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Rather than a detailed review I'll offer some caution as to my recommendation.

- For those unfamiliar with the original game -

- Firstly, for those uninitiated with this game I highly suggest skipping the intro cutscene (which happens to be on this store page as well) as it leans pretty hard in spoiler territory.

I'll try to keep this recommendation brief as it's extremely difficult to tiptoe around this game's spoilers.

If you've come from Automata in hopes of a similar gameplay experience and had little to no regard for its story then I highly advise against this title. Put bluntly, this game has little to offer you.

If you were taken in by Automata's story, characters, music, Yoko Taro's unique world-building , or simply appreciate JPRGs that aren't afraid of trying different ideas with its narrative then there is an experience here for you. That said this game is still difficult to recommend because unlike Automata which hits the ground running, this game is actually one of the slowest burns ever and is more of a chore to get through. Also this game is weird...like, really weird in every sense. However if you persevere there is absolutely a great payoff. The best I can say with this game is to pay close attention to the world and dialogue and you may notice some subtle details.

- For those who already experienced the original -

- While there is some new content to this version this game is way closer to a remaster than a remake. While it was fully made from the ground up and even re-dubbed, hardly any of it was re-imagined and is extremely faithful to the original, right down to the inane pushblock puzzles, crappy fishing, and tedious side quests. The only thing that got overhauled were the controls and combat and while a massive improvement from the original (terrible) controls they are still nothing to write home about. Essentially the controls are more or less copied from Automata however enemy behavior was not changed at all from the original which makes the combat changes feel more like untapped potential. You will find yourself having little difficulty mashing through the game with your favorite weapon. Also blocking is still hilariously good. In short, this game feels more like what the original should've been if it had more dev time.

- As many have already mentioned this port is less than ideal. You will have to lock your frame rate to 60 FPS to make the game playable as the physics are tied to FPS resulting in super fast gameplay the more FPS you push. This is easily the biggest issue with the port but other than that the game's perfectly playable. There are already mods in development that help correct this but again, those are extra steps needed on the user end which should not be a thing in the first place.

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Other noteworthy changes
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- Unlike the original western release this game only features brother Nier for the main story.

-Keiichi Okabe reprises his role in an amazing rearrangement of the original soundtrack.

- Most, if not all the dialogue in the game has been completely redubbed by mostly the same voice cast. Some parts hit different but overall I think it's an improvement.

Sonic is back, baby!


...for now at least.

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Nier Automata at a glance:
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Pros:

- Compelling narrative with great characters, lore, and thought-provoking concepts.
- Great aesthetic and art direction.
- Great combat. This game is extremely narrative-driven and as such it favors a much more accessible combat system so while it is not as sophisticated as many would like it is still extremely fun and satisfying as we've come to expect from Platinum.
- Phenominal soundtrack. The composer from the original Nier returns to deliver an incredibly powerful soundtrack that truly sets the atmosphere and helps brings the story to life.
- As expected from a Yoko Taro game, Nier Automata incorporates some unconventional story-telling and gameplay design but unlike his previous titles these elements are extremely well-implemented this time around making for a very rich gameplay experience that remains faithful to the original Nier while still adding a few extra surprises.

Cons:

- PC port is locked at 60 FPS.
- PC port is poorly optimized, if you try to push for 4k resolution you will run into some trouble maintaining a smooth 60 FPS. There is also a bug that causes 1080p fullscreen mode to play at an upscaled 900p. A 3rd party solution like Borderless Gaming will be needed to circumvent this issue. While there are mods/fixes that rectify most of these issues, it is still an extra step that should not be necessary in the first place.
- Cuscenes are 30 FPS locked and seem to dip even lower at times making for some choppy cutscenes which are extremely jarring.
- While the aesthetic and great art style more than make up for it, graphics are not this game's strong point and graphics settings are also extremely limited on the PC port. That said, you can still get it to look better than PS4 on a mid to high-end machine and the game looks great at 4k resolution.
- The game will stutter at times while traversing the world, not game-breaking by any means but definitely noticeable. Apparently this is also present in the PS4 version of the game.



If you've played or are at least familiar with the events of the original Nier then you will be greatly rewarded with many references and juicy lore as well as smaller references/parallels to the Drakengard series. However it's not necessary to have played the original to understand the story in this game as it is very much its own world. This is a masterfully crafted game and easily one of the best games I've ever played.