‘Automata’ turns former cult hit ‘Nier’ into a combat-happy game
“Nier” is the prototypical cult game. With mediocre visuals, it never grabbed gamers’ attention, though its attempt at mixing various gameplay styles drew praise. That’s the fate of projects offering players fresh ideas: Although new concepts are great, they can be incredibly divisive.
But like some other cult games, “Nier” had enough of a following and showed sufficient promise to warrant a sequel — that’s the new “Nier: Automata,” which incorporates ideas similar to those of the original, but sets them in a universe with a heightened sci-fi context. Earth has been taken over by aliens and their machines. Humans have retreated to the surface of the moon and have created androids to protect them and defeat invaders.
In the first play-through, gamers take on the role of one of those androids — 2B. She and her sidekick 9S are on the front lines of a longstanding conflict, and they enter the fray at a pivotal time. They make some superficial headway, but discover
everything about the war isn’t as it seems.
Developed by Platinum Games, “Nier: Automata” benefits from an excellent combat system. The studio that worked on quicktwitch action titles such as the classic “Bayonetta” brings that pedigree to this series. The protagonist zips along with a dash that allows her to dodge enemy attacks. She can follow that up with a mix of light and heavy attacks.
Those abilities make for a solid game, but what’s really intriguing about “Nier: Automata” is the RPG element incorporated into the battle system. Players have an unbelievable amount of flexibility in customizing 2B, who can carry any two weapons at a time, switching out at will for upgradeable spears, swords or axes, each with its own stats and perks.
But the deeper customization lies in plug-in chips, which modify the attack, defense and support elements. Plug-ins boost attack power or raise defenses, and they also change how 2B plays. Chips such as Deadly Heal restore health with the demise of each foe, while Overclock slows down time on a successful dodge so 2B can inflict damage without worrying about a counterattack.
The one caveat with plug-ins is that 2B can use only a limited number of them. Players can expand the space for chips, but each one takes up a certain amount of slots, and the most effective ones suck up the most resources. There’s a strategy in mixing and matching them based on a play style.
Unfortunately, “Nier: Automata’s” environments and mission design don’t match the high quality and consistency of the combat system. The post-apocalyptic city looks interesting on the surface, but the more players explore it, the more apparent it becomes that the design is simplistic, even with the nooks and crannies of this world.
Farther out, the level design is more interesting. Platinum Games mixes a variety of styles, a hallmark of the original “Nier.” With “Automata,” there’s a heavy shoot-’em-up influence, as the perspective shifts. Missions and levels can morph from a freeroaming space to a sidescrolling situation similar to “Viewtiful Joe,” and then switch again to a top-down perspective akin to that of “Galaga” or “Robotron: 2084.”
This genre-bending gameplay compensates for “Nier: Automata’s” flaws, which lie mainly in the flat design of the world and the redundant side missions. Many tasks involve destroying annoying robots, escorting characters across areas full of enemies and fetching one item. Some of the better quests have laugh-out-loud quirks.
A benefit of the Platinum Games collaboration with Square Enix is that the publisher has helped enhance the “Nier: Automata” plot. Storytelling has long been the Achilles’ heel for the developer. With an established series from a publisher known for RPGs, the narrative is strengthened, and that synergy turns “Nier: Automata” into a game that’s more than the sum of its parts.