The Weekend Hangover: Nier: Automata

I finally got to sit down this past weekend and play more Nier: Automata!

The Weekend Hangover is Too Much Gaming's Monday rumination of the games or game we played over the weekend. Sometimes there is alcohol involved in the hangover we’re nursing, but most other times there’s just too much gaming.

Last time I played this gem was a month ago. I stopped pretty early in the game, around the moment you reached the Amusement Park for the first time. I guess I got too carried away exploring the City Ruins when the game opened up its map. So from that point onward, I spent pretty much my whole Saturday playing Nier: Automata. And I finished Route A - the first ending of the game - by plowing through the main quest while giving some side quests a chance.

When someone Finishes Route A, some would already give their final thoughts regarding Nier: Automata. It’s been a year since the game was released, and if you’ve only experienced the first ending, I highly recommend you go again for at least Route B, and there are two reasons for this: How you play the game in Route B is drastically different thanks to 9s. Also, that Route A ending is so unsatisfying that it’s too vanilla. In fact, the game’s developers and publishers even left a thank you message at the end of the credits, also saying that there’s still more to the game. Clearly, these 2 things are saying to everyone who cleared Route A that Nier: Automata is more than just Route A’s ending.

And so I continue to play Nier: Automata. I spent the whole Sunday plowing through Route B like a madman. And things were different! To be fair, even with a whole different set of battle mechanics introduced thanks to playing the game as 9s, Route B is probably the most taxing to play compared to the other Routes. Most probably because it follows the same path of Route A. On the bright side, it’s short work given how 9s is arguably the strongest playable character in the game thanks to his “hacking mechanic” which lets you press triangle to hack into enemies, play a shmup mini-game which results to huge damage or automatically destroying the enemy. Including bosses. 9s may not have the same straightforward, action-packed melee gameplay you’ll find with 2B, but he thematically makes the player see the game in a new perspective in both gameplay and story.

By the time I got to the ending of Route B, I was thrilled at what I saw. I’m not going to spoil anything even if it’s been a year since this game came out. What happened next was inevitable for me: I kept on playing. I kept on playing until I finally completed Nier: Automata. I still plan on playing Nier after since I did miss a few side quests and I haven’t completed upgrading my weapons to max level. Fortunately, the game unlocks a chapter select for you to relive moments in the game and complete the side quests and other faux endings you missed. The best part is it’ll count to your overall progress.

Play Nier: Automata, friends. It’s fun, it’ll amaze you, it will even make you laugh and eventually make you sad. Of all the action RPG that I’ve played ever since I’ve started getting into the genre, I’m happy that the Nier games were one of those gems that offer something unique. Let’s just hope that if ever Square Enix decides to milk this franchise (and they probably will), Nier: Automata director Yoko Taro would still be in-charge, watching over the whole process and slap any Square Enix exec’s hand trying to make the Nier series stale.

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