Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

On the surface, Nier: Automata might look like a standard action JRPG. If you read a summary of the basic premise and gameplay, you'll find that many of the usual tropes are present. You could be forgiven for thinking you'll be hacking and slashing through your standard heavy-handed plot and godlike entities by mashing a button or two for 20+ hours. On the surface, the game almost seems like it's trying to affirm those expectations. Almost immediately the game starts to subvert those expectations piece by piece, deconstructing and twisting in on itself until you've abandoned any notion of predictability. The first thing that surprised me about the game was the consistent fluidity of the combat, and how the mechanics seem to hold up even as the game throws new ideas and situations at you. The basic controls and rhythm remain the same as the game forces the perspective of a top-down shooter, or a 2D platformer. These experimental shifts never require you to mentally adapt or use different controls. I've never seen a game transform itself so frequently and effortlessly. The story is also in a league of its own, as it starts with a very simple premise yet expands into something far more transgressive and poignant. It conveys its themes in a very surreal, postmodern style that blends tragedy with dark, offbeat humor, even going so far as experimenting with the fundamental structure of video games itself. (Disclaimer: Do not stop playing once the credits roll. You've barely scratched the surface.) This is one of those games that you will think about long after you finish it. I can't recommend it enough.