REVIEW – NieR: Automata – The End of YoRHa Edition – GeekNPlay

Final Fantasy VII and X, Baldur’s Gate, Warcraft III, etc… We all have our Proust madeleines. These games that took us far, very far, to a fantastic elsewhere during the few hours they lasted. These titles will never leave our minds. The work that interests us today is of this ilk. We know the developers at PlatinumGames and Square Enix for their exemplary work when it comes to creating alternate universes. Well, all of their talent oozes from NieR: Automata. To launch this game is to pack your bags and go on an adventure in a completely crazy world. Originally released on February 23, 2017 in Japan on PlayStation 4 and PC, it took a year to release on XBOX One. On October 6, we had the immense joy of seeing it arrive on Nintendo Switch. Now called NieR: Automata – The End of YoRHa Edition, this JV monument is available with all its DLC on our dear little hybrid console. Let’s see what this carry has in store.

Visionary Isaac Asimov Would Have Loved NieR: Automata – The End of YoRHa Edition

We are in the year 11945 and the Earth is now in the hands of machines sent by an extra-terrestrial species a long time ago. So, Humanity was on the verge of being decimated by a virus. To avoid being completely extinguished, the last survivors had no choice but to leave for the Moon. Today, the YoRHa organization is at the base of the creation of androids that it sends regularly to Earth in order to carry out certain missions there with the final goal of reinvesting the planet by the human species. Our “first” heroine (note the use of quotes), named 2B for Number 2 Type Battle, is sent with her squadron to destroy a Goliath-type robot. Things don’t go as planned and all of his allies are destroyed. The Command then sends him 9S, Number 9 Type Scanner, to help him. Our two androids end up defeating their initial target but find themselves facing three Goliaths. They have no choice but to self-destruct their black boxes creating a gigantic explosion. End of the story ? Of course not. Data from 2B and 9S are reconfigured into new bodies and these are returned to Earth. It’s up to you to find out what happens next.

So let’s stop there with regard to the scenario, any spoil being criminal so much this one is beautifully written and brought. NieR: Automata is truly a unique game in terms of storytelling. Just know that several “runs” or “loop” will be mandatory in order to understand the story as a whole. Many endings are achievable and must be achieved as part of storytelling. We play several characters in turn and it is very important to really get involved otherwise you won’t get anything. This title has a very philosophical side and brings a deep reflection on the cycle of life and death. In addition to being superb entertainment, it makes the player think, forcing him to ask himself existential questions. This game can really be compared to the best science fiction novels.

If you are used to Final Fantasy and others Xenoblade Chronicles, this delicious mix between sci-fi and fantasy should speak to you. Although NieR: Automata wants to be less “joyful” than the latter. Colder. Less Manichean. It’s up to the player to choose between waging a fierce war against the robots or trying to understand their “psyche”. But we are already saying too much. In any case, if you like this kind of universe, don’t hesitate for a second. You won’t come back.

Multi-faceted gameplay

In addition to being unique in the story it tells and the way it does it, Nier: Automata brings gameplay seen nowhere else. Shoot ’em up addicts, rejoice! Here we have an RPG that draws heavily on this kind of niche that we love so much. Some bosses send us waves of dumplings worthy of the best danmaku, bullet-hell or even manic-shooter, to choose from. The introduction and other passages also take place in pure shmup mode aboard a ship that can be transformed into a mecha. The gameplay then switches to twin-stick shooter mode. Yes, RPG, shoot ’em up and twin-stick shooter can go hand in hand. It is astonishing, original and therefore brilliant. Apart from these unfortunately quite rare, the fights happen in real time like a Bayonneta and other such games. We chain the devastating combos using various weapons. Short and long swords, huge axes, combat gloves, etc… There is plenty to do and we can equip ourselves with two weapons at the same time. The fights are really nervous and it is with a real pleasure that we destroy from robot to shovel. In addition to that, a small flying module, a pod, accompanies us and allows us to machine-gun at very long distances. It is possible to assign an option to it like a big laser shot, a row of spears coming out of the ground, the deployment of a shield… That kind of thing. This “power” has a small cooldown but is really useful. The player quickly takes the shot to start the clashes by using this module as soon as he sees enemies in the distance. Frankly enjoyable.

Obviously, RPG obliges, the more we advance in the game, the stronger we become. But the “skill tree” has nothing to do with classic RPGs. Here, playing androids, it’s about placing upgrade chips number of specific abilities. By increasing in level, it is the place granted to these famous chips which increases. It will take time to properly “store” them, each of them taking up more or less space depending on its power. It is also possible to opt for the “automatic classification” by choosing to maximize the attack, the defense or an average between the two These chips can have many different effects and influence enormously the phases of combat. We can thus increase the power of our melee blows, grant ourselves a parry that returns a percentage of damage, increase the number of hits of our combos, etc.

NieR: Automata therefore offers us an effective and nervous gameplay. Some clashes are truly impressive and exhilarating. The bosses are just memorable. We even find ourselves face to face with giants worthy of Shadow of the Colossus. Impressive. So, to the poetry of the script is added the diversity and originality of the game system. Let’s see in the next paragraph of this article if the realization adds beauty to this picture (spoiler: yes).

NieR: Automata – The End of YoRHa Edition is one of the great games for the Nintendo Switch

Let’s say it right away, the fabulous artistic direction is sublimated by a technique with small onions. That’s it, goodbye… Well, let’s elaborate a bit. Seriously, lovers of sci-fi atmospheres can only be thrilled. The world we will travel through is made up of the remains of human life lost in the middle of a Nature that has long since regained its rights. The different places all conceal a part of mystery and encourage exploration. We want to see everything, to search everywhere. This is also one of the only flaws of the software. Too many places are “fenced” or rather well demarcated. For example, we would have liked to be able to visit each building but even if certain passages in the rubble would allow us to enter, an invisible wall prevents us from doing so. The world of NieR: Automata is so much fun to browse that we’re asking too much. Platinum Games and Square-Enix are already pushing the little one nintendo-switch in its entrenchments to offer players an extraordinary experience. Of course, if we look closely at every little detail, every tree leaf or every pebble, we may find some runny textures here and there but the whole thing is just eye candy. All by force, no slowdown is felt or no clipping. We see our enemies in the distance and can interact with them (strafe them) without worry. Hat. In the game library of the hybrid console, NieR: Automata stands alongside the Xenoblade Chronicles or Zelda: Breath of the Wild without having to blush.

One of the strengths of the title is undeniably its OST. My God… But she is beautiful! The composers are called Keiichi Okabe, Monaca Keigo Hoashi and Kuniyuki Takahashi. In-game, and even in the midst of combat, you’ll often hear a crystal-clear, haunting voice rising. This one belongs to the British-Japanese artist Emily Evans or american I Fuck Nicole. The game’s Wikipedia page makes a great point, which is that the song lyrics are written in an imaginary language that’s a tasty mix of English, Japanese, French, Gaelic, and Portuguese. This gives something quite simply divine. Sometimes, put your controller down (in a safe place), close your eyes and let yourself be carried away. Your spirit will then fly far, far away from here. Really, rarely has a game had the right to such music.

This test is about the very recent port to nintendo-switch and the least we can say is that we have here a work that respects the source material and brilliantly uses the capabilities of the mustached Japanese giant’s console. As soon as you hang on to the proposed universe, you will not even see the small defects here or there as they seem laughable in the face of a resplendent set. Wonderful.

CONCLUSION

This game follows on from NieR, itself a spin-off from Drakengard. So we have an extended and worked universe. Nier: Automata takes place much later in the timeline and can very well be done without knowing these other opuses. This version decked out with the subtitle The End of YoRHa Edition for the Nintendo Switch comes with DLCs 3C3C1D119440927 and 6C2P4A118680823 adding costumes for our heroes and our small module (pod) as well as three amphitheaters (you will understand when the time comes). As you will have understood by reading these lines, we have here a classic JRPG. A game that marks its time by bringing things seen nowhere else. We are reaching new heights in terms of fantasy worlds. Nier: Automata is imbued with poetry and an aura of its own. If you immerse yourself in it, you will not come out unscathed. This work marks with a hot iron who takes part in it. This is the sign of a great game. RPG and science fiction fans, don’t miss this masterpiece that you can find on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, XBOX One and PC via Steam and Humble Store.

• Game tested on Nintendo Switch

NieR: Automata – The End of YoRHa Edition

GOOD POINTS

• An ultra captivating and inspired universe
• A very well written scenario and brought to you in an intelligent and original way
• A careful realization
• Multiple gameplay
• A work that makes you think

NEGATIVE POINTS

• Some textures a bit “runny”
• invisible walls