2B or not 2B?

Nier: Automata’s not-really-game-over game over

FORMAT PS4 / PUB SQUARE ENIX / DEV PLATINUM GAMES / RELEASED 2017 / SCORE 8/10

After besting Nier: Automata’s final boss, you may well breathe a sigh of relief, put down the controller, then sit back and let the cutscenes wash over you. But the game’s not quite done with you, as you’re told in a message, signed by “Square Enix PR”, that coyly recommends another playthrough. And so you glance at the clock, push back bedtime, and start over again.

After all, what could be so different? We’ve all played New Game+ modes that present you with a stiffer challenge, balanced out by giving you all the weapons and upgrades you spent the last dozen hours acquiring. It can be a nice way to revisit things you wish you’d done differently or just fancy another look at.

Nier: Automata, though, does things a little differently. Instead of the jet fighters and explosions you remember from the first time through, the opening drops you into the rusty shoes of a machine – one of the bumbling enemies you spent the whole game previous carving into scrap. Instead of the sleek acrobatics and swordplay of android heroine 2B, you now have at your disposal the ability to pick up a bucket and fill it with oil.

After a couple of agonisingly snail-paced minutes, it’s revealed – oh thank the robotic lord – to be an elaborate fake-out. The camera pulls back to reveal the face of 9S, your companion in the first playthrough and the character you’ll be steering through those events again. 9S provides a whole new perspective on the story, a perspective that eventually has you sympathising with those mechanical bumblers. But you’ll always be grateful you don’t have to actually play as one.