NieR: Automata's Flawed but Unforgettable Origins - Article
by Damián C , posted on 04 February 2017 / 10,331 Views
In just a few weeks NieR: Automata will release in stores worldwide. The game has certainly gained traction – both the producer and director have expressed their confidence in revisiting the world of NieR, and having developer Platinum Games on-board, plus the overall well-received demo, gives hope of a successful product. However, how many know about its now almost forgotten predecessor? NieR, the action RPG that unfortunately was consigned to oblivion after a not-so-positive critical reception and poor sales, only to later amass cult classic status and delayed appreciation.
NieR is an unconventional tale about a father called Nier (or a brother, if you were playing the Japanese version, but we'll go with father) raising and protecting his daughter Yonah, in a society settled upon the remnants of a fallen postmodern world. For over a thousand years a strange incurable epidemic, known as the Black Scrawl, has scarred humanity, and Yonah falls prey of the disease. Nier, refusing to accept losing his daughter to the illness, embarks on a quest to save her, meeting along the way all kinds of oddball companions and uncovering twisted secrets.
The story unravels through simple premises that create huge questions for the player – questions that are not always addressed. Save the daughter, kill some monsters, help people out of their predicament. What is the Black Scrawl? Why are we seemingly settled in the future, yet the technology is so stagnant? Why do these deformities drop children's coloring books when killed? Whether unintentionally or as a consequence of director Yoko Taro’s maddening videogame philosophy, NieR abstracts its storytelling to the point of creating a confusing and apparently disjointed world, with a rich but detached folklore. It is left to players to piece together what little information and lore they learn, and the shocking revelations that come later on will destroy whatever expectations they might have had in the first place.
The goal, however, always remain simple: save Yonah. Along the way Nier meets the Grimoire Weiss, a talking book who says he has the answers Nier so desperately seeks. By finding the sealed verses – literal passages with magical powers – that integrate Weiss himself, Nier becomes more powerful, and he is one step closer to solving the riddle of the Black Scrawl and putting an end to Yonah’s predicament. Things, however, are never so simple, and Nier soon finds himself involved in an adventure that brings with it camaraderie, pureness, pain, loss, and sacrifice.
Characters all have unique personalities, conferring them peculiar traits. Nier, despite his strong body and bloody determination when it comes to fighting monsters, is a kind, compassionate man. Grimoire Weiss is a grumpy, impatient book with a dry sense of humor. Yonah is fragile, but sensible and cheerful considering the circumstances. The other two main characters that join Nier afterwards are not without their own distinct traits either: Kainé is a badmouthed intersex woman with a short temper and suicidal tendencies, and Emil is a well-behaved, polite but shy young boy who cuts himself off from the world as he fears hurting anyone. Nothing is what it seems with the cast, and they all evolve through their efforts, successes, and failures, eventually developing a bond that literally transcends the barriers of time and reality.
On the interactive side, defining NieR as an action RPG might not be entirely accurate: this is a game that employs some downright bizarre gameplay combinations as it unfolds. One second you might be slashing enemies in a typical battle affair, the next you could be playing some top-down perspective bullet hell, or a 2D-movement slasher with platforming sections. The game never seems to conform to a single play style and chooses to adopt an elaborate sums-of-its-parts set of systems rather than sticking to just one style. The combat system, on the other hand, composes for the main part real-time melee battles, supported by multiple weapons that Nier can find, and Grimoire Weiss’ magic aiding next to him. The gameplay was certainly not perfect but it was at least serviceable.
In the end, though, it's not the story, the gameplay, or the masterful soundtrack that strings along every corner of the game (seriously, listen to it if you can) that carries NieR. It doesn't excel in any single department: the story is confusing, and certain elements could have been explained much better; the gameplay becomes rusty and monotonous over time; the side-quests are too repetitive; and the landscapes and cities are barren and cumbersome. Yet the tone, the daring element of surprise, and the crazy narrative subversions that all loom over NieR, especially during its final hours, make it incredibly unique.
The more you play it, the more horrifying the consequences of your actions become. Those seemingly unanswered questions stare at you with the found answers, and they are not pretty. When the devastating nature of the epilogue is over, NieR asks you to play it again. And if/when you do so even worse revelations are waiting to be uncovered. In the end, everything is pushed to a final deadline; a conclusion that requires one last thing: the player saying (typing on the screen) the name of Yonah’s father. What comes after, that which is probably one of the boldest, most incredibly clever disruptions of the relationship between story and interactivity in any video game ever made, is what truly sets NieR apart. It is a game that never fears dauntlessness, despite its evident flaws.
NieR: Automata will be releasing on 23rd February, and based on everything seen so far and the promise implied by its predecessor, we can likely expect great things from it. If you get the chance, however, do yourself a favor and try the original NieR beforehand; it's an experience that cannot be forgotten, one that sticks with you like a lingering, tragic, yet at the same time nostalgic memory.
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Yaaay, great work Wright! :3
Congrats again on making writer!
First article bby!
Eyyyy, congrats on the first article. I would play this game if I could find it. :/
I love it! Congratz Wright!!! :D
Played the original and didn't like it much. Love the demo to the sequel and will be picking up day 1!
I like how you went so clise to spoiler territory without actually revealing them completely. Nier is an absolutely amazing game. The shortcomings are all eclipsed by the moments of genious and the joy that is to traverse that post-apocalyptic world.
I honestly am not expecting automata to be able to reach the same leveks, but no doubt, the combat will be better by platinum standards. A remake of the first game would be absolutely amazing. But the series (drakengard here aswell) never managed to achieve great sales numbers, wich is a shame.
Enjoyed Nier a lot. I do however fear that Automata won't live up to the 'tone' Nier had.
