There’s potential for both risk and reward in porting a modern classic, as Square Enix did with NieR: Automata The End of YoRHa Edition. The stories and game mechanics can age badly. Technological changes, especially the move from Xbox One and PS4 to the less powerful Nintendo Switch, can create unfavorable comparisons. There’s a balancing act of staying true to the original, yet providing something to justify why a new version is needed.
NieR: Automata The End of YoRHa Edition is a hugely successful port of NieR: Automata to the Nintendo Switch. Everything that was great about the original game – the deeply introspective story, tight action and well-paced variety of gameplay – is present and justified, including a suite of alternate character costumes and the 3C3C1D119440927 DLC. Incorporating all of this into a portable package that also looks good and performs well is a technical marvel.
While there may still be some rough edges, such as minor graphical compromises and occasionally obtuse mission directives, these are weaknesses in an excellent package. This is a phenomenal take on a great game. Whether you’re new to NieR or a veteran of the series, this is a game worthy of your attention. Find out why in our review of NieR: Automata The End of YoRHa Edition.
Review of NieR: Automata The End of YoRHa Edition: Gameplay
We could easily fill an entire review just by talking about the many types of gameplay in NieR: Automata The End of YoRHa Edition. It’s essentially multiple games in one package, all of which are well-crafted. Switching between modes is smooth and timely. It’s no mean feat.
At its core, NieR: Automata is an action RPG. Playing as android 2B, you’ll spend most of your game time traversing a mix of large open areas and smaller, more linear levels. Enemy machines come in many shapes and sizes, from tiny bipeds that look like letterboxes to giants the size of skyscrapers with huge buzzsaws for hands.
(Image credit: Square Enix)
Combat features a mix of light and heavy melee attacks, along with invincible dodging, as is traditional for modern action RPGs. But NieR: Automata establishes a number of interesting wrinkles to defy convention (which is also a running theme throughout the game). A drone called a POD hovers close to your character for most of the game and can infinitely fire a machine gun-like energy blast. It also has a utility slot for powerful attacks with long cooldowns. Imagine if Devil May Cry’s Dante could use his pistols and sword simultaneously, summoning heavy artillery at regular intervals. The fast-paced violence has a lot to keep track of, but it’s hugely satisfying when it snaps.
(Image credit: Square Enix)
Not content with the outstanding melee action, NieR: Automata also introduces multiple completely different gameplay styles. You could find yourself standing on a rooftop, slapping on the arms of a giant robot for a second, then launching into a jet fighter for some hellish scrolling action right after. Then, just as abruptly, it’s a twin-stick shooter. Mode changes feel relatively smooth, and they all work exceptionally well.
NieR: Automata The End of YoRHa Edition review: RPG elements
The RPG elements in NieR are equally strong. There is a conventional leveling system, with experience points and a constant increase in your character’s power. Salvaged money and parts are plentiful, with plenty of equipment to find, purchase, and upgrade.
The plug-in chips are new, though. These work as installable updates for your Android, enhancing its attack, defense and support capabilities. Your character has limited capacity for these tokens. The variety of chips is huge, allowing you to increase certain damage types, gain more experience points, heal over time, automatically apply healing items, and more.
(Image credit: Square Enix)
You can remove parts of 2B’s system to create extra space, for example you can sacrifice parts of the HUD to fit another update. These chips have a much greater impact on your character’s power than your overall level. Taking the time to build a strong build is a nice investment of thought and time, although the option for automatic builds works well if you don’t like micromanaging stats.
(Image credit: Square Enix)
The one area where the gameplay drags is the long marches between objectives. There are usually specific routes between areas, but the map only shows your destination. As such, it’s easy to go the wrong way. Eventually, a fast travel system opens up, but long winding walks are normal in the early parts of the game. Sometimes there is no objective marker and moving the plot forward requires a proper understanding of verbal orders.
NieR: Automata The End of YoRHa Review Edition: Story
NieR: Automata tells a great story and purposefully challenges players to earn pieces of its narrative. In the distant future, humanity no longer exists on Earth. Mankind, players are told, has been banished to the moon following an alien invasion in ages past. Initially the setup is simple, with androids and machines fighting as proxies in this war. 2B is a YoRHa, part of an elite battle squadron of androids, and is fighting to wipe out the aliens and machines.
(Image credit: Square Enix)
The biggest success story of NieR Automata is the way it challenges preconceptions about what these proxies are and what exactly defines being “alive”. Without spoiling too much, humans have been gone for an extremely long time. You can see signs of intelligent artificial life scattered across the anthropological range, with pockets of savage, feudal and civilian machines. Whether it is simple imitation of humanity or genuine sensitivity, it is intentionally haunting and vague. You could just beat everyone you see from point A to point B, but you could also engage with the cool ideas in the game if you wanted.
(Image credit: Square Enix)
This is doubly true after you “win” the game and see the credits. The entire game is recontextualized during your second playthrough, through the eyes of another character. The additional background and context helps add a rich and tragic backstory to characters and events. Beating NieR again results in a different ending and another reboot with fresh eyes. All in all, there are 26 endings to watch. Some require a full playthrough; others are abrupt and often comical. You can uninstall your characters OS chip while trying to upgrade if you want to see one.
NieR: Automata The End of YoRHa Edition Review: Graphics and Audio
NieR: Automata: The End of YoRHa Edition is a step down from the more powerful hardware of PS4 and Xbox One. On paper, that sounds like a recipe for disappointing loyalty; in practice, it is anything but.
(Image credit: Square Enix)
Both on the big screen and in handheld mode on Switch, NieR looks great. This is largely due to a clean art style that, by design, looks semi-sparse, with a melancholy color palette. The framerate is limited to 30 fps, but it doesn’t suffer in the slightest. The action remains fast and smooth. The slow is surprisingly rare, usually only when large numbers of enemies explode at once, and temporary. Some textures are, on closer inspection, flatter or blander than their counterparts on more powerful hardware, but that’s not a huge factor in the quality of the overall experience.
(Image credit: Square Enix)
The outstanding soundtrack of NieR: Automata is alive and well. Keiichi Okabe’s composition mixes classical instrumentation with haunting radiant vocals. There’s a pensive, aching quality to the music, which contrasts beautifully with the action-oriented sci-fi tunes. It’s a perfect complement to the thematic juxtaposition in the story. The Switch’s built-in speakers work well enough, although it’s worth putting on a pair of headphones to really take advantage of the soundscape.
NieR: Automata The End of YoRHa Edition review: verdict
NieR: Automata The End of YoRHa Edition is a fantastic new take on a modern classic. The gameplay is incredibly varied, but always excellent. Mixing quick attacks with timely dodging while keeping enemies at bay with your POD is fun and exciting. The unique Plug-in Chips system is refreshing and the story is as interesting and engaging as ever.
The fact that everything works, and works well, on the Nintendo Switch is a marvel. Any compromises the game had to make are well hidden and don’t take away from the enjoyment in the slightest. Annoyances, like bad navigation, are minor. This is a carefully crafted feature-full port, and the ability to take it on the road makes it one of the best Nintendo Switch games.
