NieR: Automata
To be fair, people didn’t expect NieR: Automata to be as good as it was for a number of reasons.
A pseudo-sequel to the 2010 action RPG NieR, Automata came out of left field when it was announced. While NieR had a decent cult following, it wasn’t received all that well upon release and hadn’t left much room for a sequel.
Not only that, but the games’ creator, Yoko Taro, was known for being a fairly eccentric creator, utilizing odd and off the beaten path approaches to game design that either worked well or fell flat among players.
And yet, when NieR: Automata was released, players new and old to the series were happily surprised to find that NieR: Automata was about everything they could have wanted from a sequel.
The gameplay was fast, frantic and addictive thanks to the help of character action game developers Platinum Games. Players could dive into brawls with mechanical enemies and execute a number of different combos, keeping the combat fresh and entertaining even dozens of hours into the experience.
The story, meanwhile, was one of Yoko Taro’s best, utilizing his stranger ideas in a way that helped the game overall instead of holding it back.
It still wasn’t for everyone, and many critics were still mixed upon the game’s initial release. In the years since though, it has gained a reputation as an exemplary title not only for fans of the series, but for those looking for a one of a kind gaming experience.
