Nier: Automata Impressions

[Dirty Hipsters]

This game doesn't come close to being GOTY imo nor a 'must have', but it at the very least is worth trying out.

To avoid any spoilers, i'll be as non-specific as possible.
:The game is incredibly short for one. Getting 100 percent completion (weapons, skills, pods, chips, index, quests, etc) only took me roughly 33 hours, and that was while consistently playing on hardmode.
:This game doesn't quite qualify as a genuine 'open world' though many claim the game to be so. Each area is rather small or clustered with obstructions/ invisible walls, thus making it a very linear experience.
:While combat/movement mechanics are fluent, repetition sets in fast. You don't feel a sense of accomplishment for anything you do.

What really drives the nail in the coffin for me is the fact that this game should be thriving with its story telling and the characters involved. Everyone is boring or follows a typical trope of some kind. 2B is basically every would-be lonewolf badass you've ever seen in jrpgs or anime. 9s is the epitome of wimp trying to get into the spotlight (or at the very least, get out of the friendzone). A2 is a slightly less bland version of 2B. These 3 playable characters get about as much color and development in their life collectively as a side quest npc you only meet once. Now imagine how bad it is for the actual side characters. You can't get attached to anyone or anything in here, even if the game desperately name drops and refers to things from previous titles. This measly attempt at nostalgia barely adds a sense of importance to the world you are involved in and the 'people' around you.

TL;DR

Bland characters, small bland world with no sense of pace in story telling, fun yet repetitive combat. Too short a game.

Did we even play the same game?

You got 100% completion in 33 hours? How? It took me roughly 30 hours just to finish the A and B endings. I mean, I was playing at a somewhat leisurely pace and didn't fast travel as much as I probably should, but I was still doing every sidequest so I can't imagine it taking someone less than 40 hours to get 100% completion unless they knew some optimal path through the game. I'd agree that this isn't a genuinely open world game, but it's definitely not linear as you would say.

As far as characterization I feel like you're WAY off.

2B is the lone wolf badass? If she's supposed to be a lone wolf than why does she have a partner during almost every playable section of the game? Partners who she clearly cares about. She's also the most trusting of the playable characters.

9S is the epitome of a wimp? If anything he's more of the lone wolf. His model is literally made for solo missions, he's snarky and sarcastic, and at the start of the game he's the one most eager to fight the machines, constantly reminding 2B that machines are their enemy and that they don't have thoughts or feelings.