![]() ![]() We've got another abandoned factory, another field grazed by boars, another desert wasteland, and a multitude of fun camera tricks that transform this open-world third-person adventure into a series of arcade mini-games. The early hours also dip heavily into Nier's well of motifs, which inherently feel less fresh a second time around. 2B's gothic Lolita outfit is briefly touched on in the narrative, though whether you accept its explanation is sure to be divisive. (Indeed, the fact that androids are machines does not go unnoticed.) 2B may be wearing a frilly getup, but her outlook initially comes across as distant and dull, while 9S's wide-eyed optimism seems a little hackneyed. Set tens of thousands of years into the future, long past when Nier took place, Automata stars two stylish gothic androids, 2B (as in "or not to be") and 9S, who are just a couple of pawns in an endless war between man-made androids and alien-crafted machines. ![]() Where Nier kicked off with the heartfelt story of a grizzled older man caring for his sick daughter (which, before The Last of Us, felt kind of novel), Nier: Automata's leads are harder to identify with. Long story short, it's not, though it may feel that way initially. Would this big(ish) budget sequel to an aggressively off-kilter curio be too dumbed down? Too safe? With Bayonetta and Vanquish studio Platinum Games certainly there's promise of a more polished product (or at least a more refined combat system), but the concern remained that it might come at a cost. His follow-up to Nier, Drakengard 3, was a fascinating failure a game with tremendous ideas and abysmal execution. The question, of course, is whether Taro would be able to make lighting strike twice. There's never been anything like it since. It wasn't the most technically accomplished game, but its hodgepodge of influences blended together to make something wholly original. Yet as much as I adored Nier, it felt like a complete story. Its peculiar blend of open-world adventure, hack-and-slash combat, and bullet hell shmups supplanted into a strange and harrowing world that refused to conform to usual sci-fi fantasy tropes was among the most audacious and surprising retail releases in ages. The cult classic sci-fi fantasy fever dream by masked madman Yoko Taro did a lot to endear its niche but dedicated audience. If there was ever a game that didn't need a sequel it's Nier. ![]() Yoko Taro's eccentric action RPG gets a follow-up that's every bit as surprising as its predecessor with a little help from Platinum Games. ![]()
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