Comprehensive Review & Analysis
NieR: Automata is a masterclass in using the unique medium of video games to tell a story that could never exist in film or literature. On the surface, it plays like a razor-sharp PlatinumGames character-action title: 2B’s light and heavy weapon combinations flow effortlessly into last-second Pod-fire dodges, while plug-in HUD chips let you customize everything from counter-damage frames to the user interface itself.
Yet the true brilliance of NieR: Automata unfolds across its multi-route structure. What appears to be the credits roll at the end of Route A is merely the curtain raiser for Route B’s perspective shift as 9S, and Route C’s jaw-dropping continuation that upends the entire world state. Supported by Keiichi Okabe’s dynamic orchestral-choir soundtrack—which seamlessly adds 8-bit chiptune layers during hacking sequences and swells with vocals during boss phases—Ending E remains one of the most cathartic moments in interactive history.