NieR: Automata Spoiler Thread

I recognize that the cyclical nature of conflict is something key to Taro's work, especially NieR, but I also think that the conflict has, in some small way, been changed. 2B, 9S, and A2 are free from fighting. Adam, Eve and the Machine network are off in space or are all dead. Jackass is about to bust open the secret behind YoRHa. One way or another things have changed.

Like, NieR's story is ultimately tragic, it ends with the extinction of humanity for god's sake, but it still happened. It still mattered. A new Shadowlord didn't just pop out of the blue.

I feel like just going "respawn lol" cheapens the story.
Welcome to Nier Automata, where the rules are made up and the points don't matter!
 
Hah, google searching Nier Automata to get to the Wikipedia page and this popped up:

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You're not wrong PC Gamer.

And from the sound of it the author has maybe only played through the first ending: http://www.pcgamer.com/nier-automata-is-one-of-the-saddest-games-ever-made/
 
I find a pair of AI gaining sentience and deciding the value of their friends lives is far more than their orders to be a much better and more moving ending than another tragedy

No, that's what I meant. I don't want this entire journey to, like, amount to nothing in the end. It's powerful to me to see everyone involved just eventually decide to stop fighting.
 
Its interesting to me that in hindsight Automata is structurally so similar to its predecessor.

Each game is split into 3 parts, the difference being that in Nier (using Automata's chronological "route" model) essentially plays out, A->C (NG+)->B(D,E).

Kinda messy, compared to Automata's structure and of course the semi-duplicated segment is now front-loaded (B being a variant of A in Automata, whereas in Nier B & C are paired).

Obviously Automata is somewhat more iterated to support multiple characters and greater variation in events, but essentially there is a very clear equivalence between route B, and Nier's NG+ mode in that they both primarily exist to provide a counterpoint perspective to what we've already played.

Of course, Yoko has been on the record about the released version of Nier being basically only the second half of what he originally envisioned with the 13 grimoires, but I find it interesting to see how he's evolved his vision over time.
 
First of all, great game. Like jesus christ what a great game. After finishing route A my thoughts were like is this it? Really? I was so disappointed and when the game suggested I play trough it again I almost felt angry since I had no idea if it would go "anywhere." Thank god I didnt uninstall it on the spot and pushed trough. Easily the best game I have played in a couple of years and probably one of the best games I have ever played.

For me the game was a total impulse purchase since I had very little knowledge of this franchise. Worth every penny and more.

On a side note I would like to ask if anyone could clarify what on earth happened in endings D and E? In A2's ending 9S gets carried off somewhere but I dont think we get to know what happens to him. 9S's ending is a bit more clear but I dont get the last cutscene (E). What are the robots talking about and why are 9S, 2B and 2A laying in the building? Are they being "rebuilt" or what? And if so why?
 
Its interesting to me that in hindsight Automata is structurally so similar to its predecessor.

Each game is split into 3 parts, the difference being that in Nier (using Automata's chronological "route" model) essentially plays out, A->C (NG+)->B(D,E).

Kinda messy, compared to Automata's structure and of course the semi-duplicated segment is now front-loaded (B being a variant of A in Automata, whereas in Nier B & C are paired).

Obviously Automata is somewhat more iterated to support multiple characters and greater variation in events, but essentially there is a very clear equivalence between route B, and Nier's NG+ mode in that they both primarily exist to provide a counterpoint perspective to what we've already played.

Of course, Yoko has been on the record about the released version of Nier being basically only the second half of what he originally envisioned with the 13 grimoires, but I find it interesting to see how he's evolved his vision over time.

I didnt think about that. If I were to just mess with chapter select replays on mainline...doing A and then C as a set, and then B D E as a set....that's kind of cool in a way. I should keep that in mind for when i play the game a second time and if I "keep" a clear save around.

I think I saw somewhere that if Yoko Taro did bring the original Nier to current consoles that he'd basically make a different game than what was released. It'd be interesting if it was that huger story, and maybe even worked in both old and young niers. I do like the daughter aspect more than the sister aspect, though...I wonder what he'd do to tell both of those stories together? It'd be really weird if both niers were split off into two characters. (Father and son saving yonah together? I dunno...) I do wonder if they'd keep most of the main story beats and characters and voices. Not getting Liam O'Brien back as Weiss would be tragic
 
No, that's what I meant. I don't want this entire journey to, like, amount to nothing in the end. It's powerful to me to see everyone involved just eventually decide to stop fighting.

What happened with the pods is one of my favorite things about this game. I love their little journey that ultimately culminated in what happened in the ending.
 
Sändersson;233186179 said:
First of all, great game. Like jesus christ what a great game. After finishing route A my thoughts were like is this it? Really? I was so disappointed and when the game suggested I play trough it again I almost felt angry since I had no idea if it would go "anywhere." Thank god I didnt uninstall it on the spot and pushed trough. Easily the best game I have played in a couple of years and probably one of the best games I have ever played.

For me the game was a total impulse purchase since I had very little knowledge of this franchise. Worth every penny and more.

On a side note I would like to ask if anyone could clarify what on earth happened in endings D and E? In A2's ending 9S gets carried off somewhere but I dont think we get to know what happens to him. 9S's ending is a bit more clear but I dont get the last cutscene (E). What are the robots talking about and why are 9S, 2B and 2A laying in the building? Are they being "rebuilt" or what? And if so why?

Endings C and D are separate to one another. In C A2 defeats 9S and destroys the Tower and kills all the Machines. She uses her Pod to save 9S and dies in the rubble.

In D 9S kills A2 and accidentally impales himself on her sword and dies. His consciousness then connects to the Machine network which reveals they converted the missile to the moon into an ark carrying the Machine consciousness and a reborn Adam and Eve, who then offer 9S the opportunity to come with them in search of a new planet.

In Ending E, the Pods begin their protocol of wiping out their YoRHa users' memories, but Pod 045 and 153 decide to rebel against the system in order to save 2B, 9S and A2. What you see at the end with their bodies laying there is the Pods reassembling them and bringing them back to life.
 
Its interesting to me that in hindsight Automata is structurally so similar to its predecessor.

Each game is split into 3 parts, the difference being that in Nier (using Automata's chronological "route" model) essentially plays out, A->C (NG+)->B(D,E).

Kinda messy, compared to Automata's structure and of course the semi-duplicated segment is now front-loaded (B being a variant of A in Automata, whereas in Nier B & C are paired).

Obviously Automata is somewhat more iterated to support multiple characters and greater variation in events, but essentially there is a very clear equivalence between route B, and Nier's NG+ mode in that they both primarily exist to provide a counterpoint perspective to what we've already played.

Of course, Yoko has been on the record about the released version of Nier being basically only the second half of what he originally envisioned with the 13 grimoires, but I find it interesting to see how he's evolved his vision over time.


I feel like Automata exists to deliberately fuck with our expectations of a NieR sequel.

I think Emil is the best indicator of this. Hey it's Emil! Everyone's favourite character from NieR! And he's a wacky NPC! Aren't you happy to see him? Well fuck you. It's been 8000 years and he's been split into clones who have all gone insane, and then he dies remembering Kaine because you kept pursuing his sidequest.
 
You can get an ending inside an ending
by self-destructing on the bunker during the credits to


It's just the standard bunker self-destruct ending though
 
I really need my Persona 5 to get here, so maybe my mind can focus on something other than thinking about this game. Haven't even touched it in over a week.
 
If the Emil Heads are reliable, it seems like Tuba and 9S didn't get a happy ending after all. And if we go by the C->E progression from Chapter Select, then the Machines were denied their Ark as well.

I think that's just if you/they choose to follow that path, though. Although this being a Taro game, any random ending could be the "canon" one if a sequel is made; just that right now, all endings are equally possible depending on what you choose.
 
Hrmm, even in Route C when Nines is fighting memory 2B in his hackbrain he freaks out about losing his memories.

interesting

by the way, one of the more unexpected moments to me was 21O's "One affirmation will suffice" really coming back to kick me in the teeth
 
I think that's just if you/they choose to follow that path, though. Although this being a Taro game, any random ending could be the "canon" one if a sequel is made; just that right now, all endings are equally possible depending on what you choose.
Hell, both dad and brother Nier are mentioned in the weapons lore.

I guess if the weapons come from dimension-traveling Accord, then it somehow makes sense within that universe.
 
Boy, I'm a bad/ lazy person. That final decision was way easier with a back-up save on an USB-drive. ;P

It would have been interesting if they had designed things such that the game would detect when players were using a backed-up save from a data-wiped profile.

Probably would have been more trouble to implement than it's worth.
 
question on ending E

if i called for help and i didn't get any hit,their save data will be safe for now?
meaning if another one called for help those save data will help that guy?

also,i heard if i delete my asked for my save data to be deleted,i will get new background,what if i back up my save game to USB,then asked for deletion then restore the save game,will i still have that background?
 
I recognize that the cyclical nature of conflict is something key to Taro's work, especially NieR, but I also think that the conflict has, in some small way, been changed. 2B, 9S, and A2 are free from fighting. Adam, Eve and the Machine network are off in space or are all dead. Jackass is about to bust open the secret behind YoRHa. One way or another things have changed.

Like, NieR's story is ultimately tragic, it ends with the extinction of humanity for god's sake, but it still happened. It still mattered. A new Shadowlord didn't just pop out of the blue.

Plus while the Emil Heads do confirm the existence of Machines, the descriptions are so vague that it's hard to get a grip on what's going on other than "stuff is happening."

I feel like just going "respawn lol" cheapens the story.

I'm like 99% positive that the "cycles" referred to in this game aren't literal cycles, just the cycle of conflict as a concept. I mean, the date has been ticking up all this time, so it's not like these conflicts are getting literally rebooted - just some of the key players within the conflicts. E's ending is big because they're rebuilding dead 2B, 9S, and A2, and just not wiping their memories - defying standard protocol. I think the Emil Heads timeline is just meant to be a kick in the teeth for anyone mean enough to fuck with Emil for the sake of completing a game. Shitty rude 2B/9S/A2 are rewarded for their transgression with more endless war and suffering.

Granted, you can also complete his sidequest and then go do E, so who knows really. But I'm pretty confident that the Emil stuff isn't really meant to be taken as gospel, if that makes any sense.
 
Ok, this feels like a game that's messy as fuck but makes up for it in its moments, nitpickers will hate this game.

I've been thinking about the final boss all day, has anyone beaten it clean?
 
I'm like 99% positive that the "cycles" referred to in this game aren't literal cycles, just the cycle of conflict as a concept. I mean, the date has been ticking up all this time, so it's not like these conflicts are getting literally rebooted - just some of the key players within the conflicts. E's ending is big because they're rebuilding dead 2B, 9S, and A2, and just not wiping their memories - defying standard protocol. I think the Emil Heads timeline is just meant to be a kick in the teeth for anyone mean enough to fuck with Emil for the sake of completing a game. Shitty rude 2B/9S/A2 are rewarded for their transgression with more endless war and suffering.

Granted, you can also complete his sidequest and then go do E, so who knows really. But I'm pretty confident that the Emil stuff isn't really meant to be taken as gospel, if that makes any sense.

I don't see how ending E and the Emil Heads contradict each other. Hypocritical, maybe, but not mutually exclusive.

Ending E could lead to a happy ending where Tuba and Nines are finally able to be together, the Machine Network stays dead, and the war ends, or it could lead to a shitty ending where Tuba kills Nines, the Machine Network rebuilds itself, and the war resumes.

Breaking Emil's spirit for some completion % asserts the cynicism of the world, and ending E turns out cynically as a result.

It would have been interesting if they had designed things such that the game would detect when players were using a backed-up save from a data-wiped profile.

Probably would have been more trouble to implement than it's worth.

I hope someone asks Taro what his thoughts are on that. Does he think it's a clever work-around that ties into the transhumanism present in the game, or does he think it represents the failure of his message?
 
i knew the songs were rotating between versions but i didn't perceive that the verses were actually switching between english/japanese/chaos fluidly during [e]
 
i knew the songs were rotating between versions but i didn't perceive that the verses were actually switching between english/japanese/chaos fluidly during [e]

That was such a good touch, especially how it complements the multi-lingual messages that show up from all over the world.
 
Not if you care about Pascal. ;__;

:(

With a mind-wiped Pascal I think there are at least possibilities for a happy-ish future? A2 could give him that philosophy book and rekindle his interest in knowledge. The two of them could even form some kind of friendship. 2B and 9S were able to reform a relationship after 9S had his memories wiped again and again.

OTDywhZ.jpg
 
:(

With a mind-wiped Pascal I think there are at least possibilities for a happy-ish future? A2 could give him that philosophy book and rekindle his interest in knowledge. The two of them could even form some kind of friendship. 2B and 9S were able to reform a relationship after 9S had his memories wiped again and again.
The game keeps pointing to how wiped androids keep choosing the same paths they did before. Pascal will probably start building the Machine Village again, or at worse will continue being the gentle machine who help others. Mind-wipe, while being the harshest, is probably the best option.
 
it also made me question how used i had gotten to some dude showing up in all videos with a giant moon-thing on his head
 
The Romeo and Juliet play was a pisser. Something about robots calling each other assholes is really funny.

Haha, this moment was what completely sold me on doing all the sidequests early on. I got a kick out of the machine in the audience afterwards that was like "ah, this must speak to the cruelty of mankind" lol.
 
Cleaned up a few quests, replayed the end and went through with the save deletion. You have some big shoes to fill Persona 5.
 
Okay so I finally found what I was looking for.

Apparently the ending works in that you get ending E for picking the second option, regarding which one you picked first.

The 2b's sword in the forest scene happens after either Ending D or C, depending on which you pick first. I personally feel this ending works best after ending D, because it punctuates the tragic ending of Ending D with a full on symbolic headstone in the form of 2B's sword and mask planted in the ground as both A2 and 9S passed. It's also extra sad because this is the ending where you have the shot of what looks like Devola and Popula having passed, if you select to go with Adam and Eve on the rocket. I feel this makes more sense for being separated from Ending E because of the Rocket Scenario, because it implies 9S and possibly some version of 2B's consciousness (unless I'm remembering) have left earth with the machine intelligence. If you pick to stay then I believe 9S has a different scene where you don't see the rocket taking off and he has some final words. I also think this version doesn't show you the scenes of the twins, pascal, or the resistence members...

Ending C's shot of the sword is actually not tied to that ending at all, and is merely what you get for the first ending you see. If you do the endings in the way most people didn't pick (Most people side with A2 on their first playthrough) then you get the sword scene after ending D, and you get Ending E after ending C in this case. I think this works because the destructtion of the tower, A2's ambiguous sacrifice while hacking, her cutting off 9S's arm, and telling the pods to save him all play into the epilogue to ending E, which I think allows both endings' themes to gain extra reinforcement if you do the choices I laid out, rather than what most people would go with, I believe.

tl;dr: Contrary to what ending guides and wikis say, you can do the endings in any way you want, and you don't need to beat the game 3 times to get ending e, only twice. Once for either ending C or D, and once for the other. The 2B's grave scene is not tied to the ending, it shows up after whichever you get first, and then Ending E takes its place for the second ending you view. This sort of opens up playthrough options, as you don't have to pick the ending correctly to minimize replaying the final boss to full clear the game. (I haven't done this myself, I'm only going off of youtube videos I've seen. I could be wrong but I think the "play twice in either order" thing works?)

I think the next time I'm going to put off most sidequests until after I clear the second half of the game, and then treat my Ending E playthrough as a full repeat of the game to get the sidequests cleared. (This way I don't outlevel bosses on my initial run)
 
I finished ending E tonight. God, what a game. I really can't think of anything to say that hasn't already been said, but this is one of the few games I consider to be 'more than just a game.'
 
You know, if they do a Nier 3, I think the character that'd make me lose my shit the most if they show up would be pod 042.

Dude was honestly the standout character by the end of the game, and I'd love for him to continue emils tradition of surviving thousands of years.

Plus I'd love a free t shirt with him.
 
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