During my last review of "Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance," I noted that there were some PlatinumGames games that I wanted to tackle before jumping into my next series marathon. While I've played a lot of PlatinumGames' titles as of this point, there's been one title that's been screaming at me for so long to play it...and no, it's not "MadWorld" (though, that could come later). It was "NieR: Automata," a game that's become so popular and iconic that it might even rival Platinum's established titles like "Bayonetta." While this game was a critical darling in 2017, I never got around to playing it, and when asked why I hadn't, I could only respond with one simple statement: "...I don't know." I was never "avoiding" it or anything like that, I just never tried it myself. I think it may have also been that I used to be in the boat where I thought I couldn't play a new game in a series if I didn't play the previous one. Thank you, "Resident Evil," for fully breaking me out of that funk. So, now that I had the comfort of knowing I didn't absolutely need to play the original "NieR" to understand this one, I jumped in! And...man, this should've been right up my alley, but in the end, I can only say it was "good." Not "great," just "good."
Don't get it twisted, "NieR: Automata" does score points for its overall creativity and concepts. The story is unconventional but very engrossing and deeply layered. It takes what may seem like a typical post-apocalyptic, robot-based, anime-inspired story and flips it on its head with its integration of really clever meta elements (both in the writing and the gameplay). The characters are also well written (I particularly enjoyed 9S and, for some reason, Pascal), and I think the dynamic with 2B and 9S weaves together nicely throughout the story. The graphics are stylish and loaded with cool character designs and luscious environments, while the music is a wonder to behold. It's epic in the bigger sequences but somber in the light moments, and it always finds time to be compelling. As far as the gameplay, this is PlatinumGames, so the combat is very gripping. Even on the easier difficulties, the combat does require a bit of dexterity since you're managing a couple of different things at once. It's definitely compelling, though, and the game does thankfully offer some options to help make the combat a bit easier if your reflexes are betraying you. The boss fights are also pretty epic in scale and make for really compelling, edge-of-your-seat moments.
As it is, though, the game featured a few things I couldn't fall in love with. I found the camera to be a bit finicky, which was a problem that especially reared its head in the combat. It put a small damper on what was possibly one of the more exciting things about the game. I'd also say the open world itself didn't grab me; I understand its emptiness in the sense that it provides a sense of loneliness and sorrow, but it didn't feel as fun for me to run through. This was an especially big problem when specific missions took away the ability to fast travel to certain locations, thus necessitating a long, monotonous run through the overworld. Most disappointingly, the game as a whole is pretty repetitive and, after the initial route, can turn into a bit of a slog. I sometimes joke about how there are AAA games today that feel 10, 20, or 30 hours longer than they need to, but I honestly had never found an example I could name off the top of my head until I reached this game. It took me just under 19 hours to complete Routes A-E, but somehow, it felt way longer than that. And that's a really unfortunate thing; if I had stopped after beating Route A, I'd be a lot more positive than I am now. As it is, I wanted to see the game through to its proper "end," and as time went on, it dulled out further and further for me.
Overall, "NieR: Automata" is an enjoyable game, but it's one of those titles where I really feel like I should've liked it more. My love of PlatinumGames, plus the glowing reception I heard of it, made me think this was gonna be my new favorite game...okay, not that high because it's hard to beat "Super Mario Odyssey," but still! Nevertheless, while I enjoyed my time with it, I found some things to be frustrated with, and that took me out of it just a bit. It's certainly not a bad game, but I've definitely played better PlatinumGames titles...at least four of them. Most of you have probably already played it and probably love it, which is awesome, but if you're looking to try it for the first time, know thyself. Take a good look at some gameplay before you decide if it's your kind of game, because it certainly won't be for everyone.
Final rating: 7 out of 10 "Good"