of combat styles either - even if the game switches to a top-down , bullet-hell angle , you ’ re still free to carry on hacking and slashing your way through your foes if you prefer . There are nods to and ideas cribbed from other games and other genres as well - for example , dying in-game leaves a corpse in the world holding your items , which you need to recover if you want most of your gear back , but also leaves a corpse in the world of other players , coupled with a Dark Souls-like message string . You can retrieve items from the bodies of fallen androids in your own game , or even animate them to fight alongside you for a time . of content to get through here , and none of it is squirrelled away in downloadable content .
If the visuals aren ’ t technically amazing , they are at least artistically pleasing .
Warning : Gratuitous robot slaughter .
I won ’ t delve much into the story , as its something that has to be experienced to truly appreciate it , but I will say this - don ’ t kid yourself into thinking the game is over when the final boss is dead and the credits roll . The game makes a point of saying there ’ s more to offer , but this isn ’ t just your standard New Game + type experience . Whilst your levels , weapons and skill do carry over , your second playthrough is as a different character , who has different abilities to 2B and experiences the storyline from a different angle , dramatically transforming some sequences and casting the events of the game in a new light . Your third and fourth playthroughs are , again , entirely different , and its only by piecing the different routes together that you can truly appreciate the events of the game . Make no mistake , there ’ s a mountain
The game doesn ’ t always hold up technically as well as it does stylistically , sadly . The framerate on a standard PS4 can be a little stuttery at times ; never so bad that it affects the flow of the game , but certainly enough to prove distracting . This is exacerbated by the occasionally muddy texture work and simple geometry of the world , though the fluidity of the animation and sense of scale are consistently impressive . It wouldn ’ t be a NieR game without a soundtrack by Keiichi Okabe , and Automata ’ s OST ranks alongside some of his finest work to date , imbuing the world with a fitting sense of melancholy with its use of haunting vocals and spartan piano melodies for exploration and story beats , switching up to pulse-quickening numbers for action and boss fights .
Each part of NieR : Automata works excellently in isolation , and will satisfy whether you ’ re here for the story or for the action . What makes the game so special , though , is the way that it unifies both aspects into a powerful experience ; a game that ’ s an absolute joy to play but that will haunt you with a deep , rewarding storyline and memorable characters . Minor technical hiccups aside , make no mistake : NieR : Automata is a masterpiece . 10 / 10
So NieR , yet so far You might not remember the original NieR . Not many people played it ; it was a relatively low-budget , high-concept action RPG from Cavia , whose commercial failure pretty much resulted in the closure of the Japanese studio . Famed for a bizarre release - the Japanese PS3 version was the same game , but with a different main character and slightly altered plot , whilst international versions all featured the older main character -it quickly acquired a cult following thanks to its varied gameplay , melancholic storyline , and incredible soundtrack . Its not currently available as a backwards-compatible title for Xbox 360 , so the only way to play it ( if you can track down a copy ) is to dust off the Xbox 360 or PS3 .
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