Story and World-Building
Yoko Taro is well-known for creating an especially zany world in Drakengard, and the NieR series is no different. NieR: Automata alone presents us with a version of Earth that’s ravaged by a war between two warring robot factions, but if we zoom out from Automata’s setting, we’re actually in a universe with an incredibly rich history that dates all the way back to the birth of an evil flower that was introduced in Drakengard 3. The history alone is fascinating, and while you can play NieR: Automata without prior knowledge of the series, knowing the game’s story and background really adds to the player experience.
Not only that, you can always count on the Drakengard and NieR games to surprise you with unexpected story twists and beats, too. NieR: Automata is one of the rare games that actually hides more than 50% of its story content behind the very first ending players can get to, and you’ll have to unlock all of the endings if you really want to get the full picture. It’s all worth it, though; each playthrough offers just enough new and extra content to keep you hooked.
NieR: Automata also excels in presentation by switching up the color palettes whenever you enter a new area or a new phase in the story. Hint: when things go grayscale in Taro’s games, you know some shit’s about to go down.
