NieR: Automata Developer Blog Details Development Process And Challenges

KO: In the previous title we did have theme songs for each character, but currently for this game we don't have a track per character. Instead, I did create music per scene or per emotion, that can be used for any character at any moment. However if Director Yoko-san feels that a certain song fits a certain character more than others, then it might end up becoming a theme song for that charac


We do have shorter side quests that are stand-alone: you just go and find an item, or fetch one for a NPC, but then we have other side quests that are a story in itself, and will have multiple chapters, conveying a longer st


This year's Square Enix E3 2016 presentation largely centered around Final Fantasy 15 , and rightfully so - the game took a decade to develop and has been heralded as one of the best JRPGs in recent memory. Unfortunately, however, and perhaps unjustly, that meant Platinum Games' NieR: Automata took a backseat on the grandest gaming stage of them all. Ever since gamers caught a first look at NieR: Automata , they've been intrigued by NieR: Automata 's grim industrial world and mysterious android protagonist, and news about the upcoming title has been difficult to come


NieR: Automata represents a big step forward for the series, as it attempts to correct the many mistakes that were made in the original NieR while also preserving its core sense of identity. Fans of the original game praise its story and character development as its biggest selling points, and NieR: Automata will have to carefully balance all of the innovations it is bringing to combat with the things that made the first NieR memorable in spite of its fl


The fact that it has been out in the arcades for quite a while helped Bandai Namco to tighten up the gameplay to the extreme like this kind of game really requires, but the visual doesn't look at all outdated. Tekken is back b


And that's it for this year's Tokyo Game Show. As usual, it was a ton of fun, with 49,536 steps walked on a bruised ankle (because some genius decided that it was fun to bump on me at full speed with an overloaded luggage cart at the airport). That said, the show doesn't end just yet on DualShockers, as we still have a metric ton of content to deliver. Look forward to it over the next few d


That will likely change in 2017, however, if the past few weeks have been any indiciation. Not too long ago, Square Enix announced that there would be a link between Final Fantasy 15 and NieR: Automata , a statement that showed a strong belief in the latter's development progress. Today, developer Platinum Games upped the ante even further, unleashing a 4.4 GB demo of NieR: Automata in the PlayStation Store. The demo also got an updated description once it went l

The gameplay of Nier: Automata is very similar to Nier. The bulk of the demo plays like a beat 'em up action RPG, where 2B has a strong and weak attack that she can string together in combos and can jump and dodge, all while using the right bumper to provide support fire from her floating gun turret. Platforming is thrown into the mix, though nothing really too elaborate was encountered. There is a section of aerial combat that was actually quite fun and added some variety, and the scale of the enormous enemy that was fought in this dogfight fashion was an impressive spectacle to behold. While this was a sudden shift in play style the transition was seamless, suggesting that the execution of incorporating multiple game genres is improved this time around. The battle controls in Nier: Automata make combat as enjoyable to control as it is to watch.


NieR: Automata was not playable at the show, but what was was showcased on stage was plenty to make it up for that. The return of beloved characters from the first game was great, but when we saw actual gameplay, many jaws drop


YS: In this world there are many androids, and many mechanical lifeforms as well, but we will be revealing more than ten of them in a trailer that we plan to release at Tokyo Game Show. Please look forward to t


As producer Yosuke Saito explains, the first step in the production of the sequel was all about making amends for the missteps of the first title. As it turns out, the harsh reaction from critics about the original game's lacklustre action sequences is exactly what led Saito to team up with Platinum Games this time around, a studio which had previously worked on Bayonetta and Metal Gear Solid: Revengeance . As we played a short period of the game in the boots of the android 2B, the studio's action experience was immediately apparent: combat felt very fluid, and it was easy to hack and slash with 2B's sword as she jumped and dashed across a battlefield of tin-can looking robotic enem

It took three different designers to arrive at the character you see now: One made the original concept, another made the full rough design, and a third (that’s me!) added all the additional details. I also worked on the designs for the other machine lifeforms you’ll find in NieR: Automata, making sure they have an appropriate amount of visual detail. I also check out here over all these designs with an eye towards what configurations and mechanical details would make for the best possible 3D character models.