Once, long ago, my brother picked out a game from the store to give to me for Christmas. He didn’t know exactly what it was but liked that it looked gritty and mature, and he knew that the anime-esque art style would appeal to me.
I had never heard of this game before either, but he was right—I did like the sci-fi, almost steampunk aesthetic and elegantly drawn character designs: beautiful people with silvery-white hair, dressed in sleek black uniforms. The darkness of their outfits made them a bit difficult to tell apart, but I could see in the vagueness a pretty, stern-faced woman in heels holding a man’s body, carrying a pair of slender swords on her back.
This woman, I would later learn, is probably the most significant part of what got people to buy the game, as there’s nothing quite like the appeal of a blindfolded femme fatale swordswoman who can kill you six ways to Sunday while rocking a stylish split-skirt dress and six-inch heels. But I’m sure I wasn’t alone in being caught off guard by the game’s opening.
Upon first startup, after enjoying the atmospheric title theme, getting all your settings right, and admiring the sleek, futuristic menu, you are greeted with a black screen. A woman speaks to you from within the dark.
“Everything that lives is designed to end,” she says. “We are perpetually trapped… in a never-ending spiral of life and death.”
There’s more to that quote that I won’t spoil, but that is the first sign that Nier: Automata is much deeper, darker, and more existential-crisis-inducing than it appears. You should subject yourself to it, dear reader, no matter how terrifying; allow me to tell you why.
Although I haven’t actually played the other games (maybe one day, but not yet at the time of writing), Automata is actually part of a series: it reprises Nier: Gestalt (or Replicant, depending on the version), which is a spinoff of the Drakengard series, all published by Square Enix, who you may recognise as the people who developed Kingdom Hearts or, if you’re a fan of retro games like me, Chrono Trigger. Automata and its series, however, is a far cry from the fantastical, more lighthearted tales of Square’s other titles.
Earth is nigh unrecognizable in the year 11945 AD. Following an alien invasion, humanity has escaped to the Moon, leaving android soldiers to fight the extraterrestrial Machines in their stead. You play as the femme fatale mentioned earlier: her full designation is YoRHa Number 2 Type B, commonly shortened to just 2B. She may not look the part of a conventional super-soldier at first, but she certainly has the cutthroat, efficient, and somewhat aloof personality of one. She is soon partnered with the much more casual, sensitive, and quirky 9S, a hacker and reconnaissance android, to balance her more traditional swordplay, and together you take down the Machines and save the world… probably. We’ll get to that.
I want to linger on the subject of these characters for a moment, though, because despite being android mimics of human soldiers, they show a surprising amount of personality. 9S is passionate and caring, and though 2B may seem cold at first, he also helps to bring out her more sensitive side. Even your Pod companions are prone to snarky comments and helpful advice on occasion, and though the world is largely hostile, it still feels rife with friends and allies to help and guide you on your journey.
The world itself should not be overlooked, either. I will never forget when I first stepped past the opening sequence into the sprawling city ruins: I was floored, and stood for a moment admiring the strange, hollow beauty of the ruined city. Each area has its own charm and sense of life, from the gaudy amusement park to the wild forest. Further adding to the ambiance, the music is also wonderfully orchestrated, scored in lush guitars and strings, cool pianos, and soothing vocals in a strange made-up language, complete with atmospheric synths to complete the far-future aesthetic.
Any game with an objective that entails “kill enemies” requires a solid combat system and a sense of enemy variety. But fear not: fighting can feel like a chore on occasion (which, like everything else in Automata, is very intentional, as per an analysis I once skimmed over); however, the controls are simple and the movement is fluid and impressive, and the system works with any play style – you don’t even have to use the default swords! Furthermore, though there are a few basic types of enemies, they all vary from region to region and even gain new forms as the game progresses. The bosses also have some exciting variety, and you may note that many share names with classical philosophers: Simone de Beauvoir, Friedrich Engels, and Karl Marx, to name a few.
But what of the story, you may ask? Sure, there are some high-brow philosophy references, but the way I described it earlier, it seems so simple: kill the Machines, save the world, bring humanity back. That is, of course, until you finish the game, and it brings up a notice: “This game has several different storylines that change each time you play.” In fact, Nier: Automata requires five separate playthroughs, designated endings A through E, to be fully completed. The first two are similar and still very engaging, but the last three are where the story takes shape. Secrets are uncovered, essential worldbuilding is turned on its head, and the game slowly reveals to the player what makes it, in my eyes, one of the most heartbreaking stories on the market.
This has not been a full discussion, as I have attempted to avoid spoilers where possible, but I hope it at least piques your interest. Nier: Automata is one of the best and saddest games I have ever played, and if you follow in my footsteps, I’m sure it will become the same for you.
