Just now getting around to this. I felt obligated to play my Switch because it's a fancy new toy, and one that I adore and want more from (probably going to get Blaster Master because it doesn't feel right being done with my new system so soon), and then I started playing Andromeda because it is new and my older …
Just now getting around to this. I felt obligated to play my Switch because it's a fancy new toy, and one that I adore and want more from (probably going to get Blaster Master because it doesn't feel right being done with my new system so soon), and then I started playing Andromeda because it is new and my older brother wanted me to play it.
But I'm a huge Nier fan. I think the first was a legit 10/10, underrated classic, even if the graphics weren't fantastic and the battle system was rather normal for the genre (a point that I am okay with, because I also love the simplicity of games like Dynasty Warriors sometimes). The music was some of the most astounding in all of gaming and it hooked me from the start with its story. It also revealed itself as pretty original when it really started to blend genres.
So now I have put a few hours into Automata and I love it. I think the plot at the beginning of the first was stronger, but there's a bit of a trade-off in the sense that Platinum wasted no time in bringing the genre mixing to the forefront. Had I not played the first Nier I would be completely astounded by this, but even now I still love the shit out of it. I just hope they haven't blown their load.
They've improved the combat, mixing the Platinum Games formula in there to just make everything bigger and more dynamic, while maintaining the spirit of the original. Even though PG is hit-and-miss lately, mostly because I think they stretch themselves thin with the pile of games they're developing, I figured they would get this right. I hope the story stacks up as it goes on, because while it didn't start off as strong, there's still some intrigue here.
The other thing is that I'm glad that the same composer returned. I've only heard a few songs so far, but it's shaping up like it's just as good as the first. My favourite so far is the City of Ruin theme because it's quaint, minimalist and relatively quiet but then this beautiful guitar eventually creeps in and makes it even better. Honestly, it makes walking around more of a treat than it should be.
Anyway, those are my initial impressions.
