{"id":23838,"date":"2017-01-08T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2017-01-08T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ps4pro.eu\/?p=23838"},"modified":"2017-06-17T12:01:28","modified_gmt":"2017-06-17T11:01:28","slug":"nier-automata-panties-and-robots","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thegeek.games\/2017\/01\/08\/nier-automata-panties-and-robots\/","title":{"rendered":"NieR: Automata \u2013 Panties and Robots"},"content":{"rendered":"

PREVIEW \u2013 Nier: Automata’s demo hit the\u00a0Playstation\u00a0Network a couple of days ago, and we decided to see what has changed for the franchise since the original Nier back from 2010. The series has always been a weird mix of genres, and this is no different with this entry either.\u00a0While\u00a0this series started with Nier, but its roots are embedded in an older series called Drakengard which was obscure, and weird Dynasty Warrior clone (that somewhere along the line had giant babies as bosses).<\/h4>\n

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There is a minimal connection between Drakengard, Nier<\/strong><\/em>, and NieR: Automata<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0(Drakengard’s fifth ending is the beginning of Nier<\/strong><\/em>, and Nier’s E ending sort of leads to NieR: Automata<\/strong><\/em>). The creator of the franchises, has stated in an interview that the game is standalone, so there’s no need to have played the previous game,\u00a0but fans will encounter Easter eggs and characters from the original Nier<\/strong><\/em>.<\/p>\n

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So what changed with NieR: Automata<\/strong><\/em>, and how is it different compared to Nier<\/strong><\/em>? The world has become a little bit brighter, the land is no longer barren, it is full of plant and animal life. However, humans have fled to the Moon after an Alien race attacked Earth. To fight against these aliens, Humanity has created androids that fight on Earth to take back the land against the invaders.<\/p>\n

It does seem like a\u00a0clich\u00e9\u00a0story, but with Yoko Taro\u00a0( creator of the series)\u00a0there is always some twist and turn to the overall plotline. It is also important to note that most of the series is characterised\u00a0with what I can only call as a sort of nihilism and eternal sadness. When looking back at the previous entries, they did not have a happy ending, as even the\u00a0“best endings” were usually bittersweet. With that note let us see what NieR: Automata<\/strong><\/em>‘s demo offers us.<\/p>\n

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Special Unit Sexy\u00a0Androids\u00a0Go!<\/h3>\n

We take on the role of 2B, a combat android who is part of a team sent out on a mission to deal with a Goliath Class\u00a0monstrosity (Gigantic Robots). The demo provides a brief glimpse at the story, and the mechanics of the game, and what we can expect in the final product, and boy does it have a lot of mechanics. Platinum went all in with this game when creating the overall\u00a0gameplay for Automata. It feels like Metal Gear:\u00a0Revengence\u00a0and a mix of the original Nier. So it has its RPG<\/strong><\/em> elements, but also flashy combat, and even some bullet hell sections.<\/p>\n

The main fighting system while similar to Revengeance it feels a bit more automated (haha), and it is easier to pull off massive combos against the enemy. In the demo, we have two types of\u00a0swords, a drone that is good for long range attacks, and a laser charge attack. One sword is for massive attacks, and one for light strikes, plus both allows the player to cut down incoming\u00a0projectiles.<\/p>\n

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It is a fun hack n slash\u00a0gameplay, but the ease of pulling off massive combos can feel annoying for some, especially when the game sticks a player in an attack animation.\u00a0Even\u00a0though the RPG<\/strong><\/em> elements are included in the demo, there is not much shown. A few upgrade paths and potential new weapons are hinted at, but nothing substantial. The bullet hell sections are interesting, as it pulls out of the third person view, and shifts it over to a top-down 2D view to better accommodate the\u00a0gameplay mechanic. It\u00a0looses\u00a0some of its\u00a0graphical flair with this move, but it is necessary to survive these parts of the game.<\/p>\n

The characters designed in the game, are rather great looking, especially 2B who is a cold, stoic, and merciless killer while looking like an early 20s lady that has barely any clothing on her. Her eyes and her fellow android’s eyes are covered by a black cloth for some as of yet\u00a0unrevealed\u00a0reason.<\/p>\n

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The general enemies felt a bit too easy to deal with in the demo and did not provide much resistance for me. There were two bosses that were, however, long, and tough to deal with in this\u00a0small preview. The last boss battle introduced us to a final gameplay mechanic that was an aerial combat vehicle which allowed us to defeat the giant mech boss. All in all the characters and the environment seems well designed enough, and the gameplay looks to be on par with most triple AAA games of 2017.<\/p>\n