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severus-shake-and-dumblecream · 6 years

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Hey, so, I’ve been taking a games and society class for like the past ten weeks, and our final is to post a review somewhere online. Sooooo, this is where it’s going. It’s about NieR: Automata so severe spoiler alert for that game and minor spoilers for NeiR. Read it if you want, but I won’t be mad if you don’t because it’s super long. But even if you don’t, go play both games because they’re really good (even if NieR’s mechanics were a bit funky).

NieR: Automata is a game developed by Platinum Games and published on February 23, 2017. It is the sequel to NieR, which was developed by Square Enix, the publisher of NieR: Automata. The platforms available for this title are the PlayStation 4 and PC. NieR: Automata has been praised for its well-developed and interesting combat, making it a perfect fit as an action game. NieR: Automata provides the player with encounters constantly, as the player must fend off robots at every turn. Much like many other action games, NieR: Automata’s combat has a range of weapons, from light to heavy to ranged. The game also provides a wide array of enemies, as many other action games do, including boss battles, where the player encounters a notable and unique enemy that typically requires the player to fight through many other smaller enemies before the player encounters the boss. However, unlike most action games, NieR: Automata provides the player with an almost countless number of combinations for their weapons, allowing the player the freedom of customization. The game provides the player with two slots, or places, for their weapons and two sets as well. Each weapon has a faster “light” attack and a slower, more powerful “heavy” attack. Then the player is given a pod that allows them a ranged attack as well, in the form of energy bullets. Having forty weapons and numerous different attachments to the pod allows the player to develop a much more unique style of fighting a lot more than some other simple “shoot and slash” action games. NieR: Automata also varies the playable character, which allows for variation of the combat style to include hacking and a berserk mode, in which the character’s attacks are stronger and faster, at the cost of their health.

As mentioned, NieR: Automata is the sequel to NieR, which itself is the sequel to one of the possible endings to Drakengard 2, and the sequel that Yoko Taro believes to be the true sequel (Sato). NieR was developed by Cavia, which disbanded in July 2010 with NieR being its last game produced, and published by Square Enix. NieR: Automata expanded on NieR’s open world, with the new generation of platforms allowing for a larger world and an update on graphics. NieR: Automata kept what worked with the original NieR, a rich storyline with interesting characters, diverse gameplay mechanics, and thrilling music to match the mood set by the story. NieR: Automata had a much more modern feeling to it, however. In NieR, one of the bigger twists is that it takes place in modern times. This is not the case for NieR: Automata and so it does not need to be hidden. NieR: Automata also fixed some of the fighting mechanics, making bosses and enemies more variable and more fun to fight. These changes allowed the sales of NieR: Automata to skyrocket. The original NieR sold around 500,000 copies while NieR: Automata has sold over 2.5 million (Minotti).

One of the feelings that NieR: Automata wants to evoke from its player is the sense of vastness of the world around them. It does this by shifting the perspective to an isometric third-person perspective that is further away from the player. While at times the perspective changes to a side scroller, this third person is the main perspective of the game. By having the world take up a larger portion of the screen, and by allowing more of the horizon to be seen, the game makes the character seem smaller in comparison. The soundtrack also helps to give this impression. Full orchestral pieces with choral singing fills every building, forest, and desert. Having larger music, rather than a simplistic bit tune, gives NieR: Automata a sense of grandeur. The sounds also play a role in perpetuating the sci-fi theme. Menu selections and item pick-ups are accompanied by beeps. Damage taken and deaths result in a sound similar to static on a TV. HUDs (Heads-up display, where important stats, such as health and experience are shown), maps, and character design create a world of technology. However, the player explores a world covered in forests with towering trees, vast oceans, and wild animals.

NieR: Automata is a game that is heavily based in its narrative and the player will not get the full experience if they do not pay attention to the story. The plot revolves around androids that are designed to end the robot invasion that has taken over Earth that caused the humans to leave for the Moon. The main characters, 2B and 9S, are tasked with helping the resistance androids on the surfaces as well as preforming reconnaissance missions for YorHa, the android military. As the player moves around the story, they discover more and more about the robots. Some have disconnected from the network and are trying to live peacefully or they become murderous individuals or they land somewhere in between. The aliens that created the machines have long since died and the robots now run themselves. Many are trying to learn about humans and become more human-like. They create families, follow governments, and explore passions. The characters themselves are a bit muted. 2B is loyal to a fault and a duty-bound soldier. She does not question her orders, just enacts them to the best of her abilities. 9S follows the rules a little less closely, ignoring protocol, rules, and orders when he believes that another plan would be more beneficial. Outside of these characters, there are numerous other reoccurring characters that participate in the main storyline or deal out side quests. Every character placed in the world has a purpose, there is not a character that you can’t interact with, only cast and player characters. As the story continues, some cast characters become player characters.

NieR: Automata’s rich storyline provides numerous opportunities to discuss serious topics. Many of these come in the form of side quests, including exploring the ideas of what purpose an individual has on Earth and philosophy, but others are explored throughout the main storyline. During one mission, robots that had formed a religion witness their leader die and respond with a mass suicide. The robots also attempted to kill those who did follow in their footsteps. This is a commentary on extremism in religion and even goes as far as to include a new enemy that is a suicide bomber. Another mission involves deciding if a character begging for death should be killed, have his memories erased, or left alone. An overarching theme is what it means to be alive and to think. This is explored again and again as machines perform human functions and androids claim that they are nothing more than short-circuiting programs. The distinction between androids and robots is hazy, with every difference being torn away as the game progresses. Another topic explored is autonomy. At a few points in the game, the main characters raise objections to the tasks given to them, but complete them anyway because that is their duty as soldiers.

NieR: Automata is a very well-developed game with unique storytelling, music, gameplay, and enemies. Because of all this it has created a very dedicated fandom, building on the one created from the original NieR. This is most strongly evidenced in the fanart, which follow in the creator’s footsteps of sexualizing the main characters. Fanart, art made of entertainment by fans rather than creators or sanctioned artists, allow the main character to be dressed in much more scanty dressings and also her skirt to be raised up. One of these images is featured on a mousepad or a Yu-gi-oh mat, allowing fans to proudly display their interest in both NieR and the main character. This particular item currently has an average of eighteen views per day (Ebay). Another piece demonstrates the process involved in creating his piece of art (ArtStation). It is unfortunate that this amazing title has been overshadowed by the release of other games such as Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Horizon Zero Dawn. This game has much to offer the player in terms of not only entertainment, but also thought-provoking ideas.

Bibliography

2B - Nier:automata, Kinohara Kossuta. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.artstation.com/artwork/vB9Jx

Egenfeldt-Nielsen, S., Smith, J. H., & Tosca, S. P. (2016). Understanding Video Games: The Essential Introduction. New York: Routledge.

F1366 Free Mat Bag NieR Automata Custom Playmat Yugioh MTG Vanguard Mouse Pad | eBay. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.ebay.com/itm/F1366-Free-Mat-Bag-NieR-Automata-Custom-Playmat-Yugioh-MTG-Vanguard-Mouse-Pad-/332147888526

Minotti, M. (2018, April 07). Nier: Automata's Yoko Taro and Takahisa Taura on sentencing characters and turning 2B into a bug. Retrieved from https://venturebeat.com/2018/04/01/nier-automatas-yoko-taro-and-takahisa-taura-on-sentencing-characters-and-turning-2b-into-a-bug/

Sato. (2013, April 05). Drakengard 3 Producer And Creative Director Explain How It Came To Be. Retrieved from http://www.siliconera.com/2013/04/05/drakengard-3-producer-and-creative-director-explain-how-the-game-came-to-be/

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