First Nier: Automata Review by Famitsu Translated: High Praise for Story, Visuals, Music and Gameplay

Giuseppe Nelva February 15, 2017 1:05 PM EST

The first review of NieR: Automata has been published by Famitsu, and it's definitely on the enthusiastic side.

Today’s issue of Weekly Famitsu included the first review of Nier: Automata, and it’s definitely enthusiastic. While western reviews are still a way out, we translated it for you, to let you know what media from the other side of the Pacific thinks on the upcoming game.

As usual, Famitsu reviews are handled by a panel of four writers, each of which expresses a separate opinion, and gives his/her own score out of ten, with a total of 40 points up for grabs.

NieR: Automata was scored ten out of ten by three reviewers, and nine out of ten by one, getting a 39/40 that is incidentally the same score awarded by the publication to Persona 5.

The introduction to the review also explains that the game lasts about ten hours to get to the first ending, and about thirty to reach the last ending.

As you can read below, the most praised elements are gameplay, visuals, story and music.

Production Values and Music, those two points are amazing. As the story progresses and hints are collected, the world full of mysteries becomes clearer, and the parts of the game that are a bit rough become trivial details.

In battle, when you can master the dodge with the R2 button, things become more interesting. Starting on the easy difficulty level is very user-friendly, and the various ways to reach the endings also give a good impression. I wish loading times were a little shorter. (Akiyama)

Score: 10/10

The view of the world is depressing but beautiful, and the story of the androids grabs the heart, working as a driving force for gameplay. The background music that creates the mood is also wonderful.

Using weapons and attack methods properly, for example fighting while using the Pod’s fire, is exhilarating and fun to play. From mechanics that surprise the player, to the slightly playful spirit, the features of Taro Yoko’s games are well presented, and irresistible for fans. (Ashida)

Score: 10/10

Poetically beautiful visuals and emotional sounds, and the stories of the androids painted with melancholy, instantly stole my heart. Within battles and event elements, fighting with elegant movements and flowing camera work, create a dramatic experience.

Everyone can easily customize difficulty to match his own skill. It’s also possible to enjoy tension in automatic mode, but customizing parts was a bit tiresome and reduced the fun (Namuko)

Score: 9/10

The refreshing feeling of avoiding attacks in battle is intense and feels good. The system that lets you fight alongside the pod also feels nice.

By steadily upgrading equipment and pods, you can get a feeling of progression and the RPG part of the game is tightly designed. While I’ll avoid story spoilers, there are many unique twists, that fans will enjoy. Playing the game was very exciting (Bunbunmaru)

Score: 10/10

Of course, we’ll publish our own review as soon as Square Enix sends us a review copy, but if you’re eagerly anticipating the game, things seem to be looking good.

NieR: Automata will launch in Japan for PS4 on February 23rd, in North America on March 7th, and in Europe on March 10th. A PC version on Steam has also been scheduled for this year, but no release window has been announced for that one just yet.

If you want to see more about the game, you can also check out the latest trailer, and a large chunk of new gameplay.