Bullet hell- hard stylish Platinum style fighting game hybrid is a sleeper hit. You have to finish the game a couple of times to see the true ending (which shamefully,I haven't done :p). Platinum Games, collaborating with reclusive Game Designer Yoko Taro and Square Soft, given the opportunity, always create some of the best games in the market. This shows you that Japanese developers are back in the market after a long slump. Bravo.… Expand
  90. 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
  91. RuslanDZE
    May 7, 2017
    10
    Are you looking for a something unique? Fed up with western profit orientated games that made for nothing but milking players for money? You have a chance to play one of the greatest and unique games for a past few years.
    Yoko Taro made the masterpiece and proved that games can be better than books and movies in storytelling and deliver great messages to a consumer. After 40 hours, I    Are you looking for a something unique? Fed up with western profit orientated games that made for nothing but milking players for money? You have a chance to play one of the greatest and unique games for a past few years.
    Yoko Taro made the masterpiece and proved that games can be better than books and movies in storytelling and deliver great messages to a consumer. After 40 hours, I finished a game. And I would do it again. I can't stop thinking about this game for a long time after I beat it. This piece of art has so many gameplay varieties and it surprises you constantly. Technically it is not the best and it has problems but in that case, it does not matter. What does matter is that Platinum Games and Yoko were not scared to release a game like that. A soundtrack is the best and I do not think we will get something better in 2017. Characters are interesting and you care for them, also you wanna know what happened to this world and what will happen. Strange and refreshing game design is giving you new emotions and it works perfectly. Everything is built so organically here. Gameplay is made by Platinum Games so you probably know what to expect from them. They are one of the best in industry. Hack'N'Slash mechanics maybe not as advanced as Bayonetta for example but I did enjoy it.

    Guys If you are a hardcore gamer who appreciates games as an art, you must get this game and support games like that.    … Expand
  92. YellowKoala
    Sep 19, 2017
    10
    I'm having so much fun with this game. It's one of the few games I've played where the controls work how I want. Unfortunately, I now find some other games I play less enjoyable since the controls aren't as smooth or responsive. The battles are very enjoyable and if things start to feel repetitive, I just try out new weapons. It was also one of my favorite stories which kept me playingI'm having so much fun with this game. It's one of the few games I've played where the controls work how I want. Unfortunately, I now find some other games I play less enjoyable since the controls aren't as smooth or responsive. The battles are very enjoyable and if things start to feel repetitive, I just try out new weapons. It was also one of my favorite stories which kept me playing longer than I should at one sitting. If you enjoy action RPGs, I would definitely recommend giving this one a try (and make sure to play the story again after the credit roll).… Expand
  93. yar1k
    Sep 18, 2017
    10
    Best game evar, period. So much emotions, never felt something like this playing the game. Enjoying every minute of it. 10.0! Some people could not like games style or something else, but when game is in your heart you cant see the flaws
  94. 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
  95. Maist
    Sep 17, 2017
    10
    Wow, this word really summarizes the game for me.
    At first i saw the ads for this game and i wan't at all interested in it. However, after buying it and playing it, i can proudly say that it was each and every penny i payed for this game.
    This is indeed the Neon Genesis Evangelion of gaming. I rate it 10, and there are only four other games i rate the same: Witcher 3, Call of duty 4    Wow, this word really summarizes the game for me.
    At first i saw the ads for this game and i wan't at all interested in it. However, after buying it and playing it, i can proudly say that it was each and every penny i payed for this game.

    This is indeed the Neon Genesis Evangelion of gaming.
    I rate it 10, and there are only four other games i rate the same: Witcher 3, Call of duty 4 and GTA IV.    … Expand
  96. Turbodowg
    Jun 25, 2017
    10
    Nier: Automata is one of my favorite games of this year. I had no expectations for the game and would have ignored it if I hadn't read reviews on this site. So I decided to give it a go. Within an hour I was hooked. After my current play time of 45 hours I'm still hooked!

    Nier: Automata is an action role playing game with a lot of focus on combat. It at first appears to be a straight    Nier: Automata is one of my favorite games of this year. I had no expectations for the game and would have ignored it if I hadn't read reviews on this site. So I decided to give it a go. Within an hour I was hooked. After my current play time of 45 hours I'm still hooked!

    Nier: Automata is an action role playing game with a lot of focus on combat. It at first appears to be a straight forward action rpg but dig deeper and you find it is an absolutely genius game packed with quests, deep story lines, beautiful graphics complemented by an unforgettable soundtrack, a unique and insanely varied combat system, multiple endings, secrets and many items and weapons.

    Nier is a game you must play through more than once or you will miss out greatly. The first play through is like the tutorial to the the world, combat and characters, the second is the main game. I realised after first completion I'd barely scratched the surface. My play time was 15 hrs at the end of my first play through, I've since added an extra 30 hours (at time of writing and have still not finished the second playthrough.) There is so much more than simply completing the main story.

    The characters you play with have varied combat styles making each playthrough different. They also have different story sequences. 2B the female android used two weapons along with her pod (a machine used as a long range weapon). When using her the game works like a part shooter part brawler. 9S has the ability to hack machines, hacking takes the form of a top down bullet hell shooter. During battle you can instantaneously jump into hacking a machine and within a second be back to hand to hand combat, it works flawlessly.

    I've enjoyed everything about this game. The dungeons are unique, once you enter the game changes from the 1st person perspective to top down to side scroller which adds an interesting variety that shakes up gameplay. Boss battles are fun and varied with memorable boss characters.

    The soundtrack is absolutely beautiful, so good that you will want to buy it separately. It's such a unique soundtrack and unlike anything I've heard in a game before.

    Anyway, I've praised the game enough. So here are a few small issues I have with it. The first is so small and pedantic you may not even notice but it did irritate me. The o button is used to open chests and pick up items. The o button is also used to interact with your AI partner. The amount of times I'd pressed o and started a conversation instead of opening a chest was bloody annoying!
    The other issue is that on second playthrough I couldn't chose to equip items onto 2B which would have been a cool feature.

    And the biggie; frame-rate can drop badly. It is by no means gamebreaking but can pull you out of the action. These are insignificant compared to the overwhelming list of positives.

    So I believe it deserves a 10/10 score. It isn't 100% perfect but it is a game so beautifully crafted and so fun to play it fully deserves top class recognition.

    Edit. I've no beat the entire game and must point out that there is a 3rd play through with an entirely new character A2, a new story-line that continues from where ending A&B finished and entirely new areas. There is so much content to this game. Even the ending (ending E) throws in a genius surprise.

    Absolutely epic game!    … Expand
  97. Oxtails
    Aug 5, 2017
    10
    I've been playing games for over 30 years. I'm at the age where games just don't excite me as much anymore. Call me a jaded gamer. This game brought my love of gaming back. Great animation, great story, and great music. Nier automata is the complete package. One of the few games that get better the longer you play. I still think about the game after I've beaten it. Not many games can do that.
  98. VaclavBeran
    May 21, 2017
    10
    The game surprised me very pleasantly. Strong atmosphere, gorgeous soundtrack, fun combat, engaging storytelling. In spite of criticism, the graphics are nice, and they match the other aspects of the game.
  99. S_Stone
    Sep 3, 2017
    9
    A truly great game, fun to play and with a very interesting story and a unusual way to convey it.

    The game's mechanics are near perfect, combat is really fun and challenging, the chip setup to activate passive abilities or enhance your damage or defense is very useful (although it's quite hidden, I don't remember any prompt or tutorial about it). There are lots of things to do.    A truly great game, fun to play and with a very interesting story and a unusual way to convey it.

    The game's mechanics are near perfect, combat is really fun and challenging, the chip setup to activate passive abilities or enhance your damage or defense is very useful (although it's quite hidden, I don't remember any prompt or tutorial about it).

    There are lots of things to do. Almost too much, and that's my only problem with the game and why I can't give it a 10/10 (I would give it a 9,5, but Metacritic doesn't allow "half points").

    There are times you are given so much sidequests that the "main quests" are lost among them. Many sidequests are fun to do, and others help you to better understand the characters via exclusive dialogs and scenes. The problem, is that rewards are often very poor and that does not encourage you to do the sidequests.

    Other problem is that past a point in the game, you can't do them, until you've finished the game (where you can travel to any chapter in the game and do whatever you please to 100% it).

    If you have a PS4 and you don't have played this game, I don't know what are you doing.    … Expand
  100. CyrusDrake25
    Jun 29, 2017
    10
    I just beat the game and still need to get the other main endings. I think I can say, without a doubt, this is an absolute great game. I don't usually care of hack n' slash games but this one kept my attention for a solid 20 hours so far. I think that is because the world is very thought out, superbly detailed, and the music is extremely top notch. I've heard better voice acting but it isI just beat the game and still need to get the other main endings. I think I can say, without a doubt, this is an absolute great game. I don't usually care of hack n' slash games but this one kept my attention for a solid 20 hours so far. I think that is because the world is very thought out, superbly detailed, and the music is extremely top notch. I've heard better voice acting but it is done well enough to enjoy. There is actually a lot of humor in this game which brings some light to a very dark and grim post-apocalyptic setting. Also, game mechanics change up often in this game so it is not just pure hack n' slash. This is also very much an RPG so there is leveling, upgrading weapons, and finding new abilities. It keeps you hooked.

    I don't want to spoil anything for you. You just need to play it yourself.    … Expand
Page:

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

All reviews »
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]
See all critic reviews »