NieR: Automata
It would make the most sense for you to go right to NieR: Automata after Astral Chain, as the two games have a ton in common.
Takahisa Taura, the director of Astral Chain, served as Lead Gameplay Designer on NieR: Automata, so combat feels distinctly similar.
In Automata you have multiple weapons to swap between, and there’s a huge focus on timing your dodges just right, as well as enemies that launch diverse kinds of attacks.
You even have a helper in combat with your Pod and the other character that accompanies you, although it’s not quite as involved as Astral Chain’s Legion.
Similarities run deeper than combat, however, as Automata also takes place in a post-apocalyptic world ravaged by machine lifeforms.
You play as two combat androids, 2B and 9S, as they fight to take back the Earth while humanity lives in safety on the moon.
As you might imagine, there’s a lot more to the story, and Automata is filled with multiple layers of twists and themes to uncover.
It’s a phenomenal story, one of the best of modern games, and Automata has the gameplay chops to back it all up to.
