NieR: Automata The End of YoRHa Edition review

There is potential for both risk and reward in porting a modern classic, as Square Enix has done with NieR: Automata The End of YoRHa Edition. Stories and gameplay mechanics can age poorly. Changes in tech, especially moving from the Xbox One and PS4 to the less powerful Nintendo Switch, can create unfavorable comparisons. There’s a balancing act in remaining true to the original, but providing something to justify why a new version is necessary.

NieR: Automata The End of YoRHa Edition is a tremendously successful port of NieR: Automata to the Nintendo Switch. Everything that was great about the original game — the deeply introspective story, the tight action, and the well-paced variety to the gameplay — is present and accounted for, including a suite of alternate character costumes and the 3C3C1D119440927 DLC. Incorporating all of that into a portable package, which also looks good and runs well, is a technical marvel. 

While there may still be a few rough edges, such as minor graphical compromises and occasionally obtuse mission directives, these are nitpicks in an excellent package. This is a phenomenal version of a great game. Whether you are a NieR neophyte or a series veteran, this is a game worthy of your attention. Find out why in our NieR: Automata The End of YoRHa Edition review. 

NieR: Automata The End of YoRHa Edition review: Gameplay

We could easily fill an entire review just talking about the many kinds of gameplay in NieR: Automata The End of YoRHa Edition. It’s essentially multiple games in a single package, all well-crafted. The shifts between modes are smooth and well-timed. That’s no small feat. 

At its core, NieR: Automata is an action RPG. Playing as the android 2B, you'll spend most of your playtime running across a mix of large, open areas and smaller, linear levels. Enemy machines come in many shapes and sizes, from small bipeds that resemble mailboxes to skyscraper-sized giants with massive buzzsaws for hands.

Combat involves a mix of light and heavy melee attacks, along with an invincible dodge roll, as is traditional for modern action/RPGs. But NieR: Automata establishes a number of interesting wrinkles to challenge convention (which is also a running theme throughout the game). A drone called a POD hovers near your character for most of the game, and can endlessly fire a machine-gun-like energy blast. It also has a utility slot for powerful attacks with long cooldowns. Imagine if Dante from Devil May Cry could use his guns and sword simultaneously, while summoning heavy artillery at regular intervals. The frantic violence has a lot to keep track of, but it's extremely satisfying when it clicks.

Not content with the outstanding melee action, NieR: Automata also introduces multiple completely different gameplay styles. You may find yourself standing on a rooftop, beating on the arms of a giant robot one second, then launching in a jet fighter for some scrolling, bullet-hell action immediately afterward. Then, just as suddenly, it’s a twin-stick shooter. The mode changes feel relatively seamless, and all of them play exceptionally well.

NieR: Automata The End of YoRHa Edition review: RPG elements

The RPG elements in NieR are equally strong. There’s a conventional levelling system, with experience points and a steady upward creep in your character's power. Money and scavenged parts are abundant, with plenty of equipment to find, buy and upgrade. 

The Plug-in Chips are novel, though. These function as installable upgrades to your android, enhancing attack, defense and support abilities. Your character has a limited capacity for these chips. The variety of chips is enormous, and they let you increase certain types of damage, gain more experience points, heal over time, apply healing items automatically and more.

You can remove parts of 2B’s system to make additional room — for example, you can sacrifice parts of the HUD to fit in another upgrade. These Chips have a much greater impact on your character's power than your overall level. Taking the time to craft a strong build is an enjoyable investment of thought and time, although the option for automatic builds works well if you aren’t into micromanaging stats.

The one area where the gameplay drags is the long marches between objectives. There tend to be specific paths between areas, but the map shows only your destination. As such, it's easy to go the wrong direction. Eventually, a fast travel system opens up, but long, meandering walks are normal in the early parts of the game. Sometimes there’s no objective marker at all, and advancing the plot requires properly understanding verbal orders.

NieR: Automata The End of YoRHa Edition review: Story

NieR: Automata tells an exceptional story, and intentionally challenges players to earn pieces of its narrative. In the distant future, humanity no longer exists on Earth. Humanity, players are told, has been relegated 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 combat squadron of Androids, and is fighting to wipe out the aliens and machines.

The greatest success of NieR Automata's story is how it challenges preconceptions of what these proxies are, and what precisely defines being "alive" Without spoiling too much, humans have been away for an extremely long time. You can see signs of intelligent artificial life spread across the anthropological gamut, with feral, feudal and civil pockets of machines. Whether this is simple mimicry of humanity, or genuine sentience, is intentionally haunting and vague. You could just beat up everyone you see from point A to point B, but you could also engage with the game's interesting ideas, if you so choose.

This is doubly true after you "beat" the game and see the credits. The entire game is recontextualized during your second playthrough, through the eyes of another character. Additional background and context help to add a rich, tragic backstory to characters and events. Beating NieR again results in a different ending, and another restart with fresh eyes. All told, there are 26 endings to see. Some require a full playthrough; others are sudden, 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: Visuals and sound

NieR: Automata: The End of YoRHa Edition is a step down from the more powerful hardware of the PS4 and Xbox One. On paper, that seems like a recipe for disappointing fidelity; in practice, it's anything but. 

Whether on the big screen or in handheld mode on the Switch, NieR looks great. That’s due in no small part to a clean art style that, by design, feels semi-sparse, with a melancholy color palette. The framerate is capped at 30 fps, but doesn’t suffer for it in the least. Action remains fast and smooth. Slowdown is surprisingly rare — typically only when a large number of enemies are exploding at once — and temporary. Certain textures, upon close inspection, are more flat or bland than their counterparts on more powerful hardware, but it’s a non-factor in the quality of the overall experience.

The exceptional soundtrack of NieR: Automata is alive and well. Keiichi Okabe’s composition mixes classical instrumentation with radiant, haunting vocals. There’s a pensive, sorrowful quality to the music, which contrasts beautifully against the action-oriented sci-fi tunes. It's a perfect complement to the thematic juxtaposition in the story. The Switch's built-in speakers do well enough, though it’s well worth throwing 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 release of a modern classic. The gameplay is incredibly diverse, but consistently excellent. Mixing fast attacks with well-timed dodges, while simultaneously keeping foes at bay with your POD, is fun and exciting. The unique Plug-in Chips system feels refreshing, and the story is as interesting and affecting as ever. 

The fact that this all 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, such as poor navigation, are minor. This is a lovingly crafted, feature-complete port, and the ability to take it on the go makes this one of the best Nintendo Switch games.