NieR: Automata is the SEQUAL to NieR Replicant, taking place some years after the events of that game. This is an action based game, with some sprinkle of RPG elements, where you play as 2B/9S, in a future Earth where Earth has been invaded and been taken over by machines and aliens.

The game itself has multiple endings. As the game itself is meant to be story rich and story heavy, in order to really experience the full story of the game, it is recommended for the player to go through each of the "Routes" to experience the full potential of the story.

Let me get the first two things before hand. NieR: Automata has one of the best video game OSTs I've heard in the last 20 years of gaming experience and the story, especially if you know the context from NieR Replicant, is practically a gaming masterpiece. The story talks about strong themes about finding meaning in life, and the world building Yoko Taro has in the Nierverse is intriguing to say the least. The game does an excellent job in keeping you invested on what is going on, and there isn't really a moment in the game's story where you feel anything is being forced or unnatural. By the last credits in Ending E, you would really feel a giant hole in your heart, even more so if you have played NieR Replicant. Note: playing NieR Replicant is not required to understand the story for Automata (as you will be playing from the perspectives from characters that are not present in Replicant), but playing Replicant does add a lot of context that makes emotional scenes hit even harder.

For the most part, the combat itself is pretty enjoyable. The animations are fluid, and though the combat itself isn't that complex, it's pretty satisfying to say the lease. It's very satisfying to master your dodges in-game, while you bash machines with basic combos.

Gameplay note: Side quests in this game, unlike Nier Replicant, are completely optional and you can skip all of them if you would like. However, side quests in this game are a pretty decent way to also further experience the world building story portion for Automata. Overall, most of the side quests consists of fetch quests and combat with the occasional puzzle based ones.

NieR Automata is almost a perfect game, but the PC port has some issues to take note of. The primary issue are the occasional graphical hiccups and texture pop-ins that does sometimes distract the players. Textures itself on the PC, vary from decent to something that looks like it's from the PS1 era. I've only experienced 1 lock-up during my 40 hours of gameplay (had to do a hard game restart, but only lost about 5-10 minutes of playtime at the time). Aside from that, if you could get used to the graphical hiccups, the base graphics itself for a 2016/17 game looks not bad.


Personal ratings:
Gameplay: 9/10
-Simple but satisfying combat
Graphics: 8/10
-Graphics look aesthetically pleasing at times. Occasional graphical issues on the PC port.
Music: 10/10
-One of the most memorable OSTs in any video games out there
Story: 10/10
-Amazing story. Masterpiece if you have played Replicant.
UI: 8/10
-UI and GUI is serviceable. Mini-map can be cluttered if you take on too many sidequests at once.
Overall Experience: 10/10
-Post-anime depression is real

Also note: the English dubbing in this game is very good. It is recommended to play this game in English first (if you do not know Japanese), as many dialogue can be missed during the middle of combat.

Came for 2B, stayed for existential depression, 15/10. Also you can pet the pods.