Not my screenshot btw but I hunted it down after playing through this part. I’ve been playing it for a bit now (I’m on path C) and it’s still not 100% obvious to me that it’s an explicitly pro-leftist, though there are some hints. For example, there are also 2 robots named Marx and Engels, where Marx dies early and you talk to Engels as a side quest. I’d love to hear what your thoughts are on this game if you’ve played it before.
the last time I posted on this site saying nier automata is complete dogshit that substitutes philosopher names for actual philosophy some nerd posted a ten paragraph screed about how I hate art & how wrong I am, so I’m going to go ahead and again say that it is complete dogshit
just to have some skin in the game some “actually philosophical” games I’ve enjoyed & connected with include SOMA, The Talos Principle, SIGNALIS, Disco Elysium, and Prey.
Broke: Liking Nier Automata because it tries to be brainy
Woke: Liking Nier Automata because you’re a Platinum Games Character Action Goblin
Bespoke: Liking Nier Automata because Yoko Toro is weird and worth keeping an eye on even if most of his stuff is kinda bad
I just realized this is my opinion on Hideo Kojima as well.
Nier: Automata is one of my favorite games of all times, combining interesting themes with a fairly unique storytelling method that honestly blew me away. The multi path storytelling method is super cool and not many games have done it well. Plus the gameplay is fantastic fun and the world is beautiful for what it is.
Also The Talos Principle, while I love it, is definitely baby’s first deep game. Why yes let’s just read journal entries that mostly include quotes and passages from philosophers! So deep wow. I find it honestly hilarious that you think it is somehow more genuinely deep that Nier. Maybe it’s more accessibly deep since it just reads you book passages.
The philosophical excerpts definitely helped with the vibe of the game but I would not say they were the core of its philosophical content. Some of the dialogues with Milton were fun, although they mostly amount to personality tests. I mainly connected with the idea of embodying an evolved consciousness formed after strange eons by accident in a dead world, in some tenuous sense a continuation of the last of humanity. The Alexandra Drennan character emotionally resonated as she struggled to finish the simulation with her coworkers progressively succumbing to the virus. Overall I think the game developed a very strong setting of marginal existence in a world of existential horror. This was punctuated by islands of respite with the peaceful messenger worlds, where you feel like you can suspend knowledge of existence and rest for a moment.
the gameplay is fantastic fun
The gameplay was the weakest part and was a one-note spectacle slasher.
the world is beautiful for what it is
The world looks like complete shit with a grey haze covering everything and monotonous desert/city/forest biomes. PS3 game in the PS4 era.
I’m sure we didn’t play the same game. You just be thinking of the original Nier
Nier: Automata is one of my favorite games of all times, combining interesting themes with a fairly unique storytelling method that honestly blew me away.
I love that the way Yoko Taro writes makes for a much more repayable game without ever needing to address the gameplay itself, of course the fun combat carry most of the game but the way the story is writing give me that want to play the game again to see in a different perspective even with A/B routes been mostly the same content.
Fun, interesting game. I like the way the spoiler reveals happen as it goes on but won’t say them, better for you to find out on your own. It has some great moments that are hard to talk about my a spoiler free way - you have to make a choice to be altruistic and it costs you and you don’t get rewarded for being a Good Boy, but the human desire to be altruistic and help one another still pushes you to make that choice. The characters philosophy is neat, Pascal has an interesting moment later where you have to make what seems to be a binary choice but you’re allowed to take a third option (it’s not exactly any better lol).
I do like the repetition of it, repeating the same events with a different understanding is underappreciated in media. It doesn’t get too onerous with repetition, just enough. If you’ve already done A and B and are now on C, youll know what I’m talking about.
Also its unbearably horny, which is sad. I don’t know what it is about some section of Japanese media where you’re allowed to expound on some really interesting and challenging themes, but are ultimately trapped by having to include fanservice horniness and some of it edging to loli (not Neir Automata at least).
I got it recently for the swtich and I’m only a few hours in. But I’m enjoying it so far. The control scheme is pretty well-thought-out. And the storyline is not boring me to death so far, which is usually the case with Japanese action RPGs made in the past… ever.
If you like the controls/combat for this, you should check out the Bayonetta games, assuming you haven’t already.
Im just going to say, given how the story turns out im pretty sure its intentional. Think about things like Jackass’s drug quest. There’s something interesting about the society the main characters are apart of that they seem to be (willfully?) unaware of.
Also you uh should really finish path C before you ask more questions.
GLORY TO ukraine MANKIND!
One of the best games I ever played. The true ending completely change my world view and how I perceive my own selfishness, is simple but highly effective.
