
Most philosophical games feature slow, thoughtful gameplay, and most zany action/RPGs have similarly lightweight stories.
#OTOMATA GAME FULL#
Again, if you've played the game before, there's nothing you really need here, but if you haven't, it's an excellent way to get the full package.Īs for whether you should play it, I think so, if only because there's really nothing else like it. Without spoiling anything: You'll be asked to make some decisions along the way that may seem purely mechanical but affect the story in subtle ways.įor those who want to know the specifics about the Game of the Yorha edition, it comes with a PSN theme, 15 PSN avatars, the 3C3C1D119440927 expansion pack, and a handful of skins and accessories for said expansion. You can't simply play through 2B's arc and call it a day once you finish the game, you have to replay it a few times to see all sides of the campaign. What also sets the game apart from similar stories is that it bakes the philosophical questions right into its gameplay. Think Siddhartha, or Brave New World, or Ishmael, but with lasers and sword fights, and you're at least on the right track. Nier: Automata is sincere but never takes itself too seriously, like the best philosophical novels. Or, failing that, the game's zany anime gameplay should make the pop philosophy feel cheap or superficial - but, again, it doesn't. MORE: The 25 Best Video Game Characters of All Timeīy all rights, the game's existential themes should make the story feel pretentious and dull, but they don't.
#OTOMATA GAME ANDROID#
But something about the juxtaposition of "weighty philosophical questions" and "sexy android blowing up robots in a giant mecha" gives the game a delightful sense of strangeness that makes it hard to put down. Using androids to explore questions of consciousness, morality, life, death and existentialism is hardly unique to Nier: Automata. The story has enough sci-fi twists and turns to keep it interesting, but the game is much more about theme than narrative. (No points for guessing that something funny is going on there.) All of the humans retreated to a moon colony, where they cheer on the androids but never seem to show themselves. She and her fellow androids exist to wipe out a race of alien machines that have made Earth uninhabitable for humanity. In the game, you play as 2B, a combat android who, for some reason, looks like a Victorian/Gothic anime protagonist, complete with silver hair, high heels, a blindfold (which, somehow, does not impair her fighting skills) and an obscenely short dress. What sets it apart is that it has something to say - and a very, very weird way to say it. Nier: Automata is a fun action/RPG, but the market is not exactly hurting for fun action/RPGs. Furthermore, as you increase the number of chips you're able to equip, you can discover some very interesting combinations that give your play style a unique feel. It's an interesting mechanic, since you'll need to decide whether you want to get more at-a-glance information or gear up exclusively for combat. 2B can equip a fixed number of different data chips, some of which improve her combat abilities (dealing more melee damage, taking less ranged damage, etc.) and some of which add useful information to the HUD (a health bar, an experience counter, etc.). You can level up simply from fighting enemies, but the more interesting way to build up your character (a combat android named 2B I'll get to her in a bit) is to acquire chips. It's an agreeable game progression, and there's not too much grind required, either. Platinum seems well aware of this and gives the player plenty of opportunities to mix things up. The battle system is light and breezy enough that the game can lean on it most of the time, but it's not quite deep enough to sustain an entire game. While you can crank the difficulty way up and make every battle into a life-or-death struggle, by default, Nier: Automata is much more concerned with fun than skill.

And it's the kind of variety that should be familiar to fans of other Platinum games.

If nothing else, Nier: Automata has plenty of variety. When you confront the first level's enormous boss, you start off with the standard third-person action/RPG combat, then transition into a side-scrolling stage, then hop into another giant mecha to finish the job. Before you can get fully accustomed to that, the game tosses you a robotic companion that can fire both light and heavy laser beams. Then, a few minutes later, you're on the ground, slicing and dicing enemies with a sword.
