♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ I didn't expect to like this game as much as I did. It's not perfect, but it gets so close. It feels like you gave a bunch of video game fans (a bit inexperienced) unlimited money and budget to produce something amazing. Every aspect of this game is a solid 9 out of 10, but it does feel like a bit of polish is lacking. The sequel has the potential to be one of the greatest games ever made.

I beat the game by completing every side-quest (including bulletin board + DLC) and catching every fish. I didn’t collect all the cans, nano-suits, or upgrades (missed a few). I’ve fought every boss in normal mode.


I came into this game knowing that it was like *Nier Automata* and had *Sekiro*-like gameplay. Both of those games are some of my favorites of all time, and seeing how gorgeous this game was graphically, I've been waiting for it to come to PC for a while. When I played the demo, I thought it was AMAZING. So I dropped $71.99 on Fanatical and eagerly awaited the launch.


This is probably the prettiest game I’ve ever played, bar-none.

I have a somewhat beefy rig (3060 Ti + 7700x + 32 GB RAM on a nice SSD). I play at 3440x1440 144 Hz and I also have a secondary 1080p 120 Hz OLED display. I also played the game on Steam Deck.

This game looks amazing on ultrawide and even crazier on OLED (seriously, try it)!

The game performed and looked amazing—while I had DLSS on and textures nearly maxed out, I got around 80–90 FPS on ultrawide. 1080p worked maxed out!

If you have a Deck, it’s playable but you lose a lot of the graphical appeal. I’d only recommend it if you have no other options.

The DualSense features are awesome. I loved the haptic rumble, the different trigger feelings for ammo types, the clang the controller made upon perfect parry. I think this game really made my DualSense purchase worth it!


Oh boy, I think the gameplay is *almost* there. It’s so close to being perfect.

The base combat feels a little slow at first, like you shouldn’t move or even bother dodging. I thought it was a little clunky, and it is. It grew on me over time.

YOU NEED TO LEARN TO PARRY!!!

Once you can get the parry timing down, the game becomes much more interesting. Bosses require you to figure out attacks and match to quick time events.

The game overly relies on gank fights to create artificial difficulty at the beginning and some parts of the middle. It really, really hurts the game since the gameplay is not built to handle this!

Contrary to popular opinion, I really liked the gun implementation in this game. At first it seems like a tacked-on addition, but when you know how to use it properly, it can make a big difference in fights. I also liked the sections of the game that are gun-only, except for the repeat bosses .

I think a lot of people also don’t like Tachy mode, mainly because it deals pitiful damage. However, I liked having it as a panic button. It really is useful when you learn when and how to use it properly

I also really liked exploring around, finding new things in the old areas. The Flooded Commercial Section was amazing for one.

I genuinely liked all the side quests and made it a point to do all of them. Fishing was a bit more meh and kind of annoying even with the assist on, but I didn’t hate it at the end of the day.

The gameplay really picks up in the last few hours, where it genuinely becomes up there with Sekiro. I had so much fun with each boss and if the gameplay had that quality throughout the rest of the game, it would be the undisputed GOAT.

Shout out to: Belial, Unidentified Naytiba, Raven, Elder Naytiba, Mann, and of course Scarlett. ♥♥♥♥ Providence and the gank fight in Eidos 9, though.


Definitely one of the best in gaming, and it makes sense since it’s the same composer for *Automata*. Boss fights are great for the gym, and idle music is great for chilling at work.



The game has so many hype moments. It’s a bit slow at times, but genuinely the game is pure cinema. Heavy spoilers to follow:

Tachy’s cutscene wasn’t that awesome, mainly because I think she was a bit underdeveloped.

Spire 4 was AMAZING. Belial had one of the coolest entrances and fights. The elevator sequence was beautiful and the final Alpha Naytiba sequence in space was beyond awesome.

Returning to Xion was epic. I liked the Raven reveal and boss fights. Adam reveal was obvious but I still liked the way it played out, and I thought the Elder Naytiba fight was one of the best in gaming.


- The game tries to be deep at times, and it succeeds a good amount of the time.
- It’s not pulled off as well as Nier, but it has potential.
- There’s sometimes a bit too much edge, to the point where you kinda go, “seriously???”
- Still, the story has its highs and is interesting to the end. It’s good but not life-changing.


- I didn’t really like Eve as a character at first that much, but she really grew on me throughout the story.
- I like how she gets a lot of her own agency and is confident in her actions, while genuinely being a caring person.
- The can collecting and her learning more freedoms (like how she responds when her hair gets called drab) are endearing parts of her character.
- I genuinely really liked her at the end.


Tachy is okay, she needed more time to bake.
Lily is kind of annoying. I didn’t hate her, but she’s not great.
Adam is awesome. I liked his arc.
Raven is really interesting, and I genuinely want to see more of her backstory at some point.
I liked most of the other characters, especially the Xion NPCs.


I remember when this game was first coming out, half the people were completely for the sexualization of the main character and the other half thought it was disgusting and wrote this game off as gooner.

I have a pretty simple opinion on the matter:
You can make Eve wear modest clothes if you want, and some of those just look better (black dress + the cutest hairstyle for one).

I think writing this game off because you have the option to sexualize your character is a little dumb. *Nier* did it and people didn’t complain then, and there is fan service for the male character Adam too.


I think I got more than my $71.99 worth of value for the whole package.

- I will say I think the DLCs are unnecessary, but cool nonetheless.
- $10 for Nier was kinda a no (it’s just skins).
- $10 for Nikke was valid (I think $5 would have been a better price).
- $59.99 for the base game is an absolute steal for what you get.

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This game is amazing, worth both your time and money.
It’s crazy that this is the company's first REAL AAA game, and I'm very excited for the sequel.