I think my attachment to 2B and 9S happened slower because I didn't really understand the significance of 2B's and 9S's relationship until basically the very end. Because of that, some scenes in the game I felt a little detached to initially because I didn't really realize the significance (2B's death is the prime example of this and also the route A ending). I actually feel much more sad now watching those scenes again knowing the whole story. Having said that though, the Pascal scene with the children dying destroyed me more than any moment in a game every has and that's saying something. Even more than the end of Xenosaga episode 3 I think I couldn't believe how much it obliterated me. Just beyond heartbreaking, the moment you see them all dead, then Pascal starting to cry and blaming himself then him asking for death or memory wipe because it was too painful. Just killed me I loved Pascal.
I thought the side quests were better in this game as was the combat. Similar to Nier there is a ton of backtracking all over the place throughout the game but again just didn't feel quite as annoying to me as it did in Nier. Soundtrack was amazing, not sure which one I prefer both Nier and Automata close in quality. I liked that there were some nods to things that if you played the first game you would get more, such as Kaine's shack, the library taken from Nier and also learning more of Devola and Popola. My guess is people who didn't play original Nier likely didn't get much out of the brief Devola Popola thing but for me it was nice.
Overall I loved the game, the machines were so well done and likeable and oftentimes funny.
Story:
I still have tons and tons of questions about the story, but shit it fucked me up a bit. It's just so sad that 2B had to go through what she did. My whole playthrough she just seems so cold and aloof, even up to the point of her death minus a few small exceptions. Then later you learn she just can't take the pain anymore and that she was trying to protect her own feelings, that she didn't have any memory wipes she's had to endure all these killings of the person she cares most for. And just learning that she isn't cold and heartless that she loved 9S so much, just really heartbreaking. I spent most of the game not attached much at all to 2B and at the end, and day after, perhaps feeling more attached to any of the Yoko Taro characters thus far. Just brilliant story telling.
I was surprised in a good way that the final ending was a bit happy. I was not expecting the final ending to be something where they get to live, even in Nier the final ending I don't consider to really be happy it's just kind of one choice of a terrible coin flip, but with this ending E it seems 2B, 9S and A2 are alive? If that's the case there is no Bunker or Project YoRHa left to dictate that 2B has to kill 9S so maybe they live happily ever after now? lol
I figured the alien thing was bullshit, but turned out that was real. Figured maybe that was part of the farce and that there were no aliens but there were. Lots and lots of questions though but I see there are some massive online lore sites dedicated to those types of questions everyone seems to have.
I'm curious if the sequel that is supposedly in development will actually continue this story or just be in the same world again. Not sure if Yoko has ever done a direct sequel but it's possible Squenix sees money in it too and may push him to do so, who knows.
Anyway, amazing game - sorry to hear some people in this thread seem to have stopped like on route B and so forth and missed the rest of the game.
