The New Classics #72: NieR: Automata – The End of YoRHa

 

The backstory: I would lie if I claimed I’m a fan of Yoko Taro’s universe and themes de predilection; on the other hand, I can safely claim I’ve always wanted to play Drakengard and NieR. So, imagine my joy when NieR: Automata suddenly popped up on the Switch! I swear, that console made so many of my port&remake dreams come true that I’ll soon build a shrine to it. Maybe Drakengard will grace the Switch on day as well? (Insert twinkling, starry eyes)

 

 

The game: Anybody who played NA knows that it starts with an in medias res introduction that lasts roughly one hour. You cannot save during that intro; on the other hand, you get to fight and explore a lot, before the game wraps things up with an epic boss fight. Then, you’re sent to the main hub, and to the game per se. 

 

 

I could say that this intro is one of the best video game introductions I’ve ever played, and that would be totally true. But that’s not all: that one-hour sequence is actually one of the best games I’ve ever played. 

 

 

Look: I’m gonna spill my guts here, and I’m gonna spill them hard. NA’s intro awed me all the way through with its grandiose vistas, its masterfully handled cinematography, the very scope of its game world. I felt reverence, wonderment, astonishment, and all sorts of raw emotions I cannot put into words. I gaped at the screen, I squealed in delight; I shook with fear, I shivered with excitement; I beamed, I teared up — and I felt sheer joy, from beginning to end. There were times I was utterly in control, bristling with power; and there were times I was overwhelmed, facing my own lack of skill and prowess — and both feelings were amazing. Never before did I feel such an intense, complete immersion in a game world; never before did I feel so much that I was the MC, that the game world was real. It doesn’t matter that I only touched the tip of the iceberg when it comes to mastering the controls: I was fully there, body and soul, alone with the game and my feelings — heck, I was the game. 

 

 

Do you think this paean is a complete emotional mess, dear fellow gamers? I totally agree. NA’s introduction did things to me; it roused my gamer’s soul in a way no other game ever did, and awoke emotions I had never felt before while playing. 

 

 

I was still basking in these glorious emotions when I cleared the intro and accessed the main hub. I saved there, and kept playing. Then, something mighty weird happened: I enjoyed myself less. That magic I felt during the introduction was gone, and gameplay suddenly felt more… tedious, somehow. Not only that, but I experienced my first Game Over! 

 

 

So, what happened? I honestly don’t know. Maybe NA is a game tailored for short playing sessions; after all, its gameplay is quite demanding, and can be taxing despite being immensely fulfilling. It could also be the fact that while NA’s introduction is quite linear, its first core section is much more open, requiring more exploration and finding one’s way. It could also be that the core game is actually harder than the intro — I mean, why else would I have landed a Game Over? 

 

 

I’ll let you on a little secret: I was initially planning to play the whole thing in one go after my immense crush on the intro, writing raving posts as I went on. However, my experience with NA’s first core session made me reconsider. And so, I just wrote that New Classic post about it; and I’m gonna leave it at that for now.   

 

 

The verdict: I’ve not played enough to pass a fair judgement on Nier: Automata’s core gameplay, so I’ll abstain until further play. I know one thing for sure, though: I absolutely adored the introduction, and I consider it a full-blown game. I mean, it has a narrative arc, a game world, plenty of running around and fighting, a middle boss and an epic final boss — I don’t need more in me RPG, folks! That introduction alone is worth replaying over and over, and is enough to grant NA a spot in The Collection — regardless of my future feelings about the rest of the game. That’s a pretty weird situation, I must admit; but the gaming instinct wants what it wants, baby!