NieR:Automata

NieR:Automata is an action JRPG developed by PlatinumGames, published by Square Enix for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and Windows PC. It is the second game in the NieR series, an indirect sequel to NieR, and is set in the year 11945, during the 14th Machine War.

An expanded edition of the game, entitled NieR:Automata Become As Gods Edition released on June 26th, 2018 for the Xbox One. The edition included the 3C3C1D119440927 DLC expansion along with other DLC items.^[1] The same edition released February 26th, 2019 on PlayStation 4 and PC, renamed NieR:Automata Game of the YoRHa Edition. It also includes a set of PS4 avatars and dynamic themes.^[2] A new edition of the game, ported by Virtuos, was released on the Nintendo Switch under the title NieR:Automata The End of YoRHa Edition in October 6th 2022. This edition includes the aforementioned DLC and a brand new exclusive 6C2P4A118680823 DLC consisting of cosmetics.^[3]

NieR:Automata Ver1.1a, an anime series adaptation, was released on January 7, 2023.

Story

Demo 120161128

2B, supported by 9S, is sent to the Factory to eliminate their target. After making her way through the facility and being attacked several times by Goliath wheels, 2B makes her way out of the facility without having found her target. 9S informs her that there is another facility across the bridge, but that it's unusual for command to get the location of a target wrong. 2B then tells him that they weren't wrong, as she is attacked by Goliath.

A fight ensues, leading to 9S joining the fight, only to be slammed off his flight unit by Goliath. When Goliath is down, 2B makes her way to the top of him to find a mortally wounded 9S. He implores 2B to leave him to finish the mission and destroy the target. 2B hesitantly complies and takes his flight unit to defeat Goliath. After the target is destroyed, 2B and 9S reunite, only for three more Goliaths to appear and attack them. 2B and 9S are forced to detonate their black boxes in order to destroy the Goliaths, but their fates are left unknown.

NieR:Automata

The events of the 14th Machine War unfold through three main characters' perspectives, 2B, 9S, and A2, all of whom fight as the last remnants of human civilization against otherworldly invaders. The battle is not so black-and-white, however, as the androids begin to question their own motives and the world in which they inhabit whilst being thrown into difficult situations and moral dilemmas.

Chapters

Each chapter contains multiple sub-chapters, with some only revealed after multiple playthroughs. They can also be replayed via the Chapter Select menu, which is unlocked after completing either Ending C or Ending D.

Endings

NieR:Automata has a total of 27 endings. Each one is associated with a letter in the Latin alphabet, except for the final hidden DLC ending, denoted with a ◬.

The first five endings, A-E, are the game's main endings and are required to experience the full story of Automata. The remaining 22 endings are joke or hidden endings that can occur by failing missions, killing friendly NPCs, or making certain choices in side quests.

Characters

Name	Description	Voice
2B	Female battle-type android created by humans who fled to the Moon to avoid extinction by the Machines. She has a serious and reserved personality. The first playable character and protagonist of Branch A.	[JP] Yui Ishikawa [EN] Kira Buckland
9S	Male scanner-type android who fights by hacking, however, is still able to keep up with other close-range attackers. He has a gentle and kind personality. The second playable character and protagonist of Branches B and D.	[JP] Natsuki Hanae [EN] Kyle McCarley
A2	Female prototype model android that was created in order to implement superior android models. She doesn't like to speak and often keeps to herself. The final playable character and protagonist of Branch C.	[JP] Ayaka Suwa [EN] Cherami Leigh
Pod 042 & Pod 153	Accompanying support units of YoRHa. They provide support with long-ranged attacks, analysis of situations, enemies, etc., and mobility. Their names are read as "Pod zero-four-two" and "Pod one-five-three".	[JP] Hiroki Yasumoto & Kaoru Akiyama [EN] DC Douglas & Abby Trott
Adam	A silver-haired young man whose identity is shrouded in mystery. He has a cool-headed temperament but can take merciless action for the sake of his objective.	[JP] Daisuke Namikawa [EN] Greg Chun
Eve	Adam’s younger twin brother. He’s more simple-minded and doesn’t put much deep thought into things.	[JP] Tatsuhisa Suzuki [EN] Ray Chase
Pascal	A pacifist machine lifeform. He is highly intelligent and has an interest in the history of both humans and bio-machines.	[JP] Aoi Yuki [EN] Alexis Tipton
Commander	The calm and composed commander of the YoRHa units and director of the orbital satellite known as the Bunker. There is some connection between her and A2.	[JP] Chiaki Kanou [EN] Colleen O'Shaughnessey (uncredited)
Emil	A strange head found inside a machine lifeform who sells wares to the player. While he has high magical power deep inside him, he has lost a significant portion of his memory from a distant past.	[JP] Mai Kadowaki [EN] Julie Ann Taylor
Devola & Popola	Old-model androids who reside in the Resistance camp. They feel a great sense of responsibility for the mistakes made by their sister models in the past. They act as support for 2B and 9S.	[JP] Ryoko Shiraishi [EN] Claudia Lenz
Operator 6O & Operator 21O	Communication operators of the Bunker, who provide YoRHa units with information analysis and messages from the commander. 6O is friendly and personal, whereas 21O is more serious.	[JP] Keiko Isobe & Meari Hatsumi [EN] Cassandra Lee Morris & Connor Kelly-Eiding
Anemone	A leader of the Resistance, who landed on Earth before the YoRHa units. She has a steadfast personality and cares for her friends. She is a returning character from the YoRHa stage play.	[JP] Meari Hatsumi [EN] Erica Lindbeck
Red Girls	A program projected by the network server of the machine lifeforms.	[JP] Jouji Nakata [EN] Darin De Paul

Gameplay

The gameplay is a hybrid between NieR/Drakengard and Platinum Games' style of gameplay (i.e. Bayonetta)

Some elements from Nier to appear are multiple weapon types, projectile attacks, and dodging. Some enemies are able to fire orbs, similar to the previous game.

New features include gliding, using multiple weapon types without switching weapons, sprinting, and the removal of spells from the previous game.

DLC

The first, and initially only, downloadable content for Automata titled 3C3C1D119440927 was released on May 2nd, 2017, and includes new quests, items, costumes from previous NieR titles and a small story detailing the events of the machine lifeform Plato 1728.

The second, released exclusively for The End of YoRHa Edition for the Nintendo Switch, titled 6C2P4A118680823, was released alongside the game, featuring multiple cosmetics including some inspired by NieR Reincarnation.

Development

The development of the story first began in May of 2012 when Yoko Taro teamed up with DearStage to create an idol group called "YoRHa". He created a detailed background story for the group that was published with their first and only single CD release of the songs composed by MONACA, "Normandy" and "Guadalcanal". Yoko Taro later wrote a stage play of the same name, "YoRHa", which had three significant runs:

YoRHa Ver.1.0 - October 2014, DVD released February 2015
YoRHa Ver.1.1 - May 2015
YoRHa Musical Ver.1.2 - February 2018

NieR: Automata was announced on June 16, 2015, at E3 along with a teaser trailer. New environments and the protagonist, 2B, were shown.

A demo was released on December 22nd, 2016 on the PSN store. On February 23rd, 2017, the game is released in Japan, followed by North America on March 7th, 2017, and PAL on March 10th, 2017.

Reception

NieR: Automata received "generally favorable reviews", according to review aggregator Metacritic, scoring 84/100 (PC),^[4] and 88/100 (PS4).^[5]

Most critics praised the “smooth and awe-inspiring” combat,^[6] while the Slant community agreed that the game has a unique take on storytelling, leading to a very entertaining experience.^[7]

Trivia

Some characters from the original NieR appear in Automata, but not as primary characters. These are revealed to be Emil, Devola and Popola.^[8]
The name of the demo, 120161128, refers to the Holocene Calendar reading of the date of its release - November 28th, 12,016 HE. The Holocene Calendar takes into account historical events of both the BC and AD eras of the Gregorian Calendar and merges them into an era known as the Human Era.
The game is said to take place sometime after Ending D of NieR but is not directly after the events of the first game.^[8]
The tattoos that appear on Eve's body form the symbol of the Cult of the Watchers from Drakengard. The significance of this is not yet known. However, the founder of the Cult, as well as the significance of the Cult's symbol, are both references to the biblical story of Adam and Eve.
Like with Ending D from the original NieR, there is a player choice that will lead to the deletion of all save files.
The Celestial Alphabet displayed at the end of the teaser trailer spells out "ningyou hito kikai" which is romanized Japanese for "dolls humans machines". Along with the events of the main game as well as the 3C3C1D119440927 DLC, it can be inferred that "dolls" refers to androids.
The story takes place approximately three years following the plot of Yoko's stage play, "YoRHa".
- YoRHa Intro Summary (by Fire Sanctuary): During the 14th Machine Armament War in the year 11,941AD, humans are near extinction. With the invasion of the “Living Machines”, humanity had no choice but to abandon the planet, taking refuge upon the Moon. Their only hope lie in an armada of specially configured androids called “YoRHa”. Programmed with human emotions and feelings, they descend upon the surface of the planet to combat the ceaseless onslaught of the Machines.
- With the destruction of YoRHa No1 in the descent to the planet, No2 assumes command over all units… however reluctant and unsure of her own abilities. She remains this way throughout the entity of the play; she keeps her black “visor” on the longest…only taking it off in the final scene when she faces the machines on her own.
- No2, after witnessing the destruction of her unit and the last of the Resistance, a failed YoRHa expedition hundreds of years before her time, is alone among a cold, unfeeling world ruled by machines.
Saito conducted a NicoNico livesteam to promote Automata which addressed whether fans believed Yoko's early claims that it would have a happy ending. 79.9% of viewers voted "There's no way that's true." As the chat exploded with laughter at the result viewing, Saito chided them to believe in Yoko.
NieR:Automata is the first NieR game released on Nintendo hardware.
Ending D and the events leading up to it in Automata are a reference to Childhood's End, a 1953 sci-fi novel by Arthur C. Clarke.