NIER: AUTOMATA review

The Earth is in ruins and controlled by aliens. Overrun by an army of mechanical monsters, man-kinds only hope comes in the form of an android resistance fighter, YoRHa N0.2 Type B… a combat machine who deals out death in style.

The Good:

• A huge, absorbing open-world RPG.
• Combat is challenging and stimulating, with a range of impressive moves at your disposal.
• Upgradable weapons that unlock even more special moves and combos.
• Power-ups scattered around the game world introduce more abilities and upgrades.
• Graphically chic, featuring stunning environments and immense robot bosses.
• Multiple camera angles present new ways of playing the game, from top-down open world, side platformer and scrolling shoot-’em-up.
• Good variety of robot enemies to encounter.
• Compelling storyline full of emotional twists.
• Plenty of interesting side missions to involve yourself with.
• Huge variety of locations to explore in the broken Earth, from shattered cities to sweeping deserts.
• Multiple game endings encourages several playthroughs.

The Bad:

• The graphics can border on gloomy – the monochrome palette doesn’t help matters.
• Gimmicky gameplay can wear thin at times.
• The changing game perspective can be a little confusing and regularly occurs without warning.

The Verdict:

The quality here really shines through, a game with a unique personality of its own. One of the most unusual and compelling action RPGs in recent memory.