NieR: Automata The End of YoRHa Edition (NSP, XCI) ROM + v1.0.1 Update + DLC

NieR: Automata is a 2017 action role-playing game developed by PlatinumGames and published by Square Enix. It is a sequel to Nier (2010), itself a spin-off of and sequel to the Drakengard series. Nier: Automata was originally released for the PlayStation 4 and Windows via Steam, and an Xbox One port was published the following year. A Nintendo Switch port was released in 2022.

GAMEPLAY

Nier: Automata is an action role-playing game (ARPG) in which players explore an open world. In addition to standard navigation on foot, the game features scenarios with flying mech battles, as well as a special item that can summon wild animals to ride. Non-playable characters (NPCs) found throughout the world offer quest objectives and shops in hub locations sell various items, including consumables that recover health.

Combat uses a real-time action-based hack and slash system, using both light and heavy attacks and combining them into different combination attacks. The player can also evade incoming attacks, gaining invulnerability or counterattack bonuses based on timing. The player is assisted by a flying “Pod” robot which launches customizable ranged attacks varying from simple gunfire to heavy-hitting hammer attacks. The first protagonist 2B alternates between two weapons, the second protagonist 9S combines light attacks with hacking into enemies, and the final protagonist A2 can sacrifice health to briefly boost her attack power. There are four classes of weapons available; short swords, long swords, bracers, and spears. Attacks with different weapon types can be charged and launched for increased damage.

STORY

The story of Nier: Automata is told across multiple playthroughs and alternating character perspectives. The first and second playthroughs follow the respective viewpoints of 2B and 9S during the latest android strikes against the Machines. After opening a route for future missions, they are sent to clear machine threats for Anemone’s Resistance forces. During their missions, 2B and 9S discover the Machines have been studying and imitating human behavior, such as wearing clothes, simulating sex, and creating hierarchies. The two work with a pacifist machine group led by Pascal; they battle Adam and Eve, physical manifestations of the Machine Network who reveal their creators were destroyed centuries ago and they encounter A2, a rogue YoRHa android.

Adam is killed by 2B after he captures 9S. During his recuperation, 9S discovers a glitch in YoRHa’s servers when syncing himself and 2B, and learns humanity was extinct long before the alien invasion. Humanity’s last remnant is a Moon-based server holding their genetic remains. YoRHa perpetuates the myth of their survival to maintain morale and give androids a “god” to fight for.

With Adam dead, Eve goes mad with grief and drives connected Machines into a frenzy. 2B and 9S kill Eve, but 9S becomes infected with Eve’s logic virus, forcing 2B to kill him. 9S’s consciousness survives within the local Machine Network.

SETTING AND CHARACTERS

Nier: Automata, which shares the post-apocalyptic setting of Nier, takes place thousands of years after the original game’s events. The Nier fictional universe exists in an alternative timeline within the Drakengard series. While carrying over the Drakengard tradition of a dark atmosphere and branching storylines, there is no direct narrative connection between Nier: Automata and the rest of the series. The story is set in 11945 AD and revolves around a proxy war between the human-made androids and an invading army of Machines from another world. Though they are prohibited from having emotions and lack true names, each android has a distinct personality.

The “YoRHa” android forces are commanded from the Bunker, a reconnaissance base that orbits Earth. Fending off the Machines, the YoRHa forces fight alongside pre-YoRHa Earth androids known as the Resistance. The game’s initial protagonist is 2B (short for “YoRHa No. 2 Type B”), a YoRHa combat android whose main traits are her calm and composure. 2B is accompanied by 9S (short for YoRHa No.9 Type S), a male “scanner” reconnaissance android who displays more emotion than other YoRHa units. The game later introduces another player character named A2, an obsolete attack android who often acts alone.

The androids are supported by Pod 042 and Pod 153, floating, box-like robots that act as ranged weapons. The game’s primary antagonists are Adam and Eve, twin controllers of the Machine Network; and the Red Girls, a construct within the Machine Network. Other characters include the Commander, YoRHa’s top officer; the resistance leader Anemone; Pascal, a machine who dislikes conflict and wishes for peace; Devola and Popola, early androids who suffer discrimination from the actions of their model series; and the original Nier character Emil, who has lost his memories in the intervening years after the original game.

NieR: Automata – The End of YoRHa Edition includes the content of the “3C3C1D119440927” DLC.*
Three types of colosseums are included, and three types of costumes based on characters from the related title, NieR Replicant, can be obtained as rewards.