At first, many players were drawn to NieR: Automata by the character 2B.
Of course, so were also interested because of Gastar Electronic Entertainnt's reputation.
Takayuki was already considered a god in the eyes of gars worldwide.
Most players didn't even worry about whether the ga would be good—because every ga Gastar released had been excellent.
And with the success of Bayonetta, players were even more eager to try NieR: Automata.
However, they clearly didn't expect the tragic tone of the story.
They didn't think Takayuki would hit them so hard emotionally, leading the story into tragedy.
Most people only saw the ga's surface.
The strear girl had just finished the prologue. After a fierce battle, 2B and another android, 9S, sacrificed themselves to destroy a massive enemy machine. The mission was a success—but at a cost.
"Eh? It's over already? We just got started! Why are the characters dead already?"
"Wait, looks like they can be revived."
Before players could react, the screen lit up again. The ga now shifted to a side-scrolling view. 2B awakened and began moving around.
"Ohhh, I get it—they're androids. Even if their bodies are destroyed, as long as their consciousness survives, they can co back in a new body."
"That's such a cool system. If humans had sothing like this, we wouldn't have to worry about injuries or diseases anymore."
"You're thinking too far ahead. This kind of 'chanical transcendence' isn't that easy. Sure, AI consciousness can be copied—but human minds can't."
"Well, maybe for now. But in the future, I believe people might be able to upload consciousness too."
"Even if we could do that, who's to say consciousness itself won't have issues? Just like how bodies suffer from pain and illness."
"Alright, enough talk—focus on the story."
Viewers quieted down and returned to watching the stream.
Elsewhere, countless other players were also up all night playing NieR: Automata.
This ga wasn't like Titanfall, with its fast-paced campaign.
This was an RPG—character stats had to be built up over ti. It wasn't just about combat.
Naturally, the ga progressed at a slower pace.
According to Gastar's official estimate, a full first playthrough would take over 20 hours.
And the company recomnded three full playthroughs to fully experience the story—making the ga significantly longer.
This multi-playthrough format was sothing new that Gastar pioneered with NieR: Automata, and it later beca a standard feature in many of their titles, helping gas remain engaging for years.
So older gas were still being played thanks to this model—The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Ti was a pri example.
Even though its visuals were outdated, its gaplay remained tiless.
Gastar's data showed that Ocarina of Ti still had 3,000–4,000 weekly active players—even without online features. Those were true fans.
So, NieR: Automata being a multi-playthrough ga didn't surprise anyone.
In the original version, the ga's graphics weren't top-tier—more mid-range for its ti.
But Takayuki had significantly improved it.
With access to the powerful Unreal Engine, high-end graphics were no problem.
In fact, Gastar would have to try hard if they wanted to make a low-resolution ga.
Among early players, many rushed through the first playthrough.
So explored, while others focused on the story or speedrunning—ignoring stats and upgrades just to see the ending.
Strears, like the girl, fell into this group too. She needed to progress quickly so viewers could follow the plot.
She played non-stop and finally finished most of the first playthrough around 11 p.m. the next day.
The story reached a mont where 9S sacrificed himself to avoid corrupting the system. It seed he had died, but he suddenly revived in a captured enemy machine—creating a seemingly happy ending.
Viewers were satisfied. They felt it was a great ga, worth replaying. Many were now ready to dive in themselves.
The strear, exhausted, said:
"Everyone, I'm going to sleep now. Let's continue tomorrow and see where the story goes."
She ended the stream and fell asleep imdiately.
Back at Gastar HQ, Takayuki was reviewing the launch performance of NieR: Automata.
With over 1 million copies sold on day one, it was clear the ga was a hit.
The developnt lead for NieR stood beside him, tracking player progress using Gastar's online systems. They could now monitor things like playti, story progression, and achievent stats in real-ti.
So players had already completed most of the first playthrough—and the truly tragic parts of the story were coming up next.
The dev sighed when he saw the data.
"President Takayuki, I think players are going to be heartbroken soon."
Takayuki calmly replied:
"Are you worried they'll be upset?"
"Not really. Just feels a bit sad... So of them really like these characters, and now they'll have to go through those painful scenes."
Takayuki shrugged.
"Tragedy is the strongest storytelling tool. Every player understands that."
Reviews
All reviews (0)