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[LordOfLore]

Waypoint interview. At the link.

Nier: Automata feels like a game born from a dream, one that was never expected to burst into existence. And yet, here we are. A co-production between action developers Platinum Games and game director Taro Yoko, and published by Square Enix, the action-role-player has become one of the most-anticipated new games of early 2017. This is thanks—in no small part—to a hype-able demo put out just before Christmas 2016.

That demo—a single mission served in a vertical slice, with a surprisingly dramatic conclusion—gave players a taste of what to expect from the full game when it arrives for PlayStation 4 and PC in late February (in Japan, with a Western release following in March). Bayonetta-adjunct close-quarters combat is mixed with sections that vary from a behind-the-character shoot 'em up style to 16-bit-evocative side-on platforming sequences.

When the fighting's done, there's exploration, secrets to uncover, and many quest lines to follow in the battle against an Earth-invading robotic force that's sent humanity retreating to the Moon. There's plenty of RPG DNA here, with a story spread out across a massive world map, and the usual levelling up, stat-perks and item shopping you expect from the genre.

There's a little bullet-hell-ness, too, about proceedings, when the main controllable character, the nimble android "2B", is surrounded by enemies raining down projectiles, forcing you to go on the offense with swords, hammers, feet and fists, while also skillfully dodging health-bruising blasts.

It's a game of many alluring dimensions, then. And a really different project from 2010's Nier. That was a role-player with a big but empty world and unsatisfying combat, which unfortunately stood in the way of a fantastic story, told with a quiet and melancholic tone. Get past its technical problems, and Nier could palpably pull at the heartstrings.

But that was then. Now, I'm sat with Yoko, Nier: Automata's producer Yosuke Saito—who also produced the 2010 title—and the can't-get-a-word-in-edgeways designer Takahisa Taura, at Square Enix's London office. The three are laid back, relaxed, confident that what they've made is going to be a success. Not that they always felt that way.

The best part:

As I turn to leave, Yoko has one final message: "If you guys in the media keep in cahoots with us, hopefully we can trick the general public into thinking that Nier is good!"

Truth be told, I don't think we'll need to be doing that.

 

[Evil Monkey DTT]

I've never felt more confident in a video game, every taro game (knowing their flaws and fully admiting them) is a favorite of mine. This will make my year.

 

[Bronetta]

LETS FUCKING GO!

 

[HackTheSlash]

Hype! Hype i says!

 

[Muffin1611]

As I turn to leave, Yoko has one final message: "If you guys in the media keep in cahoots with us, hopefully we can trick the general public into thinking that Nier is good!"

Taro being Taro.

 

[Jiraiza]

I gotta say, adopting the Emil head as his public image is doing wonders.

 

[CO_Andy]

did someone say PC release?!

 

[EndMerit]

"For me, the emotional journey is very important in an open-world game," says Yoko. "We have to pay attention to that in the construction of the game. You don't want a gag after an emotional point in the story. For example, if the main character's girlfriend just died, you don't want a gag straight after that, like, 'Woo, I got a shopping discount!' So, how we avoid that is through what we call a 'Serious Mode'. This is a state of the game code that tells the program that this part is serious, and all the jokey content can't come up until afterwards, by which point the mode is removed."

 

[Experimenter]

Can't wait. Most likely I'll buy it day one.

 

[Philippo]

This game is going to shock everyone who never played a Yoko Taro's game before to the very core, and i think it's impact is going to be big. (think of like everyone went bananas for Nioh).
If the story is half the beautiful and emotional the original was, people will be hit by a truck.

I gotta say, adopting the Emil head as his public image is doing wonders.

Yeah, even people who never played NieR know who he his.

 

[Neoleo2143]

Taro being Taro.

I'm still surprised that this is an actual official SE video.

 

[Nap1400]

"For me, the emotional journey is very important in an open-world game," says Yoko. "We have to pay attention to that in the construction of the game. You don't want a gag after an emotional point in the story. For example, if the main character's girlfriend just died, you don't want a gag straight after that, like, 'Woo, I got a shopping discount!'"

Hah, Ending B of the first NieR kinda says otherwise, Taro.

Spoiler

yeah I know he's probably being facetious as usual

 

[Kinyou]

Gag mode:

Serious mode:

 

[LotusHD]

We're so close...

 

[Moonkid]

Under a month to go now, don't lemme down T.T

 

[veloxStrix]

Waypoint putting out some quality content. Looks like I have a new non-Neogaf site to browse. Now if only Killscreen would put out more stuff.

 

[TetraGenesis]

Gag mode:


Serious mode:

I really dislike that about One Punch Man's artstyle. Part of the reason I enjoyed Mob Psycho 100 so much more.

 

[Yohane]

I really dislike that about One Punch Man's artstyle. Part of the reason I enjoyed Mob Psycho 100 so much more.

Mob is 100% better than One Joke Man

 

[HStallion]

I really dislike that about One Punch Man's artstyle. Part of the reason I enjoyed Mob Psycho 100 so much more.

The original One Punch Man webcomic looks much more like MP100

 

[Inuhanyou]

Not once was Drakengard 1 brought up in this interview. Sad times.

I feel like that was Yoko Taro of a more chaotic time period and at his most insane

Drakengard 3 fell flat like most Suda 100 games of the last decade and Nier pushed the boundaries of storytelling but in a more reigned in approach

 

[Weiss]

The game is two weeks away and I still have a hard time believing it's real.

 

[daevious]

Not once was Drakengard 1 brought up in this interview. Sad times.

I feel like that was Yoko Taro of a more chaotic time period and at his most insane

Drakengard 3 fell flat like most Suda 100 games of the last decade and Nier pushed the boundaries of storytelling but in a more reigned in approach

To be fair, the Drakengard 3 we got was literally the last proposal Yoko Taro had left that just happened to be accepted. Compromised as it may be in comparison to Drakengard 1 and Nier, I still think that Drakengard 3 did alright with its themes considering the circumstances behind it.

 

[UnemployedVillain]

Mob is 100% better than One Joke Man

Pretty much. You can also tell ONE actually gives a shit about it

 

[hydrophilic attack]

sh*t square enix