Recent reviews by Mirose

tl;dr: Play this game. Bad port and may not run on some system. Fan patches/mods avaliable to fix most things. Controller is vastly superior over KB+M.

If you have any interest in game design or gaming as a medium of art, play this game. NieR:Automata is many things from being an existential horror to the combat being equated to sexual pleasure. It blends together visual, audio, gameplay, and interface not to enhance but to be the foundation of the narrative. This narrative plays into the overarching themes and motifs while rewarding those who pay attention to the neatly layered story only a game can convey.

NieR:Automata takes place in an open world setting split into about 5 major zones with decent density of side narratives. While these side quests can be tedious, they have tangential payoffs that are both self contained and to the main narrative.

This game does not try to push the graphical boundries but is still aesthetically pleasing and consistent with the world's atmosphere. The rich dynamic musical score is integeral in building the atmposhere for the world and its scenes. On average there is about 4 versions of each musical score that is evoked dynamically based on player action and scene context.

The gameplay loop is a highly serviceable hack and slash with bullet hell by Platinum Games. While the core mechanics are not as in-depth as other Platinum Games, the highly customizable weapon sets, special abilities, and passives keeps things fresh for those who experiment. The difficulty is largely hit or miss depending on a player's progression. Majority of the boss fights could have been a little more engaging mechanically for higher difficulties. Most of the time, the strategy was too simple vs the amount of options available. The way easy mode setup is a nice addition as it lowers the barriers to entry. There is no shame in using this mode and it is even useful to lure in less savvy gamers.

At times, NieR:Automata sacrifices gameplay enjoyment just to fulfill its narrative in true Yoko Taro fashion. Consider, one of Route B's significance is the very reason the majority of players dislike this route. This route contextualizes the two motifs of repetition and combat. Authorial intent is if it makes the player feel something the gameplay will take that negative hit. The obvious downside is the average player enjoyment will decrease due to this sacrifice. As game design, it truly evokes an intentional feeling of dislike that only a game can.

The biggest draw back is the poor port issues that can be either hit or miss. Keep in mind there is a possibility that this game will not even run on some PC. Even PCs of same or similar specifications will have varying results. There are fixes avaliable in form of fan patches/mods but is still a huge commerical negative. If not for the port issues then I would recommend this game even at full price. As it stands, I cannot fully recommend this game with the risks involved.

If there is a sale, a patch, a gift, and/or an opportunity I can only say, play this game.