NieR: Automata: Overview & Critic Reception

Combat

2B's sword combos can be mixed between light and heavy attacks for different combo routes, while Pod support drones provide ranged firepower that can be manually aimed or set to auto-attack. The game shifts between ground combat, aerial juggling and bullet-hell shooter sequences during certain boss fights, and the Chip system provides passive customization. According to Wikipedia, reviewers generally enjoyed the gameplay, but several critics felt the combat lacked depth compared to previous PlatinumGames titles.

Narrative Structure

Route A follows 2B and 9S fighting machines across a ruined Earth. Route B replays these events from 9S's perspective, adding hacking sequences and new dialogue. Route C continues the story with further revelations about the conflict. Wikipedia reports that the story and narrative themes were met with praise, though some reviewers found its pacing and presentation lacking.

World and Atmosphere

The setting is a post-apocalyptic Earth that includes abandoned amusement parks, flooded cities and desert wastelands, with machine lifeforms as the enemies. Wikipedia notes that the game's visuals were generally praised, that its music received unanimous acclaim from critics, and that recurring complaints concerned technical issues such as graphical pop-in, frame-rate drops and long loading times.

Critic reception

Per Wikipedia, the original PS4 release received “generally favorable reviews” on Metacritic, and the Xbox One version received “universal acclaim”. The PC release drew a mixed response due to technical problems.

Pros & Cons