The original Nier is a product from last console generation, time that I sometimes colloquially call the “golden age” of gaming, but in fact it was just a really nice time. This was the time between the huge leaps in technology and finding the optimal way to exploit this shift. A time when it was okay to make a game that is only good or even better which is something phenomenal, but then after something else barely average.

Today this is due to increasing investments in projects no longer permissible so much so we get a lot of games on the same formula with small changes, because developers will color their games to miss what the competition has. A spirit Nier had what he needed to fulfill his vision, which is remembered as imperfect classic, striking from the formulaic games and what is, after all, was – just a good game.

Nier: Automata reserves the foundation which is a fantastic designer, writer and director of games Yoko Taro set in the original. It adds pedigree Platinum Games which are undoubtedly doing the best action games on the market. That marriage guarantees quality, which Automata not be the greatest world ever, procedural generation, towers and similar mechanics that every game today must in some way have.

But previously you do not need to know anything about the first Nier nor the Drakengard series from which Nier developed, because Automata is complete game. There are references to the rest of the universe that fans of the series will get a loyalty bonus, or for someone who is first time in his life playing Nier game will be equally drawn because that is what it is brilliant.

For the first transition took me about twenty hours, and of course that I broke a few days, but I felt as if I had passed in one breath. It is full of unexpected events, and every now and before players throws something completely new, but leaves and doubts are resolved away after the first crossing, and even then it completely.

I’m scared even to reveal too much in order not to destroy someone a surprise, because I flew blind and was left speechless, but after the completion of the main story the game is not the end. This reminds me of one of the best games ever: Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, for which no one knew that the first crossing of the game only her half. Nier Automata actually has twenty six endings from which the main five are distributed through three or four different campaigns.

So when you finish a game, you get a notification from Square Enix that your adventure is not over and if you load your saved game, game will start anew. This time, from the perspective of another character in the story, which is totally different from the previous one as per their basic mechanics, as well as the progress of the story.

And when both relive the game from a new perspective that illuminates other aspects of the same events, and provides a context story through some quite new parts, eventually happens another surprise for the next move. It’s really a surprise and now I do not want someone to destroy completely different third and fourth just under a different campaign, but let’s just say there is a certain decisions that surprisingly have a very significant impact on the ultimate outcome of the game.

The salient point is that none of this has to happen, because you can finish the game in twenty minutes. That’s what it will be open because I will spoil one of twenty-six endings, and this is available in the demo version. In fact, if you die in a boss battle at the end of the opening game of the mission.

„The system of defining how the game will end up has very organically design that comes down just on your choice and your decision.“

It is the most banal example, but let’s say later in the game there are certain key moments that only happen in the world and are so large-scale that you quite clearly how battlefield waiting for you as heroes of this story. But as a player you do not retain that simply decide not to go there, to turn around and go fishing or surf the desert. The world will thus collapse, the game will end, but it will be a place that you have chosen on an honest and dynamic way through Organic design.

The world is smallish, but mainly open for exploration and free resolution of numerous secondary missions, but it must be emphasized that it is designed with the intention. So not a bunch of empty space filled with small things which should simulate the geographic enormity areas. Things are only as large as necessary to apologize basically linear story, especially considering that the world is at the beginning of the story on the end of a completely unrecognizable.

„The world is not a bunch of empty space filled with small things, things here are as large as needed to apologize basically linear story.“

This action is not divided as a list of tasks that must be fulfilled already has a very smooth development, and also leaves a real impression of progress. Because if at some point the story save humanity from a robot the size of urban neighborhood then it would be strange that the world remains intact after your battles. Fans of anime and sci-fi spectacle should worship the Automat because important events like key battles seem like a really important events and reflect on the rest of the world and the characters so that they completely changed.

And in all this, it is appropriate that the heroes of the story 2B and 9S are androids who are robotic copies of people and quite wisely designed prism of the story. For example, androids should be killing machines, but when you show some human qualities or feelings that does not seem unnatural but completely appropriate in an insane world that each mission is increasingly going to hell.

To be clear, 2B and 9s are very likable and memorable duo with a great voice acting, but not perfect. Well, and their imperfections do not bother to resent that some human figure boasts solid or robotic. Any inconsistency with the main premise of the story only open questions and topics such as the development of robotic self-awareness, doubts about their own identity or the boundary between man and machine.

„The characters are imperfect, but with intent. Any inconsistency in behavior only started to discuss topics of understanding robotic self-awareness and doubts about their own identity.“

When popular culture deals with such topics it can be pretty annoying, because it is not easy things seriously tormented philosophers and scientists for thousands of years to show through leisure. But Automata fourth wall crashes in a special way so as not to put questions to the player, but subtly forcing players that he asks himself questions. And the entire robotic and computer aesthetics allows things such as load memory in the new body which sometimes blurs the line between action in the game, and the operating system of your gaming platform.

I also know that some people will be pleased to hear that this resolved the usual cultural gap how often foreign players are Japanese games. The main characters are machines, and it’s okay to be weird and sometimes they act embarrassed, indeed even better that way because they are not people. And although some things in the story pure Japanese cliches that many of you roll your eyes on, when androids and robots do it, it looks quite convincing as to try a computer to process emotions, but do not have the option of feeling.

Recently Platinum had a few lukewarm games, but if anyone doubted their nose for entertaining fight then know that the slot machine back in full swing. After several crossings you will realize that it’s not about their deepest system ever, but I think that several crossings game quite acceptable amount of enjoyment before you some little things become annoying.

And the first Nier had similar washed color palette, but it has been playing a much smaller budget on much weaker hardware and had to use tricks such as excessive lighting to hide their shortcomings. These dirty tricks with today’s technology is not admissible, and I have to dispensing blame because it has a creative location and a lot of style, which is then completely destroyed primitive modeled polygons, textures, low resolution and unsaturated colors.

However, as over that can not easily move also can not ignore the fact that the end of my adventures in Nier Vending accompanied by an avalanche of emotions. Now I mostly elated because it is rare to leave such a game that wakes up one genuine boyish passion in me. But at the very end I was melancholy as after reading good books and those inevitable thought that this first experience you will never experience.