This is actually my first time ever playing a game directed by Yoko Taro and also my first time as well playing a game that has been spin off from a cult video game series in Japan Drakengard.
This game was made by Platinum Games and this game actually helped save the studio from a poor reputation and financial problems after they made a string of crappy licensed games and doing a not so good job on the two star fox games.
It is a sequel to an older spin off game from the Drakengard series Nier. And it takes place several years after the events of Nier. It is also Platinum's first time creating an open world game. And to think that it is hard to believe that this game was almost like that stupid facebook game Farmville.
It is an rpg hack and slash game and there is a variety of gameplay in it. From flying sections and if you play as 9S you can be able to hack machines and you can also be able to control certain machines as well. The combat in this game is really good you can be able to use a variety of swords and you can customize and upgrade your weapons and your personal pod as well.
You can explore a variety of locations seamlessly in the game and each has their own enemies in it as well. You can be able to select each chips for your android and have different sets for it as well and each chip you find has a certain bonus like increasing health or the amount of damage your attacks do.
The combat system gives you both light and heavy attacks and you can be able to create a variety of attacks depending on each weapon you are currently using. The Pod you have in the game as I mention you can customize you can also be able to fire nonstop at enemies thanks to the unlimited ammo you have.
Boss fights in the game each has their own unique abilities and strategy to defeat them. It can be quite challenging but it is fast paced and really fun.
I found the story to be quite dark and quite thought provoking as well. In the way it uses a video game as a form of telling a complicated story it succeeds in that aspect. The game focuses on a war between human made Androids and alien Machines who have taken over the planet earth. It focuses on a machines and androids learning about various aspects of humanity something which seems alien to them and as part of the grim nature of this game it shows the worst aspects of humanity as well. The game has light hearted moments in it as well and they can be quite entertaining like petting your pod with your touchpad on the ps4.
The characters in the game are quite interesting and it also works quite well with the voice acting.
I really liked 2B and 9S and they both have a unique chemistry towards each other. And each of them has their own personality from the warm and curious 9S which is quite befitting his nature as a scanner. And the cold and calculating 2B which also suits her nature as a soldier. They are both multi layered characters and they both have different ideas but they form a close bond as the game progresses.
The game has multiple endings depending on the choices you made in this game. There is about 26 endings all named after all of the letters in the alphabet. I'm not going to spoil it for those who have not played the game yet but you should check out each ending if you want to fully understand the story completely.
I liked the musical score in the game and each location you visit also has their own soundtrack from a more ambient and relaxing one to the resistance camp. To a more extravagant carnival like in the amusement part setting. The audio as well was pretty good and the sound effects were quite nicely made as well.
There is no autosave in the game so you are going to have to quick save and manually save from time to time. So be sure to remember to save from time to time whenever you are at a place you are able to save.
The visuals are pretty dreary and I understand that this is a dark game. But it looked quite bland and dull.
The frame rate can be unstable from time to time and there can be some occasional technical hiccups as well. But the game runs completely smoothly and I didn’t had any problems with it while playing it.
The side missions while they are quite story oriented and it shows the many different sides of the world. Some of them can be very tedious from escort missions. To going around in circles just to deliver a message as well.
I found this game to be quite the pleasant surprise and i always did have a fond spot for platinum games.
It gets 4 stars.
If you are new to Yoko Taro games and you enjoy JRPG games. This game could be meant for you.