
Like the original Nier, Automata also has top-down shooting sections that are in the same vein as Ikaruga or Mars Matrix. Each one can be equipped with a unique skill, giving you three powerful attacks to cycle between, in addition to your melee combos. There are quite a few of these pod skills to purchase, and you can also find a second and third pod to alternate between during combat.

Another summons spears around you, temporarily impaling anything that gets hit. One skill, for example, surrounds you with whirling blades, complementing your melee assault. Your pod can be equipped with ranged skills that mirror the magic spells in the original Nier. Like Bayonetta, Nier: Automata lets you switch between alternate weapon sets, giving you more freedom to form combos on the fly.

Combos are also fairly simplistic, so you can chain light attacks into heavy attacks seamlessly, but predictably. All of your melee skills are available from the start, so you don't unlock new skills to expand your arsenal as you do in Bayonetta or Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance. You have light and heavy attacks that chain together to slap around your robotic adversaries. This works similarly to Bayonetta's Witch Time mechanic, though in Automata's case, time does not slow down. If you time your dodge to avoid an attack just before it hits, you trigger a rewarding and useful perfect evade, which gives you extra invincibility frames and lets you perform a counterattack. If you tap the button instead of holding it, you perform a dodge. By holding this button down you can blaze through areas or around enemies at high speed. In Automata, movement is fast, satisfying, and fluid: You have a dash button similar to Raiden's Ninja Run in Revengeance. The combination of these elements resulted in a game that felt distinct from other Japanese RPGs at the time.Īutomata shares core gameplay elements with Bayonetta and Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance, though it takes plenty of inspiration from the original Nier and injects unique gameplay mechanics, too. Nier's soundtrack, which featured a haunting blend of surreal vocals, mellow tunes, and catchy hooks, also caught players by surprise. The game utilized fairly generic action combat in most scenarios, but also spiced things up with bullet-hell styled projectiles, perspective puzzles, and even the odd text adventure section. Despite his noble pursuit, the heart of Nier's story was misunderstanding, and how the breakdown of communication leads to tragedy and loss. Nier, the titular protagonist, was a grizzled old man out to save his daughter from monstrous manlike creatures called Shades. The first Nier game developed a niche following, thanks to its tragic storytelling, interesting cast of characters, outstanding soundtrack, and unique gameplay quirks. The lack of developer support only compounds this, so you need to rely on fan-made patches to get the best performance out of the game. Unfortunately, Nier: Automata is a PC game that suffers from technical issues. Nier: Automata is a marriage of Platinum Games' intense action combat and Taro's wacky, yet somber storytelling, and is easily one of the better games released in 2017. Taro's games, on the other hand, are brilliantly depressing stories tied together with weak gameplay.

Platinum Games' previous works excel on the gameplay front, but their stories are generally campy schlock.

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Nier: Automata is an action-RPG developed by Platinum Games, the studio behind the Bayonetta games, and directed by Yoko Taro, the creator of the Drakengard series and the original Nier.
