NieR:Automata™ Review Summary

Deep and Philosophical Storytelling: The narrative explores existential themes like humanity, free will, and artificial intelligence, delivering a multi-layered experience. Players praise its emotional depth, twists, and thought-provoking questions that linger after completion.

Memorable Character Development: Characters like 2B, 9S, and A2 are lauded for their complexity, relatability, and well-written arcs. Their relationships and personal growth drive emotional engagement and thematic resonance.

Exceptional Combat Fluidity: The game features fast, responsive, and stylish combat with seamless transitions between melee and ranged attacks. Players highlight the satisfying combos, weapon variety, and dynamic mechanics developed by Platinum Games.

Genre-Blending Gameplay Variety: The game blends hack-and-slash, shoot 'em up, platforming, and Metroidvania elements to keep gameplay fresh. Mechanics like hacking segments and arcade-style shooting add dynamic variety.

Hauntingly Beautiful Soundtrack: The music by Keiichi Okabe enhances immersion, emotional weight, and cinematic moments. Players describe it as unforgettable, mood-matching, and integral to the game’s discourse, with hidden messages in its composition.

Repetitive and grindy side quests: Players frequently criticize side quests for being repetitive, overly reliant on fetch mechanics, and lacking depth. Many quests feel like a waste of time due to their tedious or grindy nature, diminishing engagement.

Empty and uninspired open world: The open world is criticized for feeling sparse, monotonous, and lacking in meaningful content or activities. Players describe it as 'cardboard-like' and unmemorable, except for a few standout areas.

Forced narrative and emotional engagement: The game's storytelling is often described as heavy-handed, with predictable character decisions and cringeworthy emotional cutscenes. Players feel the narrative lacks subtlety and forces engagement rather than earning it.

Limited environmental interaction: The game's world feels static and underutilized, with sparse environmental interactions. This contributes to the perception of the open world as empty or barebones.

Subpar PC controls and optimization: PC players report poor keyboard and mouse controls, with many recommending a controller instead. Optimization issues, such as lag and black screens, further degrade the experience.

Fast-paced action combat with hybrid mechanics: The combat system, developed by PlatinumGames, is praised for its fast-paced, responsive hack-and-slash mechanics, blending melee and ranged attacks. It incorporates dynamic elements like weapon-switching and environmental interactions.

Branching narrative with multiple endings: The game features a complex, fragmented narrative with over 20 possible endings, requiring multiple playthroughs to uncover the full story. Players praised the layered storytelling and shifting perspectives across routes (A, B, C/D, E).

Multiple playable characters with unique styles: Players can control different protagonists (e.g., 2B, 9S, A2), each with distinct combat styles and perspectives, enhancing replayability and narrative depth.

Post-apocalyptic open-world exploration: The game offers an open-ended, post-apocalyptic world with exploration-driven quests and side activities. Players appreciated the balance between action and quiet exploration moments.

Hacking mechanics for combat and puzzles: Hacking segments are integrated into combat, puzzles, and character-specific abilities (e.g., 9S's hacking minigame). These mechanics add variety and strategic depth to gameplay.

Mixed PC optimization feedback: Players report varying experiences with optimization, ranging from smooth performance with few bugs to frequent lag, frame rate drops, and black screens. Some users note the lack of official patches for these issues.

Low system requirements: The game is praised for its modest PC requirements, running well on older or low-end hardware. This makes it accessible to a broader audience.

Modding limitations and dependencies: The game lacks official mod support (e.g., Steam Workshop) and requires third-party mods like FAR for a comfortable experience, which may deter some players.

Exploitable achievement system: Achievements can be bypassed by farming gold, undermining their intended challenge and value for completionist players.

Manageable game size: The game's install size is considered reasonable and not overly demanding on storage space, which is a minor but positive note.

Narrative-driven masterpiece: The game is highly recommended for players who value deep storytelling, emotional themes, and philosophical narratives. It is praised for its unique blend of stylish combat and existential themes, making it a standout experience for those prioritizing narrative over gameplay polish.

Patience and persistence rewarded: Players are encouraged to endure the slow start and initial frustration for a deeply rewarding experience. The game rewards patience, curiosity, and a willingness to explore all routes for the full narrative payoff.

Not for action-only players: The game is not recommended for those seeking purely action-focused gameplay or refined quest design. Combat balance issues and a lack of respect for players' time may frustrate those who prioritize gameplay mechanics over narrative depth.

Arthouse experience with depth: The game is described as an arthouse experience that transcends its surface appearance, offering a philosophical journey worth playing despite its flaws. It is not universally appealing but deeply rewarding for the right audience.

Worth playing long-term: The game is considered a timeless experience, worth trying even years after its release. It is also deemed a good purchase despite its age or lack of official language support in some regions.

Post-apocalyptic android theme: The setting features a conflict between androids and machines in a post-apocalyptic world, providing a unique narrative backdrop and thematic depth.

Expanded universe connections: The game ties into the broader NieR/Drakengard universe through references to other media like mangas, books, and games. This enriches lore for existing fans.

Encourages deep exploration: Players are motivated to explore novels, documents, and in-game items to uncover additional context and lore, enhancing immersion and replayability.

Broad age appeal: The game is praised for being suitable across multiple age groups, from children to older adults. This inclusivity expands its potential audience and accessibility.

Narrative-driven save deletion: The game uses save file deletion as a narrative device, which is a bold storytelling choice that reinforces its themes but may frustrate some players.