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NieR: Automata Spoiler Thread

TissueBox

TissueBox

Member
RyougaSaotome said:
I can't stop thinking about the finale of Branch E and the way the music in the credits explodes as you accept help from others.

I didn't think Taro was capable of such a moving, warm finale, but that whole bit after Pod 042 says that he rejects this outcome is so gripping and so uplifting, even as the music tells you that maybe it was all for nothing.

It seriously gets me my eyes to well up with tears. Over a fucking shoot em up credits sequence for fucks sake.

I just can't stop thinking about it.
Click to expand...

I KNOW it was beautiful. *passes self around*

It's the perfect gut punch because here you are, just one little cursor shooting up a bunch of words but in the context of the pods' story and what's on the line, and that f*cking music, it's like...it makes sense that it would end this way, after the end, yet the hopelessness keeps on fighting ya 'til the very finish until you literally muster the 'weight of the world' to push it back. It's so minimalist yet also just so right in how it wraps up the themes of sacrifice and being alone and unending oppression...and man does it wrap it up with a soul-cleansing bang. That network element worked magnificently when all was said and done, at first I thought it was an adequate Souls gimmick, but lo the game had bigger plans.

One of the most effective earn-your-happy-endings I've felt in a while...when Taro wants to shine a light he'll go blinding people I guess. xD Of course it's still bittersweet. But as a result the efforts of the finale have that much more gravitas.
 
G

GwyndolinCinder

Member
HOLY SHIT!
Just woke up in the middle night, ofc my head started singing the nier ost to myself....then all of sudden i thought of the ending "or not 2B" and i was like its weird they put that pun here.

THEN IT HIT ME "2B OR NOT 2B", you know as in 2B or 2E? Holy shit, now suddenly i'm wide awake.
 
V

VanillaCakeIsBurning

Member
Jiraiza said:
https://my.mixtape.moe/wocsmw.webm

I got you, champ.
Click to expand...

Wow.

Thanks for recording that.

Here's another thing that some people might have missed.

If you did Emil's sidequests you can access the Elevator in the shopping center which leads to the cave area with the field of lunar tears.

In Route C there's a sidequest from a guy in the Resistance Camp where you have to look for his missing friends. After you find them all you return to him only for him to have some flowers on the ground.

He says that humans used to have his tradition of placing flowers as a form of mourning the dead.

At this point you can go to the lunar tear cave again and 9S will plant a stick in the ground with what appears to be 2B's visor tied to it as a symbolic grave marker.

IIRC I can't remember what he says at verbatim but he says something along the lines of him hoping that 2B's soul is at peace and that he'll be with her before long.

The sidequests in this game can provide some good meat that plays into the main events of the story.
 
S

Slater

Banned
VanillaCakeIsBurning said:
Wow.

Thanks for recording that.

Here's another thing that some people might have missed.

If you did Emil's sidequests you can access the Elevator in the shopping center which leads to the cave area with the field of lunar tears.

In Route C there's a sidequest from a guy in the Resistance Camp where you have to look for his missing friends. After you find them all you return to him only for him to have some flowers on the ground.

He says that humans used to have his tradition of placing flowers as a form of mourning the dead.

At this point you can go to the lunar tear cave again and 9S will plant a stick in the ground with what appears to be 2B's visor tied to it as a symbolic grave marker.

IIRC I can't remember what he says at verbatim but he says something along the lines of him hoping that 2B's soul is at peace and that he'll be with her before long.

The sidequests in this game can provide some good meat that plays into the main events of the story.
Click to expand...

I got it, https://youtu.be/LkXzRso21yY?t=6279

Like I said best relationship I've ever seen in a video game, and I hate to ask again but anyone got the shopping date dialogue? I can't for the life of me find it again
 
K

Kain-Nosgoth

Member
RyougaSaotome said:
I can't stop thinking about the finale of Branch E and the way the music in the credits explodes as you accept help from others.

I didn't think Taro was capable of such a moving, warm finale, but that whole bit after Pod 042 says that he rejects this outcome is so gripping and so uplifting, even as the music tells you that maybe it was all for nothing.

It seriously gets me my eyes to well up with tears. Over a fucking shoot em up credits sequence for fucks sake.

I just can't stop thinking about it.
Click to expand...

TissueBox said:
I KNOW it was beautiful. *passes self around*

It's the perfect gut punch because here you are, just one little cursor shooting up a bunch of words but in the context of the pods' story and what's on the line, and that f*cking music, it's like...it makes sense that it would end this way, after the end, yet the hopelessness keeps on fighting ya 'til the very finish until you literally muster the 'weight of the world' to push it back. It's so minimalist yet also just so right in how it wraps up the themes of sacrifice and being alone and unending oppression...and man does it wrap it up with a soul-cleansing bang. That network element worked magnificently when all was said and done, at first I thought it was an adequate Souls gimmick, but lo the game had bigger plans.

One of the most effective earn-your-happy-endings I've felt in a while...when Taro wants to shine a light he'll go blinding people I guess. xD Of course it's still bittersweet. But as a result the efforts of the finale have that much more gravitas.
Click to expand...

Did you guys played undertale? When i played this section, i immediatly thought about undertale, it was crazy to me! Did yoko taro play this games?

When asked here, it turns out that yes, he played and liked it, it certainly not a coincidence! This ending is amazing
 
X

XANDER CAGE

Member
The writing and localization in this game is just fantastic. It's definitely the most densely layered story Yoko Taro has written so far, and the localization keeps up perfectly. There's nary a wasted word in the game - or even a wasted anime-ass "..." grunt. Every single conversation ties back into something thematic.
 
S

Slater

Banned
XANDER CAGE said:
The writing and localization in this game is just fantastic. It's definitely the most densely layered story Yoko Taro has written so far, and the localization keeps up perfectly. There's nary a wasted word in the game - or even a wasted anime-ass "..." grunt. Every single conversation ties back into something thematic.
Click to expand...

9S's voice acting in the final battle is some of the best I've ever heard

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HxmOa5su7O4

Especially his final shrill "SHUT UP!"
 
I

Inuhanyou

Believes Dragon Quest is a franchise managed by Sony
You can tell the voice actors were really into their lines a majority of the time. Its a class act
 
K

Kain-Nosgoth

Member
Slater said:
Like I said best relationship I've ever seen in a video game, and I hate to ask again but anyone got the shopping date dialogue? I can't for the life of me find it again
Click to expand...

It sure is amazing, no doubt about that, but i think there's better out there, but hey that's just me

IMO nothing can top TO THE MOON in that regard, you should try it!
 
V

VanillaCakeIsBurning

Member
Someone posted this on the reddit.

GfBGOxC.jpg


I agree with the general sentiment.

Based on the promotional materials I assumed 9S was going to be a softie like Emil.

But in a clever twist he becomes the most unhinged character in the game although the reasons for his change is more than justified imo.

I think he's my favourite character in the game. Out of the three I feel like he's the most main main character if that makes any sense. He gets the most development and it's easy to empthasize with what he goes through over the course of the game. His English voice actor (Kyle McCarley) did an amazing job vocalizing 9S' rage and frustration with the machines, the world, losing 2B, everything.

Slater said:
9S's voice acting in the final battle is some of the best I've ever heard

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HxmOa5su7O4

Especially his final shrill "SHUT UP!"
Click to expand...

Yeah, this is what I'm talking about. The way his voice cracks as he gets more agitated, I don't think they could have chosen a better VA for him imo.
 
I

Inuhanyou

Believes Dragon Quest is a franchise managed by Sony
The fact that 2B is in the backround fits with the lore as well, as she supposedly already knows the deal. Same with A2 even more so. 9S is the only one fully fooled into his job description obviously, so having him learn these truths and break down slowly is very much a highlight.
 
J

Jiraiza

Member
VanillaCakeIsBurning said:
Someone posted this on the reddit.

GfBGOxC.jpg


I agree with the general sentiment.

Based on the promotional materials I assumed 9S was going to be a softie like Emil.

But in a clever twist he becomes the most unhinged character in the game although the reasons for his change is more than justified imo.

I think he's my favourite character in the game. Out of the three I feel like he's the most main main character if that makes any sense. He gets the most development and it's easy to empthasize with what he goes through over the course of the game. His English voice actor (Kyle McCarley) did an amazing job vocalizing 9S' rage and frustration with the machines, the world, losing 2B, everything.



Yeah, this is what I'm talking about. The way his voice cracks as he gets more agitated, I don't think they could have chosen a better VA for him imo.
Click to expand...

The power of waifus.
 
S

Stalk

Member
Rounded up all the routes yesterday. Holy fuck... the one thing that stuck with me most was Pascal's finale.

I taught them fear so they wouldn't rush into danger.

So they killed themselves to avoid danger.

Christ that is a well planned gut punch.
 
J

JayEH

Junior Member
Watched the trailer on the steam page. Fuck man they show a lot, of course you won't know if you haven't played the game but still. Japanese games always blow their loads at the end in trailers. Learned that a couple years ago.
 
ULTROS!

ULTROS!

People seem to like me because I am polite and I am rarely late. I like to eat ice cream and I really enjoy a nice pair of slacks.
Question regarding Popola and Devola:

So based from what they've said, there were several towns hosting their own P&D. I'm guessing one town is Project Gestalt (NieR US/EU/Japan) and the other Project Replicant (NieR Japan only). One of the projects failed and the project was cancelled and these P&D from the non-failed project moved to NieR Automata world.

Correct me if I'm wrong though,
 
S

Slater

Banned
ULTROS! said:
Question regarding Popola and Devola:

So based from what they've said, there were several towns hosting their own P&D. I'm guessing one town is Project Gestalt (NieR US/EU/Japan) and the other Project Replicant (NieR Japan only). One of the projects failed and the project was cancelled and these P&D from the non-failed project moved to NieR Automata world.

Correct me if I'm wrong though,
Click to expand...

No, Gestalt/Replicant aren't different places, they take place in the same place. Literally the only difference is West got papa Nier, but Taro/the series never recognizes him anyway.

The failure there talking about is what happened in the first Nier game, that pair failed completely so the rest of the D and P units were also dubbed failures and most were executed with the exception of the ones in Automata who were left alive as a control
 
K

KO Traveling Hobo

Member
Mifec said:
Adam and Eve are pretty bad.
Click to expand...
No way. Eve is amazing in both so-bad-it's-good and so-good-it's-good ways. The actor shot for the moon with that performance and ended up on Mars.

It's important to remember that their humanity is not as refined as the androids'. They're still kind of inhuman beings wearing human skin.
 
K

KO Traveling Hobo

Member
Double posting to say Vague Hope (Cold Rain) is one of the best tracks in the game. It feels very Kaijura-esque. You could slip it into the Madoka Magica OST and I probably wouldn't notice.
 
V

VanillaCakeIsBurning

Member
KO Traveling Hobo said:
No way. Eve is amazing in both so-bad-it's-good and so-good-it's-good ways. The actor shot for the moon with that performance and ended up on Mars.

It's important to remember that their humanity is not as refined as the androids'. They're still kind of inhuman beings wearing human skin.
Click to expand...

Eve is Ray Chase, in other words Noctis (FFXV) and Artorius Collbrande (Tales of Berseria).

Adam and Eve were great. I kind of wanted them to stick around for longer though.
 
V

VanillaCakeIsBurning

Member
Slater said:
Big nope on that, if you're not connected your outta luck

Also Taro is doing his multiple timeline thing again, which is convenient in Nier's case sense it lets both versions of him be canon.

Father Nier: https://youtu.be/5HHa_K93V88?t=33

Brother Nier: https://youtu.be/5HHa_K93V88?t=531
Click to expand...

That kind of sucks because I have a friend that doesn't play connected to the internet so that final E ending section is going to be impossible for them to beat.
 
T

The Finest Brew

Neo Member
Quick question about the final dungeon, if anyone could shed some light on it for me.
So, was the part that was a replicated version of Popola's library just a sorta inconsequential nod towards the first Nier? Because I sort of fail to understand why the Machine AI would recreate this specifically, as well as have files on Yonah there. Project Gestalt I totally get, because of it's influence into the sentience of the Machines, but I feel like I'm probably missing something here.

While I'm at it too, am I crazy for drawing connections to the White Chlorination Syndrome, and the fact that the Machines have eyes that glow red.when they get aggressive?
 
V

VanillaCakeIsBurning

Member
The Finest Brew said:
Quick question about the final dungeon, if anyone could shed some light on it for me.
So, was the part that was a replicated version of Popola's library just a sorta inconsequential nod towards the first Nier? Because I sort of fail to understand why the Machine AI would recreate this specifically, as well as have files on Yonah there. Project Gestalt I totally get, because of it's influence into the sentience of the Machines, but I feel like I'm probably missing something here.

While I'm at it too, am I crazy for drawing connections to the White Chlorination Syndrome, and the fact that the Machines have eyes that glow red.when they get aggressive?
Click to expand...

I think because of Yonah's relation to the Original (Nier). There was some other stuff about her in the files that I forgot too. The library is probably both a nod to Nier but also based on the data that the machines have collected, I imagine that location would have some significance to them due to the fact that what happened there with the Original and Replicant Nier.

This is just speculation on my part but I wouldn't be surprised if the aliens were agents of the gods. Although humanity was already extinct by the time the aliens arrived IIRC.
 
K

KO Traveling Hobo

Member
The Finest Brew said:
Quick question about the final dungeon, if anyone could shed some light on it for me.
So, was the part that was a replicated version of Popola's library just a sorta inconsequential nod towards the first Nier? Because I sort of fail to understand why the Machine AI would recreate this specifically, as well as have files on Yonah there. Project Gestalt I totally get, because of it's influence into the sentience of the Machines, but I feel like I'm probably missing something here.

While I'm at it too, am I crazy for drawing connections to the White Chlorination Syndrome, and the fact that the Machines have eyes that glow red.when they get aggressive?
Click to expand...

I think the WCS connections go even deeper. The Tower and the Copied City seem to be made of a similar material as the Grotestquerie Queen from Drakengard, which is what introduced WCS to our world.

Also, Eve has a Watcher tattoo on his chest.

Yonah was a key part of Project Gestalt, but I think that she may have a deeper connection to the story than is immediately apparent. There is a white ghost that appears throughout route B who looks different than the twin Terminals that appear at the very end of the route and in C&D.
 
V

VanillaCakeIsBurning

Member
KO Traveling Hobo said:
I think the WCS connections go even deeper. The Tower and the Copied City seem to be made of a similar material as the Grotestquerie Queen from Drakengard, which is what introduced WCS to our world.

Also, Eve has a Watcher tattoo on his chest.

Yonah was a key part of Project Gestalt, but I think that she may have a deeper connection to the story than is immediately apparent. There is a white ghost that appears throughout route B who looks different than the twin Terminals that appear at the very end of the route and in C&D.
Click to expand...

Yeah, there was a white girl near the end of Route B when you go in the hanger right before you board the flight unit to help 2B fight the last few bosses.
 
K

KO Traveling Hobo

Member
VanillaCakeIsBurning said:
Yeah, there was a white girl near the end of Route B when you go in the hanger right before you board the flight unit to help 2B fight the last few bosses.
Click to expand...

She also appears in the alien mothership after Adam and Eve peace out. You only briefly see over her shoulder. I thought I was losing my mind until she showed up at the hangar :lol
 
T

The Finest Brew

Neo Member
KO Traveling Hobo said:
I think the WCS connections go even deeper. The Tower and the Copied City seem to be made of a similar material as the Grotestquerie Queen from Drakengard, which is what introduced WCS to our world.

Also, Eve has a Watcher tattoo on his chest.

Yonah was a key part of Project Gestalt, but I think that she may have a deeper connection to the story than is immediately apparent. There is a white ghost that appears throughout route B who looks different than the twin Terminals that appear at the very end of the route and in C&D.
Click to expand...

Oh, I thought that might have been the AIs again, didn't realize they were different! And while Yonah was important for providing Nier with motivation to go through with the project, I still think they would have referenced him over her. I might be looking into it wrong though, admittedly!

As for the tower's make up, I'm glad I'm not the only one who caught the similarities between it and the Grotestquerie Queen. Hell, I straight up expected it to directly connect with Drakengard 3 when I first saw it, either by directly referencing the final battle vs. the flower or by having Accord straight up at least get paid some lip service.
 
K

KO Traveling Hobo

Member
The Finest Brew said:
Oh, I thought that might have been the AIs again, didn't realize they were different! And while Yonah was important for providing Nier with motivation to go through with the project, I still think they would have referenced him over her. I might be looking into it wrong though, admittedly!

As for the tower's make up, I'm glad I'm not the only one who caught the similarities between it and the Grotestquerie Queen. Hell, I straight up expected it to directly connect with Drakengard 3 when I first saw it, either by directly referencing the final battle vs. the flower or by having Accord straight up at least get paid some lip service.
Click to expand...

Yeah, even the way it's formed kind of feels like the Flower from Drakengard 3.

Accord does get a tiny nod from the weapons vendor, who says that she's his supplier. It's barely anything, but at least it's an explicit, undeniable link between the two games. No more playing coy.

Also, this is the spoiler thread :p You don't need to use spoiler tags.
 
ULTROS!

ULTROS!

People seem to like me because I am polite and I am rarely late. I like to eat ice cream and I really enjoy a nice pair of slacks.
Slater said:
No, Gestalt/Replicant aren't different places, they take place in the same place. Literally the only difference is West got papa Nier, but Taro/the series never recognizes him anyway.

The failure there talking about is what happened in the first Nier game, that pair failed completely so the rest of the D and P units were also dubbed failures and most were executed with the exception of the ones in Automata who were left alive as a control
Click to expand...

Ah so this game takes place after NieR's Ending A?
 
I

Inuhanyou

Believes Dragon Quest is a franchise managed by Sony
Is E still considered canon? Well either way i guess technically whether D or Replicant's E doesn't matter since a long time had passed since then

But if E were canon, i don't know why so much focus would be placed on Kaine's house in this game since she would not live there if she met up with Nier again...so it feels like D would always be the more correct choice if that makes sense
 
C

carda114

Member
I got all the archive items last night, and the very last one I got was a bit puzzling to me. You can find it in the Forest Zone, prior to the first bridge you cross over to the courtyard of the castle, and it's a doll that was nailed to a tree. Does anyone have any notion as to what this is supposed to be referring to, because I'm drawing a blank.
 
S

Slater

Banned
Inuhanyou said:
Is E still considered canon? Well either way i guess technically whether D or Replicant's E doesn't matter since a long time had passed since then

But if E were canon, i don't know why so much focus would be placed on Kaine's house since she would not live there if she met up with Nier again
Click to expand...

Other stuff from the short stories/grimoire show up or are tied in the game to like Beepy. Also Emil's dialogue in the desert boss fight.

Finally even though they were in love by the end doesn't mean Kaine would suddenly stop being Kaine, REALLY doubt she would just want to move in, especially to another village that had looked down on her

Taro's never cared about having side stories be canon to the games, and it's so long in the future it doesn't matter anyway
 
C

Coda

Member
Still reeling at how great this game was. Will be definitely jumping back in to finish the couple sub quests I have left. After playing Zelda today it just doesn't compare to me to Nier Automata. I shouldn't compare them but I have to since they're the two biggest games in my mindspace right now. All I can say is playing Zelda feels like a step back. Maybe I just need Platinum action in all my games. I also loved the open world and graphical style in Nier Automata way more so far. Going to be in my top 3 this year no doubt.
 
K

KO Traveling Hobo

Member
I'm replaying the game after letting it delete my data, and all the non-hacking chests in the city ruins have been opened already.

Has anyone else had this happen?
 
Y

YoRHa No.2 Type B

Banned
I feel kinda dissaponinted by ending E.

There are actually only 2 "real endings" and those are ending C and D. And E is only a follow up to those two. Where it says, we turn everything back, the outcome might change aswell.

But the only two outcomes are C and D. And D is total shit. Which makes you want to go the C ending but this just does not feel conclusive at all.

Am I alone here?

I feel like there should be a proper ending. Maybe they release the steam version a bit later because they fear the TRUE ending might get datamined.

Crosses fingers.
 
X

XANDER CAGE

Member
YoRHa No.2 Type B said:
I feel kinda dissaponinted by ending E.

There are actually only 2 "real endings" and those are ending C and D. And E is only a follow up to those two. Where it says, we turn everything back, the outcome might change aswell.

But the only two outcomes are C and D. And D is total shit. Which makes you want to go the C ending but this just does not feel conclusive at all.

Am I alone here?

I feel like there should be a proper ending. Maybe they release the steam version a bit later because they fear the TRUE ending might get datamined.

Crosses fingers.
Click to expand...

I think E is a great ending. Normally I hate deus ex machina happy endings, but E isn't as simple as saying "we'll turn everything back"; it provides a conclusion to the character arc for the pods where they reject the Yorha plan and brings back the characters they (and we) have come to feel for over the course of the game. It also deals with one of the core themes of the game - that going through hardship is always better with someone you love - be that a sibling or lover or friend - than going alone. It ties that theme into the gameplay with the fusion mode, and the option to leave a message of hope for another player/sacrifice your save.

No, it doesn't neatly wrap up the story's literal fiction, but that's never been the appeal of Nier anyway. It's an emotional piece of meta-fiction. The player fights the creators of the game (literally fighting the credits) to spare the main characters from their fate, the same way androids and machines (and the pods!) throughout the story rejected the rules laid out by their creators.

Personally I think it was the most emotionally satisfying endings I've ever experienced in a game.
 
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