"It Always Ends Like This"
NieR: Automata (2017) is an action role-playing/hack and slash video game developed by PlatinumGames and published by Square Enix. NieR: Automata is a sequel of the video game NieR (2010) (specifically, the fourth ending of the game), a spin-off sequel to the Drakengard series created by Yoko Taro.
Released on PlayStation 4, Microsoft Windows and Xbox One, NieR: Automata is set in the year 11,945 AD, and the story revolves around a war between human-made androids against machines from another world in order to take back control of planet Earth.
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Our main characters are:
- 2B (voiced by Yui Ishikawa (JP)/Kira Buckland (EN)): A female android part of the YoRHa units created on the moon by the humans who escaped the invasion. 2B is a beautiful character. Her style, design and clothes are marvelous and I fell in love with her (like many people on the internet). She is a strong-willed, obedient and very professional woman. She accomplishes her tasks impeccably and does what's required from her. At first, she is very short-tempered and serious, but as the story progresses we get to know her more.
- 9S (voiced by Natsuki Hanae (JP)/Kyle McCarley (EN)): A male android, and 2B's companion in her missions. He is a very skilled hacker and a very kind individual. He has strong feelings towards 2B and as the story progresses we get to see another side of him that will not make everyone happy.
- A2 (voiced Ayaka Suwa (JP)/Cherami Leigh (EN): A prototype model who is a quiet and a very skilled fighter, resembling 2B. She is surrounded by mystery, but the more we get to see of her, the more we understand her actions.
The game is divided in three routes:
- Route A in which you play as 2B.
- Route B in which you play as 9S.
- Route C in which you play as A2.
And it has 17 chapters and 26 endings. The gameplay requires you to fight enemies by using different types of weapons (swords, blades, guns, etc.) in the vein of games like the Devil May Cry series. Moreover, if you play as 9S you can hack enemies and play a mini-game in order to do so. Also, if you fight in the air, you have to shoot enemies in a bullet hell-inspired gameplay, very similar to the Touhou video game series. In addition, the boss battles are simply epic, and most bosses have a very tragic and interesting background explaining their actions, adding more layers to the big story the video game is trying to tell and the topics it tackles.
As said before, the game is set in a future in which humanity is on the brink of extinction and the few who remain on Earth fight the machine invaders, while the rest of the surviving humans have a base on the moon in which they create androids to take the planet back. N:A is one of the many games created by Japanese director Yoko Taro and follows a really extended timeline of events that originate from Drakengard, followed by NieR and this sequel. How does it all fit? I tried to make sense of the plot without playing the aforementioned games and watching YouTube videos, but I think I gave myself a brain injury. The story seems very convoluted and really confusing (which reminds me of all the twists and turns the Metal Gear series has) and I think that the only person who can make it all fit is Yoko Taro.
The philosophical themes in N:A are one of the strong points, since the video game puts you in morally questionable situations by making you choose between the unimaginable and the impossible, showing the nihilistic approach it has. This is mainly the creator's "fault", since Yoko Taro has a very dark view about life and humanity. His misanthropic ideas are powerful and devastating and makes us face what people are through the eyes of a mechanic being who feels more human than the ones we are supposed to protect and serve.
How do we live without god? Can we find meaning in a meaningless world? Are the machines really evil? Are androids the heroes? Who are Adam and Eve? There are many characters, including human survivors and pacifists robots on the planet. If machines (or robots) are violent and wicked, why are there groups that decided to stop fighting? Which side are we on in this war? Is this war even necessary? Will it lead to something good? Does it even matter? Many questions arise when playing N:A, and perhaps some questions will be answered, while others will need more time and discussion.
Visually speaking, the game has really good graphics and the locations are amazing. Beautifully designed levels and characters, in which the astonishing soundtrack composed by Keiichi Okabe and MONOCA trully shines. The voice acting is great, however I can just say that about the Japanese dub, because I played it in that language.
Yoko Taro is a really curious individual, since he usually uses an Emil-themed helmet (Emil is another N:A character) and I'm not even sure a lot of people know what he looks like without it. He likes to drink and cute girls (which explain why 2B is so beautiful) and joking about the meaninglessness of existence. A remarkable and strange auteur similar to Hideo Kojima (Metal Gear series, P.T., Death Stranding), Fumito Ueda (Ico, Shadow Of The Colossus, The Last Guardian) or Hidetaka Miyazaki (Souls series, Bloodborne, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice).
Another thing to talk about is the role of women inside the game. The opinion regarding the treatment of women has been controversial. There is a side who believe that the beauty and sexiness of the characters, especially 2B, is something to caught the attention of male audiences and nothing else, while another side is quite comfortable with how sexy and cute the characters are. I understand where these ideas are coming from, since Japan is notable for degrading women in the media (anime, manga, TV, etc.), and I do understand that the exploitation of women to attract more people is kind of a cheap stunt, but I have mixed feelings regarding those issues inside the game. 2B is cute and has a beautiful dress and a big butt, and that makes people love her a lot, but she also has a strong personality and kind in nature, despite being a machine. What's wrong with having cute characters? There is not a single character in N:A that can be considered ugly according to my tastes. Adam and Eve, two "male" antagonists look like supermodels, rock stars or Final Fantasy characters and nobody seems to have any issue with them being shirtless most of the time, so why complain about the looks when there's so much more surrounding this beautiful game? Unrealistic body expectations? Maybe, but they are not human at all; there's nothing wrong in having muscular and sexy characters in a fictional world where there are aliens and robots. However, heels are a no-go, we can all agree on that.
All in all, NieR: Automata is a great game that, despite some flaws, offers an incredible journey of self-discovery, dealing with free will, the nature of mankind, suicide, madness, despair, nihilism, misanthropy, etc., in which we try to find meaning and beauty in a world full of killing machines, mysteries, androids, great gameplay, amazing landscapes, incredible soundtrack, despair and hopelessness. There is no light at the end of the tunnel and no god to listen to our prayers, but that doesn't mean that our characters can't keep moving forward.
The game is divided in three routes:
- Route A in which you play as 2B.
- Route B in which you play as 9S.
- Route C in which you play as A2.
And it has 17 chapters and 26 endings. The gameplay requires you to fight enemies by using different types of weapons (swords, blades, guns, etc.) in the vein of games like the Devil May Cry series. Moreover, if you play as 9S you can hack enemies and play a mini-game in order to do so. Also, if you fight in the air, you have to shoot enemies in a bullet hell-inspired gameplay, very similar to the Touhou video game series. In addition, the boss battles are simply epic, and most bosses have a very tragic and interesting background explaining their actions, adding more layers to the big story the video game is trying to tell and the topics it tackles.
As said before, the game is set in a future in which humanity is on the brink of extinction and the few who remain on Earth fight the machine invaders, while the rest of the surviving humans have a base on the moon in which they create androids to take the planet back. N:A is one of the many games created by Japanese director Yoko Taro and follows a really extended timeline of events that originate from Drakengard, followed by NieR and this sequel. How does it all fit? I tried to make sense of the plot without playing the aforementioned games and watching YouTube videos, but I think I gave myself a brain injury. The story seems very convoluted and really confusing (which reminds me of all the twists and turns the Metal Gear series has) and I think that the only person who can make it all fit is Yoko Taro.
The philosophical themes in N:A are one of the strong points, since the video game puts you in morally questionable situations by making you choose between the unimaginable and the impossible, showing the nihilistic approach it has. This is mainly the creator's "fault", since Yoko Taro has a very dark view about life and humanity. His misanthropic ideas are powerful and devastating and makes us face what people are through the eyes of a mechanic being who feels more human than the ones we are supposed to protect and serve.
How do we live without god? Can we find meaning in a meaningless world? Are the machines really evil? Are androids the heroes? Who are Adam and Eve? There are many characters, including human survivors and pacifists robots on the planet. If machines (or robots) are violent and wicked, why are there groups that decided to stop fighting? Which side are we on in this war? Is this war even necessary? Will it lead to something good? Does it even matter? Many questions arise when playing N:A, and perhaps some questions will be answered, while others will need more time and discussion.
Visually speaking, the game has really good graphics and the locations are amazing. Beautifully designed levels and characters, in which the astonishing soundtrack composed by Keiichi Okabe and MONOCA trully shines. The voice acting is great, however I can just say that about the Japanese dub, because I played it in that language.
Yoko Taro is a really curious individual, since he usually uses an Emil-themed helmet (Emil is another N:A character) and I'm not even sure a lot of people know what he looks like without it. He likes to drink and cute girls (which explain why 2B is so beautiful) and joking about the meaninglessness of existence. A remarkable and strange auteur similar to Hideo Kojima (Metal Gear series, P.T., Death Stranding), Fumito Ueda (Ico, Shadow Of The Colossus, The Last Guardian) or Hidetaka Miyazaki (Souls series, Bloodborne, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice).
Another thing to talk about is the role of women inside the game. The opinion regarding the treatment of women has been controversial. There is a side who believe that the beauty and sexiness of the characters, especially 2B, is something to caught the attention of male audiences and nothing else, while another side is quite comfortable with how sexy and cute the characters are. I understand where these ideas are coming from, since Japan is notable for degrading women in the media (anime, manga, TV, etc.), and I do understand that the exploitation of women to attract more people is kind of a cheap stunt, but I have mixed feelings regarding those issues inside the game. 2B is cute and has a beautiful dress and a big butt, and that makes people love her a lot, but she also has a strong personality and kind in nature, despite being a machine. What's wrong with having cute characters? There is not a single character in N:A that can be considered ugly according to my tastes. Adam and Eve, two "male" antagonists look like supermodels, rock stars or Final Fantasy characters and nobody seems to have any issue with them being shirtless most of the time, so why complain about the looks when there's so much more surrounding this beautiful game? Unrealistic body expectations? Maybe, but they are not human at all; there's nothing wrong in having muscular and sexy characters in a fictional world where there are aliens and robots. However, heels are a no-go, we can all agree on that.
All in all, NieR: Automata is a great game that, despite some flaws, offers an incredible journey of self-discovery, dealing with free will, the nature of mankind, suicide, madness, despair, nihilism, misanthropy, etc., in which we try to find meaning and beauty in a world full of killing machines, mysteries, androids, great gameplay, amazing landscapes, incredible soundtrack, despair and hopelessness. There is no light at the end of the tunnel and no god to listen to our prayers, but that doesn't mean that our characters can't keep moving forward.
PS: This video made by ValkyrieAurora is the closest thing I got to a summary of the Drakengard/Nier/NieR: Automata lore. So, watch it if you have got the time!
