NieR:Automata The End of YoRHa Edition

Genre: Open-World Action-RPG / Action

Players: 1

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Review:

NieR:Automata is a game that combines a lot of elements. The sequel to 2010’s NieR, itself a spin-off of the Drakengard series, NieR:Automata became a breakout hit for the series, surpassing its predecessors both critically and in terms of popularity. An extremely ambitious game, NieR: Automata combines an Open-World with elements of Action-RPGs, Spectacle Fighters, Third-Person Shooters, Action-Platformers, Shmups, and Two-Stick Shooters, transitioning from one gameplay style to another depending on what area you’re in.

Originally this game was released on PC and PlayStation 4 in 2017, then ported to Xbox One in 2018, and then to Nintendo Switch in 2022, with each subsequent release getting a new subtitle, a few refinements and a little additional content. The End of YoRHa Edition on Nintendo Switch adds to the prior Become As Gods Edition a few new items and costumes, and a few new bosses unlocked via free DLC.Oh, and it also adds optional controls that let you dodge using gyroscopic motion control, but I generally found this wasn’t to my liking and quickly turned it off.

When it comes to the presentation, the Nintendo Switch version of the game has clearly been compromised in numerous ways to make it work. Lower-quality textures, worse lighting, and a framerate that has been dropped from 40-60FPS to a lower (but more stable) 30FPS. The Nintendo Switch version does have a 1080p resolution in docked mode and 720p in handheld mode (thanks for Digital Foundry for the numbers), but the lower-quality textures still results in an image that seems somewhat blurry.

In addition, like other versions of the game, the Nintendo Switch version of NieR:Automata features some absolutely nasty pop-in, ugly shadows, and some moments where the game’s color palette is desaturated for what I’m sure are stylistic purposes, but usually just ends up washing everything out and making it look bland.

None of this is to say that NieR:Automata looks bad on Nintendo Switch, but the visuals definitely vary – one minute you can be in a gripping, intense, fast-paced action scene involving dozens of enemies or a massive skyscraper-sized robot, and the next you can be walking through Open-World environments that seem straight out of a PlayStation 3 era game with more pop-in than you would expect in a PlayStation 3 game.

At the very least the sound here is phenomenal. NieR:Automata features some decent voice acting throughout the game, but the real star here is the excellent, dramatic, anime-style soundtrack that really helps to sell the epic nature of the game’s action.

That’s not to say the gameplay wouldn’t be epic without the great soundtrack, though. NieR:Automata manages to pull together numerous disparate play styles in a way that flow together brilliantly and make for some incredible gameplay variety, all without suffering from a feeling of being inconsistent. In the game’s epic intro sequence alone, players will transition seamlessly from Shmup gameplay to 2-Stick Shooter gameplay to Spectacle Fighter gameplay, to Action-Platformer gameplay, all without any clean breaks. I suppose a part of the game’s challenge is in recognizing when the gameplay style has changed, although thankfully they all feature fairly consistent controls to make this transition smoother.

Individually, all of these game modes are good but not spectacular – the Spectacle Fighter gameplay works and has a nice dodge mechanic, but is extremely simple with a limited variety of attacks. The Third-Person Shooter gameplay is fast-paced and fun, but suffers from enemies that are often bullet sponges. The 2-Stick Shooter gameplay often has the camera too close to the action, making it difficult to see off-screen attacks to dodge, or the location of enemies you need to take down. However, all of these elements join together to make for a greater whole that’s a lot of fun.

Honestly, if there’s one weak point in this package, I think it’s the game’s open world. The ugly pop-in certainly doesn’t help matters, but even putting this issue aside, this game’s world isn’t especially compelling to explore. Your traversal abilities are decent but feel somewhat limited, there doesn’t seem to be any great variety in side-quests, and players don’t even gain the ability to fast-travel until 4-5 hours into the game. I feel like this game would be much better-served if it kept the gameplay focused on the intense action sequences.

There is one other element of the game that’s an important part of the formula, but I hesitate to mention it here for fear of it being a massive spoiler. Suffice it to say, NieR:Automata does some really interesting post-modernist things with its story and game structure. Without getting into detail, I’ll just say that this is a game that’s absolutely meant to be played through multiple times.

For those who have played other versions of NieR:Automata, I expect you’ll find the Nintendo Switch version of the game to ultimately be a downgraded but respectable version of the game. It’s still perfectly playable, but it’s definitely a noticeable step down visually from other versions of the game. And for Nintendo Switch owners looking to play the game for the first time, expect to find an exceptional, fast-paced and fun Action game trapped within a good but not great Open-World Action-RPG. It’s absolutely worth it for the good parts, but the stuff in between those parts is not nearly as engaging as it should be.

tl;dr – NieR:Automata is an Open-World Action-RPG that mixes together numerous action-packed genres with consistent but varied gameplay. The Action gameplay here is phenomenal, and the Open-World stuff by comparison is merely “decent”. On top of this, the Nintendo Switch version of the game features a noticeable graphical downgrade from other versions – it’s still perfectly playable, but it definitely has its moments where it seems visually lacking. This results in a game with some really high points that only occasionally get sullied by the game’s flaws. Still, if you’re a fan of Action games, this is one you won’t want to miss.

Grade: B+

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