It’s common practice for successful games to eventually find their way ported over to the Switch. It customarily takes a few years after the original release date for this to happen, but it’s almost expected of most titles these days. NieR: Automata is the the 122,474,487,138th game to get replicated on the Nintendo platform. With the exception of titles that debuted in previous console generations, these games often take a technical hit when they come to Switch, but that’s the price of portability. NieR: Automata The End of YoRHa Edition is the newest game coming to the Nintendo hybrid system, allowing players to assist 2B and 9S in their war against the machines during their morning commute.
NieR: Automata is the sequel to a spinoff from the once obscure Drakengard series. These games had a cult following that was largely based on great characters, music and storytelling but not the greatest gameplay mechanics. NieR: Automata was the surprise hit of 2017, releasing to critical acclaim and eventually selling several million copies. The success is not unwarranted, NieR: Automata is considered by many to be one of the best games of the past generation. It’s a masterpiece of gaming and should be played by everyone, but the question remains whether or not the Switch is the platform for doing so.
NieR: Automata takes place in the year 11,945 in the same world as NieR, but aside from recurring characters and references, playing the original is not required to enjoy Automata, though it is recommended as the experience enhances certain game events. There’s an ongoing war between the human’s android army against machines from an alien origin. The surviving humans are hidden away on a moon base, while Android soldiers 2B and 9S go to Earth to fight the machines. During this time it’s becoming apparent that the machines are becoming more advanced. They are exploring the remnants of human society and learning about them, trying to replicate certain aspects of human nature.
This is one of the areas where the writing of NieR: Automata excels. None of the primary characters are human; everyone is either an android if they’re involved with YoRHa or a machine. While not human they’ve attained human levels of intelligence and sentience, delving into the philosophical weeds of what it means to be human. The emphasis on giving the story philosophical leanings is further emphasized with some of the character naming conventions. Pascal and Simone are character names taken from philosophers, and it’s not too difficult to figure out the significance of the names of two major machine antagonists. An oversimplified but not entirely inaccurate comparison of NieR: Automata could be a Blade Runner and Terminator crossover that centers on a major existential crisis.
Exploring different elements of the human condition through machines is an unconventional approach but works exceptionally in this case. A common theme in Taro’s works is exploration as to why people kill and other negative aspects of humanity. In spite of the many advances in civilization, people put up barriers between each other and continue fight each other over differences while ignoring similarities. In the war between machines and androids there is a distinct us and them mentality, where androids and machines will destroy each other with extreme prejudice despite that fact both of them are devices created to serve their organic overlords. The story is one that doesn’t shy away from the darkness and has several heartbreaking moments, but amidst all the doom and gloom there is a still a message of hope and themes of love are explored. In the bleak post apocalyptic world the characters still find motivation to fight for something, something they can do that betters their existence in a desolate world and gives them a sense of purpose. The androids and machines are not human, but they do provide a reflection of human nature as they attempt to replicate elements of society with both comedic and tragic results. It’s a slow burn where the brilliance of the story isn’t apparent until many hours into the game and a couple paragraphs in a review can’t do it justice. But it’s worth seeing the story to end and getting all the endings.
As an action RPG most of the gameplay is hack and slash combat and platforming with a few different exceptions. There are a few sequences when the character ends up in a flying mech where it’s more like an arcade shooter, which can also be used to describe the gameplay of the hacking sequences. The androids have a flying support pod that can augment their melee combat with ranged attacks, which works essentially as a mechanical version of Grimoire Weiss without the commentary. There’s an interesting mechanic when a player dies where they can retrieve their mangled corpse, with the option of either retrieving the chips that were equipped at the time of time or trying to repair it as a temporary ally, though occasionally the latter option doesn’t work and it becomes an adversary. Gameplay mechanics were as aspect that was criticized in earlier games related to NieR: Automata, but that isn’t the case here. Whether combat or platforming, the controls are smooth and responsive.
Bringing NieR: Automata to Switch will bring added advantages to try to offset the technical concessions. Taking a look at the positives first, The End of YoRHa Edition includes the 3C3C1D119440927 DLC, which includes three coliseums and three costumes based on characters fromNieR Replicant. The content itself doesn’t add anything to the story, but its inclusion is welcome and was fun to play around with. During the original playthrough on PlayStation 4 many years the thought never occurred that NieR: Automata needs motion controls but they have been added to the Switch version. They aren’t super fancy, but what’s most surprising is they actually work alright. Swinging the left Joy-Con dodges and swinging the right one does melee attacks. They aren’t ideal for all situations, but I have to admit they work well and were actually fun during some of the battles. Unfortunately those only work in docked mode, and the main reason to play NieR: Automata on Switch is for the portability factor.
Now for the things that aren’t so great on Switch. The graphics look great on the small screen in handheld mode, but when playing docked the lower resolution compared to Sony and Microsoft consoles is more noticeable. There were several instances when environmental assets in the background didn’t fill in right away. The animation and framerate remains smooth most of the time, but sometimes when doing melee combos 2B would freeze for a second or so in her current animation frame. It isn’t enough to declare the game broken as it doesn’t disrupt the flow of gameplay that much, but it is noticeable enough where it’s not as fluid as the other versions. This occurred more often in docked mode than in handheld, those it did still happen on occasion there. Handheld mode is probably where most people will play this version, and there are a few sections where the camera is zoomed out far from the action. These sequences are fine on a larger screen, but on the small Switch screen in handheld mode there’s a few instances where things look too small, though these instances are infrequent. These criticisms aside, NieR: Automata The End of YoRHa Edition doesn’t sacrifice much in its transition to the Switch and compared to other Switch ports I’ve reviewed it’s one of the better ones.
Like the majority of Switch ports, NieR: Automata is at its best on other platforms due to the more powerful hardware. That being said, NieR: Automata The End of YoRHa Edition is one of the better attempts at bringing a game to Nintendo’s hardware. The visual downgrades are minor and aside from the occasional choppiness in battle gameplay remains unchanged. These technical shortcomings were noticed during the review but weren’t bad enough to diminish the experience. The soundtrack is one of the best game soundtracks ever composed, and while it sounds decent through the Switch’s speakers, it’s better experienced through high-end headphones or earbuds. The technical concessions are a small price to pay for being able to experience one of the best games the previous console generation on the go. NieR Automata was fun to play on the big screen back in 2017, and this is a good way to revisit it while lying in bed or on a flight.
Closing Comments:
NieR: Automata: The End of YoRHa Edition combines top notch gameplay with an incredible story to create one of the most memorable and unique experiences in gaming. Certain concessions had to be made to accommodate the limitations of the Switch’s hardware. The graphics had to take a minor downgrade and there was animation stuttering in combat, but overall this is impressive port. Being able to play NieR: Automata on a handheld system is the biggest selling point with this edition, and the aforementioned concessions are a small price to pay for this ability. The gameplay and story are just as enjoyable and impactful as ever. NieR: Automata is one of the best games of the past decade and playing it on the Switch is a great way to experience it.
