Review: Nier: Automata on Xbox is the definitive way to experience the JRPG

DISCLAIMER: A review copy was provided by the publisher before launch.

Platforms: Xbox One (reviewed on Xbox One X), PlayStation 4, and PC

Publishers: Square Enix

Developers: Platinum Games

MSRP: $49.99

Introduction:

Nier: Automata was undoubtedly one of the best games of 2017 but it was locked to PlayStation 4 and PC due to Xbox’s smaller reach towards its core audience. After its stellar launch, Microsoft must have courted Square Enix to bring the game to Xbox and we couldn’t be happier.

Not only does it allow much more people to experience the rich world and story that director Yoko Taro has built but it gives us an enhanced version with performance touch-ups for those who own an Xbox One X. The PS4 version ran at 900p/60FPS with the PS4 Pro version running at 1080p/60FPS.

The Xbox One X version (known as Nier: Automata Become as Gods Edition) boasts a capable 4K/60FPS and from the time I spent with the game on my Xbox One X over the course of a week, I never experienced any noticeable frame drops like the ones seen on the PS4 version last year. Even during some of the most intense moments, the game appeared to be locked at 60 or was dropping so few frames that it made no impact on the performance.

It’s definitely the definitive version of Nier: Automata, even seemingly beating out the PC version which reportedly has had some issues (I have not played it on PC to be clear). The Xbox One version also comes bundled with Nier: Automata’s DLC so if you’re trying to decide where to get this JRPG which will soon go down as an undeniable classic, just grab it on Xbox.

A rich story that flaunts moral ambiguity:

With all of that out of the way, if you’re not sure what the hell Nier: Automata actually is but you’ve heard nothing but praise for it over the last year let us clue you in. Earth has been consumed by sentient machines which led to the human race retreating to the moon and sending androids back to their home to clean up the place.

With a world that once bustled with life in ruins, it’s up to you to make things right again… only it may not be as easy it seems. Yeah, these machines can be ruthless with their violent behavior when provoked but there may be much more to them. You play as 2B and 9S, two androids who are on a pretty straightforward mission but as they explore Earth, things begin to make both them and the player conflicted.

These machines have adapted to their new life on the planet and want nothing but to be undisturbed and can even be quite friendly, offering to help you and waving white flags to show they’re no threat. It creates this moral dilemma of what to do with them. While they’re not supposed to be here, it’s absolutely haunting and heartwrenching to hear them scream and beg for mercy as you slice them up into tiny metal pieces… but they’re just machines, right?

There’s nothing human about them… they’re just machines programmed to behave this way… right? It’s a story that could easily make you go “Ok, I really don’t care, I’m just here to kill things.” But the way it’s handled is extraordinary. There’s thought and care in making you feel conflicted in your quest and creating moral ambiguity, it’s executed in an effective way to poke at your heartstrings and make you sit there and question your actions.

There’s a reason why Nier: Automata got this much attention last year and was nominated for countless awards. It’s a provocative, philosophical sci-fi JRPG which should be a mandatory purchase for the vast majority of gamers, especially those blowing the horn for more single-player experiences.

A rare, unique, and valuable single-player game with gripping gameplay and style:

Nier: Automata is an unparalleled single-player game both for its thoughtful story bursting at the seams with clever writing and thought-provoking themes but also through how it keeps the player engaged. There’s your standard single playthrough which tells the story it wants to tell but for those craving more, there’s a handful of other drastically different playthroughs for you to experience when you finish the game the first time. For spoiler reasons, I won’t dive into what these alternate playthroughs are like but some of them are borderline different games.

This is a game that values your purchase and time and wants you to play it multiple times, it’s a rich experience that should be cherished because it’s rare we get something as unique and special as Nier: Automata.

You’ll likely be intrigued by the offer of playing more once the credits officially roll at the end of your first playthrough and that’s not just because you’re looking to see more of the world that you spend a dozen or so hours living in. The core gameplay is absolutely captivating with a mixture of Dark Souls-like mechanics (don’t worry, this game isn’t some mega hard punishing RPG) where you live in this almost shared universe with other players and can find their corpses and fast-paced hack and slash-esque combat.

There’s no combo counters or ridiculous over the top kills, it’s fairly contained in what it’s trying to do but it’s still just as engaging and fluid. The use of brisk fighting animations and snappy, quick combat makes it easy to sink its hooks in you. The swift nature of swinging your sword to cut through metal beings like butter never gets old and part of that thirst for blood (or… oil?) you get ties in with the story.

You’re a killing machine, that’s it. You’re not meant to empathize with these robots and the game starts you off by just tossing you into dozens if not hundreds of them without making you feel any regard for their life. It gets you into this loop, hypnotizing you into this killer nature and makes it hard to break when something looks at you and talks in a warm, friendly voice.

Add to the fact that Nier: Automata is just oozing with style by switching between different camera angles during key scenes that sometimes make it feel like you’re playing Mega Man or a twin-stick shooter, it makes it one of the most artistic games out there while still feeling like a game and not a game apeing another medium.

When a game is able to tie its gameplay and story together in a really compelling way, it’s hard to knock it for anything. Nier: Automata is arguably a flawless game, there are some minor gripes I have with it such as its insistence to make you manually save but when the rest of the game is so phenomenal it can be forgiven.

The Verdict:

Nier: Automata never feels stale or boring thanks to director Yoko Toro’s ability to find a way to keep things fresh through gameplay, presentation, and story. Everything about this JRPG is nothing short of gripping and mesmerizing, it’s one of those generation-defining games where people will look back on it decades from now talking about it still filled with awe.

Nier: Automata will inevitably go down as a classic and it fills me with joy to know now that just about everyone has the chance to experience it and they most definitely should, even if they’re not fans of the genre.