Line #60 YMMV/NierAutomata


1	* AccidentalInnuendo: If you, as 9S, manage to put down all of air defence machine units at the start of Route C, 21O tells him that she has a "special surprise" for him in her bedroom (the surprise in question turns out to be some plugin chips). Made even worse by it being ''heavily'' implied in game that 21O views 9S as family.
2	* {{Adorkable}}: 9S' sweet, geeky mannerisms and [[ShipTease dynamic with 2B]] gets to be quite endearing. [[spoiler: Too bad that goes out the window in [[TraumaCongaLine Route]] [[WhamEpisode C.]]]]
3	* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation: Why would the commander [[spoiler:tell 9S that humanity is extinct? Was she planning to have 2B execute him shortly after, and therefore it didn't matter? Was it a test of character, and would she have allowed him to live if he stayed quiet? ''Or'' did she no longer see the point of keeping it a secret, since the machine war was soon to be over]]?
4	* AnnoyingVideoGameHelper: Invoked/parodied by Pod 042. All of the information it provides is rather self-evident, which usually causes 2B [[spoiler:or later, A2]] to respond with annoyed sarcasm. However, this is mainly for comic relief; it also gives the player hints for joke endings and important gameplay information.
5	* BaseBreakingCharacter: The fandom is pretty split on 9S. He's either whiny and annoying, or is the best and most interesting character by the end with a great performance by his voice actor, Creator/KyleMcCarley. It certainly doesn't help the debate that he ends up seriously eclipsing 2B in plot-relevance by Ending A; people who prefer 2B often see him as a ReplacementScrappy.
6	* BestKnownForTheFanservice: To at least some unfamiliar with ''Nier'', ''Automata'' is recognized as "the {{Creator/Platinum\|Games}} game with the sexy robot girl".
7	* BrokenBase:
8	** Route B, which is basically Route A, but [[PerspectiveFlip from 9S' point of view.]] Some see it as just different enough from Route A to be worthwhile, especially with [[OnceMoreWithClarity all the new information the player picks up]], and it's over fairly quickly thanks to 9S being an absolute GameBreaker. Others think that even the new revelations don't forgive it being mostly just a retread of Route A.
9	** There's also a lot of debate over the quality of the Japanese dialogue and voice acting versus the English dub. Some argue that 2B's localised character is completely changed from the original when translated.
10	* CaptainObviousReveal: Admittingly only one to players who finished ''VideoGame/NieR''. At the end of Route B, [[spoiler:9S and the audience learn that humanity has been extinct for a long time. For players jumping in at Automata, this is no doubt a big spoiler, but for people who played the original, it shouldn't be a surprise as they played through the events that ''caused'' the extinction of humanity.]]
11	** Even without the context of ''VideoGame/NieR'', the twist can be easy to figure out as early as the Council’s first canned message when the player arrives at the Desert, as [[spoiler:higher-ups masking an AwfulTruth and lying to their subordinates]] is a pretty common drama trope.
12	* CommonKnowledge: Canonically, 9S is only a few inches shorter than 2B, it's only her [[CombatStilettos impressive heels]] that make her seem taller. Doesn't stop the fanbase from almost universally drawing her as [[OneHeadTaller towering over him]] even when shoeless, mostly for [[FanPreferredCouple shipping purposes]].
13	* DemonicSpiders:
14	** In Hard difficulty and above, [[OneHitKill anything that fires dark orbs during the Flight Unit section is to be feared]]. Unlike on-foot section, you usually don't have room nor speed advantage to evade.
15	** EMP machine lifeforms during [[spoiler: Route C]] can disable various functions temporarily, including your ability to fight, movement speed and visual field. The latter disfunction will blur and pixelate your screen, making it near impossible to make out the ample action going on around you. To top it off, they are always accompanied by generic combat lifeforms that suddenly become far harder to beat.
16	** [[spoiler: Corrupted Yorha soldiers]] are lightning bruisers through and through and use the same swift weapon and evasion combinations as [[spoiler: 2B, 9S and A2]]. The combat sequences that involve them also typically involve multiple of them attacking you at once. Made worse by the fact that [[spoiler:they don't give out wind-up clues like machines do and their attacks come out fast]].
17	** Linked-Sphere Type Machines are notorious for being invulnerable everywhere except the core orb ''that keeps changing position'', while their entire body causes contact damage. The fact that they defy gravity and fly in erratic patterns while chasing you does not help. [[spoiler: Fortunately if you're playing as 9S, they're just as susceptible to hacking as every other rank-and-file enemy.]]
18	* DifficultySpike: Route C is when the game starts introducing enemies that can attack with EMP blasts (which disable certain functions like attacking or dodging), as well as introducing especially-tough bosses like Hegel and [[spoiler: the infected [=YoRHa=] troops among the rank-and-file enemies, who fight just as well as the player can (minus the pod functions). The destruction of the Bunker early in the Route]] also means {{Permadeath}} is enforced from that point on, which makes regularly saving your game more important than ever.
19	* EnsembleDarkhorse: Despite only appearing in Route C for ''one'' sidequest, 4S has a disproportionately large presence in fanart and fanworks, thanks to his friendly attitude, [[TheAntiNihilist encouraging advice to 9S]] and being one of the only other [=YoRHa=] androids [[spoiler:still alive after the fall of the Bunker]]. A good deal of the popularity is perhaps due to [[FanPreferredCouple 2B/9S]] fans pairing him up [[PairTheSpares with A2]] [[BetaCouple as a foil]] to the two leads.
20	** The same could also be said for 11B, a member of 2B's squadron in the opening, [[WeHardlyKnewYe who was promptly shot down by a laser]]. Despite not even uttering a [[FlatCharacter single line of dialogue]] (other than her text-only final words after crashing], she seems consistently popular within fanworks, particularly fanfiction. It mostly helps because she wanted to desert [=YoRHa=] after crashing, and so many fanfic writers [[ThrowTheDogABone rewrote it to make her survive her initial crash so she could finally fufil her dream]].
21	* EvenBetterSequel: Among general audiences, this is considered the first Yoko Taro game to be genuinely good in all regards besides just story and music, thanks to it building upon the first [=NieR=]'s foundation and improving it substantially. Among Yoko's core fanbase, opinions can vary somewhat on whether this or ''Replicant''/''Gestalt'' has a better story and characters, but Automata is still considered to be great in that area generally and far better in most others, even when compared to the Replicant remaster.
22	* FanNickname:
23	** Some people have taken to calling the game some variation of ''[[VideoGame/MetalGearRisingRevengeance Metal Nier Rising: Revengeance]]'', due to the developers and the fact that some of 2B's animations look similar to Raiden's in that particular game. The fact that she looks like a grown-up Sunny is also a big reason for this.
24	** "Toobie": 2B as often called on Website/FourChan and elsewhere. This also has roots in ''{{Franchise/Star Wars}}'', of all things - the droids there, while having letter designations, are often referred to as "Artoo" and "Threepio" in scripts and written material.
25	** "2Bae" is also pretty common thanks to her visual appeal.
26	** "Mecha Youmu" / "Robo Youmu" / "Hyper Youmu": 2B as often called by ''Franchise/TouhouProject'' fans, due to her looking pretty much like an older version of Youmu Konpaku. The game as a whole, for the same reason, is also known as ''Myon Automata''.
27	** Creator/KiraBuckland is rather fond of calling her "Toobs," to complement 9S's nickname of "Nines."
28	** Some have called the game ''[=NieR=]: Automatic[==]Atomic Tomatoes'', as a way of poking fun at how the fandom is divided on how the subtitle should be pronounced.
29	** “2Booty” is used to refer to 2B’s… [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin well, booty.]] So much so that the most popular [=NieR=] porn subreddit is straight-up called r/2Booty.
30	* FandomEnragingMisconception: Complaints about the game being "only 10 hours long". This immediately signals to fans that the complainer is unfamiliar with a recurring narrative choice from Yoko Taro's other work, where [[NewGamePlus repeated playthroughs]] slowly uncover a fuller picture radically different from the first ending--which, on its own, is not so heinous. However, ''this'' game explicitly warns the player that they need to keep playing past Ending A.
31	* FanficFuel: Major spoilers: [[spoiler: The many, many times 2B has killed 9S in the past, plus the fact that he knows she's been doing this [[IKnowYouKnowIKnow but she doesn't know that he knows (at least at first)]], and the complex nature of their relationship together are ripe for fanfic. So ripe, in fact, that two official novellas and a stage play was written about several of these instances.]]
32	* {{Fanon}}:
33	** While 9S's feelings for her are [[LoveHurts not ambiguous in the slightest]] and she clearly also cares about him quite a bit, the game carefully avoids clarifying whether 2B's feelings for him are [[PlatonicLifePartners platonic]] or [[OfficialCouple romantic]] in nature (something which Yoko Taro [[ShrugOfGod declined to comment on]]). The fanbase, by a rather overwhelming margin, [[FanPreferredCouple tends to assume the latter]], with searches for 2B/9S on Website/ArchiveOfOurOwn having approximately ''eight times'' as many results as the next most popular pairing, 2B/6O.
34	** Many fans like to assume A2 used to be in a relationship with A4, a member of her squadron that [[HeroicSacrifice sacrificed herself to destroy the machine server on Mount Ka'ala]]. In canon, neither character exhibits any romantic attraction to one another, nor do they have any closer bond than the rest of the squadmates.
35	** It's frequently assumed that 2B is the one who [[spoiler:came up with the nickname "Nines" in the first place for one of 9S's previous incarnations.]]
36	** Since he's one of the only [=YoRHa=] androids [[spoiler:still alive after the destruction of the bunker]], fanworks frequently bump 4S up to equal importance with the three leads, especially in those taking place after Ending E, either as a best friend for 9S or a love interest for A2 (or both.)
37	* FanworkOnlyFans: Since 2B is a MsFanservice with nice proportions, she has a fandom consisting of people who only know her for the vast amounts of Rule34 that was even encouraged by the creator. Any of her actual struggles or personalities go under the radar in a lot of these fan works, with the maybe exception of her tsundere tendencies that are actually a part of her CharacterDevelopment and relationship to emotions, but in those fanworks are just repurposed for comedy or to tease 9S. Even 9S has this since his status as the male lead makes him used by artists as a guy for 2B to dominate, especially thanks to the [[CommonKnowledge false perception]] that 2B still towers him even without her heels. In fact, 9S' actual character and arc is pretty much lost in a lot of fanworks pairing him with 2B, since one actually has to invest quite a bit of time to find out what's under his surface.
38	* FriendlyFandoms:
39	** With, perhaps surprisingly, ''VideoGame/Persona5''. One might expect they'd be another set of DuelingGames, but their releases were spaced ''just'' far enough apart in English that ''P5'' came out right as many dedicated players were wrapping up their time with ''Automata''. It also helps that, in a lot of ways, the two narratives actually discuss similar issues - "children" (the androids and machines in ''Automata'''s case) being burdened with the expectations and societal pressure of their "elders". While the two games ultimately take much different tacks on things, many see them as being unintentional companion pieces.
40	** This is especially ironic since Yoko Taro actually released [[https://youtu.be/6LT62mVaIpA a video]] during ''Automata'''s development, despairing over ''P5'' and Atlus working on a fantasy game next, fearing it would muscle in on the territory of his usual games.
41	** Some of the English dub cast of ''Automata'' are also part of the English dub cast of ''P5'' (namely, Creator/CheramiLeigh, who voices A2 in ''Automata'' and Makoto in ''P5'', Creator/CassandraLeeMorris, who voices Operator 6O in ''Automata'' and Morgana in ''P5'', Creator/MatthewMercer, who voices the Council of Humanity in ''Automata'' and Yusuke in ''P5'', and Creator/DCDouglas, who voices Pod 042 in ''Automata'' and Kamoshida in ''P5'').
42	* GameBreaker:
43	** For 2B and [[spoiler:A2]], and even 9S to an extent, the chips that heal when damage is dealt combined with the chips that greatly increase damage output, effectively make them indestructible. As long as they can deal damage they heal faster than most enemies can hurt them, plus it also makes healing items basically irrelevant. On normal difficulty you can mow through most bosses with this setup in about thirty seconds. The chip system can give your character so much raw attack power that the choice of weapon becomes more or less just cosmetic.
44	** On a similar note, the Deadly Heal chips coupled with chips increasing your maximum HP. Kill a thing, get hundreds, if not thousands, of HP back.
45	** With [[spoiler:A2]] in particular the Offensive and Deadly Heal chips are ''especially'' powerful, since it means [[spoiler: you can use your Berserker Mode without worrying too much about running out of health, [[AttackAttackAttack since as long as you can keep up the offensive and don't get hit with too hard an attack you'll be passively healing enough to offset the HP drain.]]]]
46	** Another potent combination is Auto-Heal and Anti-Chain Damage chips. The former will very quickly heal the wearer back up to full HP if they don't take damage for a certain amount of time, while Anti-Chain grants the user invincibility for a few seconds after being hit. At higher levels, Anti-Chain will make the character immune to damage longer than it takes for Auto-Heal to start working, making the character effectively immortal. The only downsides are that Anti-Chain doesn't work in some situations (like flight battles) and that the combination doesn't help at all if you get killed in one hit.
47	** [[spoiler: 9S's]] hacking ability. If a player masters the non-scaling HackingMinigame they can pretty much trivialize all combat, the normal Detonate command does a ton of damage to any enemy regardless of level. Coupled with the Combust chip that increases the damage and the Stun chip that can stunlock the victim and do splash damage to those around it, all but the super bosses and end game bosses will die in seconds.
48	*** If you're finding you can't really master it, don't worry, just give yourself an Auto-Heal chip. You'll regenerate ''while'' you're attempting hacking, so just a +1 or +2 of them will heal back damage taken from a failed hack attempt while you try a second time anyway. Combine it with an Anti Chain Damage chip (in case something's in the middle of hitting you when you start your hack) if you really want to ensure your hacking is downright risk-free.
49	** If you shoot your pod while targeting your enemy, your pod auto-aims to wherever your target is, and you can shoot while doing your standard melee combos. Proper use of this can add tons of efficiency to fighting enemies, and make bosses naturally easier (on top of the potential for laming out enemies at range). The above, and others, are probably why the lock on function is disabled in higher difficulties.
50	** The blade pod ability in the max charged form, it will generate 3 blades around the character that will make mincemeat cans of anything around, especially the larger enemies and bosses. It is offset by the large recharge time afterwards but most times there won't be any meaningful resistance left after the attack.
51	** Likewise, the Wave program, especially if powered up to a three-pod charge. While it won't target flying enemies, it has a mind-boggling range and can oneshot even Goliath Tanks.
52	** In the Underground Colosseum, the axe-wielding small bot is deceptively powerful. Its spinning attack stunlocks and destroys most enemies, and its walking speed is fairly decent. You can win fights above your level using it as long as you're careful (just don't try it with the exploding enemies).
53	* GeniusBonus: The game makes many references to philosophical concepts and names many of its characters after prominent philosophers. Obvious examples include Sartre, Beauvoir, Engels, Pascal, Hegel, etc. This keeps in-line with the game's heavy focus on existential ideas, and players familiar with philosophy will get much more out of the parallels and subtle references than those who are unfamiliar.
54	* GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff: Chinese love ''[=NieR=]: Automata'' to the point that Creator/YuiIshikawa voiced for several popular Chinese-made games, such as ''Videogame/AzurLane'', ''Videogame/{{Arknights}}'', and ''Videogame/PunishingGrayRaven'', among others, while not straying too much from the stoic archetype and silver or blonde haired appearance.
55	* GoddamnedBats:
56	** Many of the small machine lifeforms pose little threat, but become a hassle when encountered in large groups, especially because many of them will use chain attacks that can stunlock you without a certain plug-in chip in place. The game furthermore loves to sick a bunch of these otherwise weak enemies on you during battles where your focus should go out to far more dangerous machine lifeforms on the battlefield.
57	** The flying machine forms during the flight unit sequences can become troublesome if left alive for too long, as they will fill the screen with bullets.
58	* GoodBadBugs: The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24ww_hN8W5I Self-destruct jump]] allows you to glitch through the map and reach locked areas early.
59	** Or just the fact that initiating Self-destruct acts as a LagCancel. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pPG8lCrtHQo A taste]].
60	** There was [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1SXvRjigmU a bug that make you invincible]] by moving in a particular way while engaging in dialog with [=NPCs=].
61	* SugarWiki/HeReallyCanAct: Creator/KiraBuckland proved to a lot of people that she could move past her reputation of only playing [[GenkiGirl Genki Girls]] with her very subdued performance of 2B.
62	** This was also the game that proved that Creator/CheramiLeigh, previously [[{{Typecasting}} pigeonholed into playing]] happy-go-lucky characters, could more than handle [[PlayingAgainstType playing someone]] as bitter and cold as A2.[[note]]She somewhat returns to her roots when voicing No. 2 (aka A2 before the events of ''Automata'') in the anime adaptation.[[/note]]
63	** Similarly, Creator/KyleMcCarley, a relative newcomer to the voice actor scene, gave an excellent performance as 9S and really proved his acting chops.
64	* HilariousInHindsight:
65	** [=2B's=] design as having white-hair, black clothing, and a blindfold, is similar to how Riku, one of the ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'' protagonist (which Creator/SquareEnix also made), was dressed throughout ''VideoGame/KingdomHearts358DaysOver2'' and a few cutscenes in ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII''.
66	** Yoko Taro once explained there's no way his games could compete with the likes of ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' or ''Franchise/DragonQuest'' if [[MindScrew he didn't]] [[PlayerPunch try to]] [[GainaxEnding stand out]] [[DeconstructiveParody somehow]]. Come ''[=NieR=]: Automata'', it was [[SleeperHit able to compete]] with all the biggest games at the time of release, garner a huge player base like other triple-A games, and even had a crossover with ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV'' and ''VideoGame/SoulCaliburVI''.
67	** [[spoiler:The fact that what's left of humanity on the moon is just some human genome database]] becomes especially hilarious when some real-world scientists [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_p4qrYetW1c planned to do something similar]].
68	* HoYay:
69	** Adam grabbing 9S's chin, forcing him to look at him before stroking his face as he holds him captive to taunt 2B.
70	** The Stageplays has 9H and his relationship with 2D, contrasting their Scanner and female counterpart from the game. It also helps InUniverse that androids are attracted to personality first and gender second.
71	* InformedWrongness: The child machine you escort in ''Family Squabble'' is painted as a SpoiledBrat for being mad at his mother for [[ParentalFavoritism constantly praising his brother]], [[MisBlamed blaming him for a plate his younger sibling broke]], and [[UsefulNotes/VictimBlaming saying it was his fault when his brother hit him]]. If anything, it sounded like he was running away from an abusive mother.
72	** Though this is subverted at the end of the quest, as both his parents do wind up [[ParentsAsPeople acknowledging their faults and apologizing.]]
73	* JustHereForGodzilla: Quite a lot of people got interested in the game either because of Creator/PlatinumGames' involvement or because of 2B's design, which [[SexSells went memetic and spawned tons of fanart and cosplay]].
74	* MemeticMutation:
75	** "Perfectly rendered butthole." [[note]]A picture released on Twitter of 2B's butt which shows her anus beneath her underwear caused intrigue from fans of the franchise, and lead to an increase in fan-art. Unsurprisingly, this ultimately turned out to be a photoshopped image, not that it stopped people from joking about it afterwards.[[/note]]
76	*** Creator Yoko Taro himself has [[AscendedMeme acknowledged]] the meme, [[https://twitter.com/yokotaro/status/818064875456843780 complaining that collecting all of the images and fan-art being passed around was a pain and that he hoped that fans would zip them up and distribute them on a weekly basis.]]
77	** "[[TooDumbToLive Do not fist android girls]]" [[note]]A picture of a 2B cosplayer carrying [[https://external-preview.redd.it/xiy85bnqzMjvJ8pxleNYzSWUPWBtHKIVDDkyNgusSwg.jpg?width=680&auto=webp&s=bd4b53079e29f6c71a0065ed0583996e11d457bb this sign]], usually as a ReactionShot whenever 2B and NotSafeForWork content are mentioned[=/=]posted together.[[/note]]
78	*** "[[WesternAnimation/TreasurePlanet You give up a few things, chasing a dream...]]"[[note]] [[https://pics.me.me/you-give-up-a-few-things-chasing-a-dream-fydisneymisfits-46115678.png This image]] of John Silver from WesternAnimation/TreasurePlanet hinting at what caused him to lose his limbs (specifically, his arm) has become a popular reaction to the aforementioned "Do not fist android girls" image, usually by either artists who draw NSFW art of 2B or those who like NSFW art of 2B.[[/note]]
79	*** There also exists a picture of [[WesternAnimation/SpongebobSquarepants Squidward Tentacles with his face squashed from "Squidward the Unfriendly Ghost"]] that is often paired with pictures of 2B, with the caption "2B canonically weighs 328 lbs." on it, implying that this is the fate of those who wish for her to sit on their face.
80	** You're thinking about how much you want to [-＊＊＊＊-] 2B, aren't you? [[note]]An in-game quote that often goes hand-in-hand with the above meme. The most obvious replacement for the asterisks is [[BestKnownForTheFanservice "fuck"]], but in the game, 9S wants to [[InterplayOfSexAndViolence both "fuck" and "kill"]] 2B, which has led some fans to jokingly replace the asterisks with any four-letter word that fits.[[/note]]
81	** THIS CANNOT CONTINUE/BECOME AS GODS[[note]]Certain oft-repeated {{Madness Mantra}}s of the machines.[[/note]]
82	** NIER AUTOMATA T-SHIRT! [[BitingTheHandHumor SHIT SQUARE ENIX!]][[note]]A [[https://youtu.be/hhDL3Q86ofY video announcing a pre-order bonus t-shirt for the game ends with Yoko Taro rolling on the floor chanting the first sentence over and over before suddenly blurting out the second one.]][[/note]]
83	** [[Theatre/{{Hamlet}} 2B or not 2B.]][[note]]2B's name spelling is similar to the phrase 'To Be', which led her to get involved with the joke with one of Hamlet's most famous scenes. Usually accompanied with 2B holding a skull or someone else's head.[[/note]]
84	** [[VideoGame/FallGuysUltimateKnockout 2Bean.]][[note]]On June 10, 2021, a new ''Fall Guys'' costume based on 2B was announced. This "2Bean" costume prompts a ton of reactions from everyone, mostly directed at how ''Fall Guys''' character design makes the 2B costume look very short and pudgy in contrast to how 2B actually looks in her own game.[[/note]]
85	** It's all fucking lewds!!![[note]]A piece of [[https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/001/229/370/91a.jpg fanart]] depicting 2B in shock about the amount of porn art there is of her online, which quickly became a popular reaction image and a subject for redraws featuring other characters with large amounts of RuleThirtyFour art. A second drawing depicting 9S cheerily shouting the same line, flashing two thumbs up and sporting a {{nosebleed}}, similarly achieved popularity as [[https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/001/924/493/132.png a counterpart]] to the 2B version.[[/note]]
86	** Emil ruins the moment.[[note]]After his debut, Emil will drive around the city with a jingle advertizing his products. This would even occur in serious moments, where it can be jarring to hear his jingle playing in cutscenes such as [[spoiler:Devola and Popola arriving to help 9S]][[/note]]
87	* {{Moe}}: 6O can be very endearing thanks to her perky voice and demeanor, especially when she gushes over 2B sending her a photo of a desert rose.
88	* MoralEventHorizon:
89	** The [[spoiler:Terminals]] cross it when [[spoiler: they use clones of 2B, 9S's deceased love interest to assassinate him]]. If they didn't cross it when [[spoiler: attacking the Bunker or siccing a possessed Operator 21O on 9S to mess with him]], that is.
90	** [[spoiler:Prototype No.9]] crosses it when it was revealed that he set in motion for [[spoiler:The Backdoor to be built into the Bunker despite a hundred year time span between the Bunker being built and the Backdoor being designed.]]
91	* MorePopularSpinoff: Due to Platinum's involvement it has become the most well-known game in the Franchise/{{Drakengard}} franchise, surpassing even the original [=NieR=] in terms of mainstream attention.
92	* {{Narm}}: The SignatureScene of Route A ([[spoiler:in which Pascal and 2B escape from a factory full of a psychotic suicide-death cult]]) also shows off [[ArtificialStupidity a follower's inability to keep up during a platforming segment]]. Watching [[spoiler:Pascal]] gleefully run off of platforms, fall into the abyss, and get teleported back to the player -- or get outright left behind until the next screen -- really detracts from the seriousness of the scene, though it contributes to its [[MemeticMutation memetic comedy]] while retaining its fun.
93	** The sheer amount of trauma that [[TraumaCongaLine 9S goes through in Route C]] with ''zero'' breaks in between can, for some players, cross the line between tragic and [[BlackComedy borderline farcical]]. It's hard to say exactly where the line is drawn, but a good example is probably when the boss fight against a BrainwashedAndCrazy [[spoiler:Operator 21O]] is immediately followed up by ''another'' boss fight - this time against the [[spoiler:injured "Big Brother" machine from [[BrickJoke the beginning of Route A]] and a small horde of "little brother" machines who were trying desperately to repair him, each of them attacking you while, adorably, carrying a little bucket on their heads.]]
94	** 2B's Stripperiffic outfit. Any time the game attempts to sell some big melancholy, philosophically weighty or emotionally haunting moment, only to give you a robot upskirt in the middle of an otherwise impactful scene, it's hard not to roll your eyes.
95	* NarmCharm: Normally, having a chorus only singing "la" repeatedly would be indicative of amateurish lyric-writing, but it works effectively in the "[E]nd of [=YoRHa=]" version of "Weight of the World" because [[spoiler:that final chorus is the game's entire production staff (which means many of them aren't professional vocalists), and they're trying to cheer you on as you push your way through Ending E's difficult credits sequence with the help of other players' save data]]. A [[https://youtu.be/gUGZzp6kY60?t=3914 live-concert version]] of the song embraced the same principle by [[spoiler:getting the audience to be the final chorus]].
96	* NeverLiveItDown: Due to the infamous [[MemeticMutation 2B butthole controversy]] as well as the fact that many discussions about the game turn into [[BestKnownForTheFanservice "let's stare at and talk about 2B's butt"]], a lot of people dismiss the game as being primarily a fanservice vehicle. Something that irritates many people within the actual fanbase, particularly fans of Yoko Taro's [[VideoGame/{{Drakengard}} previous]] [[VideoGame/{{Nier}} games]], who feel this reputation is damaging and causes people to overlook the game's numerous merits such as its story, gameplay, characterization, and music.
97	* OneSceneWonder: Despite only appearing in an optional sidequest and being completely irrelevant to the plot, the machines' rendition of ''Theatre/RomeoAndJuliet'' (or rather, ''Romeo'''s''' and Juliet'''s''''') is one of the funniest and most memorable scenes in the game. [[https://www.researchgate.net/publication/333399030_O_Romeo_Romeo_then_Let_Us_Cull_Thy_Numbers_and_Other_Thoughts_about_the_Displacement_of_Human_Creativity There was even an entire academic paper]] on it!
98	* {{Padding}}: Route B, mostly a rehash of route A from 9S's perspective, is often criticized for artificially increasing the length of the game. While it ''does'' provide some insight into some characters and events, the new scenes add little to the overarching narrative until 2B and 9S split up near the end and more interesting [[TheReveal reveals]] start coming to the surface.
99	* PlayerPunch: This game ''will'' break your heart while you play it, but no instance is as brutal as chapter 14. A2 spends hours getting to know Pascal’s village, running errands and helping build a slide for the "children", you get immersed in that cute and comfy atmosphere, like an oasis of peace and innocence after things went awry in the outside world. [[spoiler:Then the logic virus hits, most of the villagers lose their mind and start killing their kins, so you help Pascal and the survivors escape to the abandoned factory. After fending off the waves of hostile machines coming for them, you go back to the factory… only to find that the villagers have all commited suicide out of fear. After which you have three options: [[MercyKill kill Pascal]], wipe his memories to preserve his sanity, or walk away without a word, [[WhatTheHellHero which Pascal will call you out for.]]]] Should you choose the second option, when you switch back to 9S’s point of view [[spoiler:you can talk to an amnesiac Pascal, who will sell you some scrap and seems to be doing fine]], so you could say it is the least painful option. That is, until you realize the "scrap" is selling you [[spoiler:is the remains of the dead children.]]
100	* PolishedPort: The Nintendo Switch version, also known as The End of [=YoRHa=] Edition, while having the caveat of running at 30fps as opposed to 60 and the usual lower texture resolution, is masterfully done by Virtuos, as their impressive track record of porting games to the Switch holds true here. Not only does it maintain a stable frame rate cap throughout with very few dips in busier scenes, docked or portable, it also boasts all the previously released DLC included in the base game at launch, as well as a few new exclusive DLC costumes based on [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV 2P]], Pod Skins based on [[VideoGame/NierReincarnation [=NieR=] Re[in]carnation]], as well as an exclusive kimono outfit and accessories (which can be equipped right out of the gate after the intro battle, and they’re '''FREE''' for good measure). The same can't be said for...
101	* PortingDisaster: Oh boy...
102	** On release, the PC port of Automata had a LOT of issues (most likely caused by Denuvo, the game's UsefulNotes/DigitalRightsManagement system). The game refused to display at the correct resolution, white screens forcing reloads, CTD's and crashes, pre-rendered cutscenes stuttered, among other things. A fan-made mod called ''FAR'' was developed that helped address these problems, but for some people, the crashes were still around and made the game basically impossible to enjoy, and it didn't seem to have much of a rhyme or reason as to why. The port was left in this state for '''4 years''', leading to a lot of criticism towards Square-Enix. A supposedly new port of the game was developed for Microsoft's [=GamePass=] service, which people hoped would fix the problems, but [[https://www.pcgamer.com/sadly-nier-automata-and-the-evil-within-on-game-pass-arent-actually-better-pc-ports/ it didn't.]] A patch was ''finally'' announced in April 2021 and when it finally came out, most of the issues were ''finally'' fixed (this was also when Denuvo was removed), making the fan-made FAR mod mostly unnecessary.
103	*** One of the main criticisms of the port that still hasn't been fixed is that playing ''[=NieR=]: Automata'' on keyboard is a pain in the behind [[EasierThanEasy unless you]] [[AntiFrustrationFeatures equip several auto-chips]]. Crucial functions like Evade lack a dedicated button and require a quick double-tap on a movement button instead. That naturally costs a split second of extra time that can and will get you killed on higher difficulties. Worse still are the control cross' functions, like switching weapon sets, pods or consumables - accessing them on a keyboard is so unbelievably awkward that using any of them in combat may break the flow as it momentarily pause the game as you navigate the short menus. A mod called NAIOM overhauls a lot of this and makes the controls on KB+M far better, which is strongly recommended for anyone who wants to play the game this way.
104	* ScrappyMechanic:
105	** Minor one, but sometimes the game will lock-on to nearby animals instead of the hostile Machines charging at you.
106	** Automatic chip install loves to put in chips that [[spoiler:aren't compatible with the character you're currently playing]].
107	** When you die, you drop all your plug-in chips and have to retrieve them from your corpse. If you die again, the chips are lost forever. Spent time grinding up that max-efficiency Auto-Heal +6? Sucks to be you!
108	** The hacking minigames can be this for players who are not good at shoot 'em ups, especially since many of the more difficult ones are pure BulletHell. This is exacerbated by the fact that, unlike with the other shoot 'em up parts of the game, you can't use any supporting weapons or healing items in the hacking sections, nor does levelling up make them any easier. Most of the plot-critical hacking sections are thankfully on the easier side, but this isn't so with the ones found in [[spoiler:the Soul Box]]; they can be a serious pain in the ass, and you ''need'' to clear them in order to progress with the game.
109	* SelfFanservice: 2B gets this despite already being a MsFanservice. Her in-game character model is fit and skinny, but because of the memetic-ness of her PantyShot moments, R34 artists tend to give her curves rivaling someone like VideoGame/{{Haydee}}. Even her own character page on this very wiki attributes HartmanHips and an ImpossibleHourglassFigure to her! Amply demonstrated [[https://memestatic1.fjcdn.com/comments/+_515ea0d6e3d4d2d4f39ffea19fec3b00.jpg here]].
110	* SequelDisplacement: ''Automata'' is far more popular than the first game, to the point that you can assume anyone referring to "''Nier''" is talking about this one unless they specify otherwise.
111	* ShipMates: 2B x 9S shippers get along well with A2 x 4S shippers, giving the two MsFanservice leads a cute Scanner boyfriend.
112	* ShipsThatPassInTheNight: A surprisingly large amount of fan works pair up A2 with 4S, the lone scanner in the forest castle's library, despite the fact that they never meet and the latter is only encountered for a single optional sidequest.
113	* SignatureScene: For the game as a whole, the entire opening mission is probably the most iconic part of the game, setting the tone for what's to come. For the individual routes...
114	** Route A: [[spoiler: 2B and Pascal trying to escape from the factory while surrounded by a psychotic, robotic death cult is probably the second most famous sequence in the entire game, after the opening mission.]]
115	** Route B: [[spoiler: 9S discovering the extinction of humanity, especially considering it's where the plot starts to go off the rails]].
116	** Route C: [[spoiler: The Fall of Yorha, in particular A2 MercyKilling 2B at the end of it.]]
117	** Route E: [[spoiler:The FinalBoss being the end credits in a ShootEmUp, with the player failing over and over again until someone sacrifices their save file to help you win as The Weight of the World rotates the 8-bit, English, and Japanese versions blasting in the background and other players write words of encouragement for you. This culminates in a final scene showing the Pods successfully rebuilding 2B, A2, and 9S, free from their programming at last in a rare EarnYourHappyEnding for a Yoko Taro game.]]
118	* SpiritualAdaptation: Doujin shmup fans may find themselves thinking, "Oh hey, it's ''VideoGame/EtherVapor 3'' / ''VideoGame/{{Astebreed}} 2''!" due to the perspective-changing shmup mechanics in many parts of the game, particularly at the very start of the game.
119	* SugarWiki/SuperlativeDubbing: In case it isn't clear, the game is widely considered to be a step away from a ''perfect'' game dub, with some thinking it even manages that final step. Creator/KiraBuckland, Creator/KyleMcCarley, Creator/CheramiLeigh and Creator/CassandraLeeMorris are standout performances, but there's practically not a bad performance in the entire game. There are occasionally questions about the script ''itself'', but the performers go the distance with the material they're given.
120	* SuspiciouslySimilarSong: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3CQyZ6L_xdo End Of The Unknown]] sounds like a more upbeat techno version of [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUjcsNDVCLc Pandora's boss theme]] from ''VideoGame/Persona1''.
121	* ThatOneBoss:
122	** Hegel, a [[spoiler:gigantic airborne machine worm]] that can [[spoiler:separate itself into multiple ball segments, each with hefty HP and lay into you from all directions with synchronized death ray, bullet hell AND rolling attack if you don't pay attention to minimap and what it is doing]]. Even worse, [[spoiler:the gimmick is that it's an ''easy-mode'' version of the final Emil fight, since it's a machine mimicking Emil]].
123	** The first boss is this purely because [[ThatOneLevel the first level does not allow you to save until you beat him]]. Just getting to him can take a good thirty minutes to an hour, and if you don't die to the sawblade miniboss before him, you'll most certainly die to him as he can one shot you on hard mode. When you do, you're treated to a fake ending and booted back to the title screen, forcing you to start the game over ''from the beginning''.
124	* ThatOneLevel:
125	** Some of the harder hacking arcade sequences played with 9S can be quite a challenge, mainly because while the sequences get more difficult, you will always go down in 3 hits. Some of these have a strong bullet hell vibe to them, and you can't get any upgrades to make your unit more powerful in the sequences.
126	** A notorious one appears in the [[spoiler: Soul Box resource recovery unit]], which has nothing but hacking sequences that need to be completed to get to the key. One of these sequences has you engage a core that's hostile from the start, multiple shooting units and multiple turret enemies, all the while the border of the arena is made up of damaging red blocks, with more red blocks placed throughout the little space, meaning you have to navigate carefully or lose your lives quickly. Once you enter this particular room, white blocks also lock the entrance until you complete it, so no cheap luring tactics either. You also can't access this room until you deal with multiple other cores in the sequence, meaning that if you die, you'll have to do it all over again.
127	** Later sequences introduce enemy variations with nasty specifics, such as shooting and turret units with armor that can only be hit in certain places and cores that fire a continuous stream of shots with perfect tracking that can't be completely countered with your own shots, thus forcing you to deal with the other hostiles while avoiding its constant shots, because cores only become vulnerable once all other hostile units have been destroyed. And then there's the red blocks that deal contact damage, see the example above.
128	** The lower levels of the Abandoned Factory have crushers that [[OneHitKill instantly kill you]], and their hitboxes are deceptively large to the point where you can die just by barely clipping their edges. That isn't that bad on Route A, and Route B skips the worst of it, but the true frustration occurs when, if you want all the Archives and weapons, you have to come back here as 9S during Route C. There, [[BlackoutBasement the whole place is dark]], [[BossInMookClothing some of the enemies are replaced by Lv 99 versions]] and some of the crushers are still active. And given that this is Route C [[spoiler: getting one-hit-killed by a crusher sends you back to your last save.]] Oh, and the warp points here don't activate until you re-find them on Route C, so you have to backtrack the hard way.
129	** In Route C [[spoiler: playing as 2B after she's been infected with the virus]]. You have to walk from the coast to the shopping mall while suffering from damage that periodically disables your ability to do anything but walk. Keep in mind that, at this point in the game, there's a massive crater directly between these two points. You can be attacked by enemies, who will often knock you back and away from your goal, and it's a timed mission. It's not too difficult if you plan your route out and use a shortcut on the edge of the crater, but it's all too easy to screw up and find yourself at the bottom. Additionally, this particular segment has three different joke endings, so if you are aiming for full completion you will have to play this sequence a minimum of four times.
130	* ThatOneSidequest: Speed King. Three races, all of which must be completed on foot - often forcing you to take the long way around - against an opponent who can simply fly straight to the goal. Insane amounts of chip optimization are required just to stand a fighting chance.
131	** Upgrading your pods. Unlike your weapons, where the majority of the necessary crafting ingredients can eventually be bought from some merchant or another, pod upgrades requires materials that can ''only'' be found on the map, like gadgets and pure water, which means lots of tedious farming.
132	** Trying to get Emil's shop to work is both a GuideDangIt and a LuckBasedMission, which wouldn't be such a problem if he didn't sell two of the weapons required for HundredPercentCompletion.
133	** Reconnaissance Squad, along with the above, can be described as a completionist's worst nightmare. Even accessing this quest can be a chore, as it is only available in the third playthrough and requires a bit of obscure platforming to reach the questgiver. Once you do manage to reach it, you are given the task of gathering unit data. Sounds simple enough, but you can only complete this quest when your unit data reaches 95%, and when taking into account all the unique enemies with rare spawn rates, as well as the high-level [[OptionalBoss Optional Bosses]] the game has to offer, this becomes a ''far'' more difficult task.
134	* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodCharacter:
135	** A2 has less screen time than the two other main characters and if you didn't watch the stage play her character doesn't have much development. For English-language players this is a bigger problem, as [[KeepCirculatingTheTapes said play]] ''[[KeepCirculatingTheTapes isn't officially available]]'' [[KeepCirculatingTheTapes to them in any form.]] (The ''Pearl Harbor Descent Record'' manga, however, an adaptation of the stage play, has been officially translated to English and released in the West, and an episode of the ''Automata'' anime covers A2's backstory.)
136	** 2B has a character arc where she starts as gruff professional soldier who only sees the machines as a target to be eliminated, but during the events of the game she [[spoiler:gradually starts to soften up and begins to see conflict in less black-and-white terms, especially after having met peaceful machines like Pascal.]] But then [[spoiler:she dies, never learning the truths behind the whole conflict that 9S and A2 discover]], and the exact same character arc is given to A2, except in a more truncated form.
137	* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot: The theme park doesn't really serve much purpose story wise, which is a shame since it could have tied into robots mimicking excessive consumerism and basking in their comfort while the world burns. It could have tied to the boss quite nicely.
138	* UnnecessaryMakeover: A2 actually cuts her hair short and keeps it that way for the entire time she's playable aside from the first short battle, but fan artists and almost all official merchandise overwhelmingly portrays her with her BarbarianLonghair instead, both because to visually distinguish her from 2B and because it's such an iconic part of her character. Fortunately, a wig accessory obtained after Ending C lets her revert to her previous longer hairstyle.
139	* UglyCute: Rusty machines of war they may be, most of the machine lifeforms still manage to be adorable thanks to their fairly simplistic, toy-like designs and bulbous heads.
140	* TheUntwist:
141	** To many of those who played through the first ''[=NieR=]'', the plot twist of [[spoiler:humans being extinct far before the events of Automata]] is expected. Even for those who hadn't played it, the story so often [[spoiler: talks about humans on the moon]] without ever [[spoiler: showing any evidence of them before the truth is revealed]] that it's hard not to suspect.
142	** [[spoiler:Deleting all your save data at the end of the last playthrough]] has also been done before.
143	* ValuesDissonance: The infamous line [[spoiler: "You're thinking about how much you want to ＊＊＊＊ 2B, aren't you?"]] has a very different connotation in Japanese than in English. Whereas most English speakers would immediately jump to a sexual meaning because of how frequently censored words are used in English to {{Bowdlerize}}, in Japan, censored words are generally used to indicate "hidden" meanings instead of something dirty or crude. In fact, some blind Japanese Let's Plays of the game have the player reading the line and automatically saying the word "[[spoiler:destroy]]" when they read the censored text before they even realize they're just making an assumption about what the word is.
144	* ViewerGenderConfusion: A lot of people assume Pascal is female due to being voiced by a woman in both English and Japanese, but the game describes him as male.
145	* WinBackTheCrowd: 2016 was not a good year for Platinum, with ''VideoGame/StarFoxZero'' and ''[[Franchise/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles Mutants in Manhattan]]'' getting middling reviews at best and being trashed by more than a few critics. 2017 did not start much better either, with ''VideoGame/{{Scalebound}}'', a title that had been in various stages of development for over a decade, ultimately being cancelled. Nevertheless, ''Automata's'' been met with tremendous acclaim, having sold more copies in Japan in the span of one week than the original sold in its entire ''first year'', as well as being regarded as Yoko Taro's best work. Hideki Kamiya even stated that this game not only saved [=PlatinumGames=]' reputation, but actually saved the company itself as they were in financial dire straights at that point.
146	* TheWoobie: Pull up a chair, folks, [[DysfunctionJunction we're gonna be here awhile.]]
147	** 2B. Her entire job boils down to [[spoiler:[[KillTheOnesYouLove killing the boy she loves]] ''over and over and over again'' because him developing emotions inevitably leads to the discovery of forbidden knowledge, all the while [[ConsummateProfessional pretending nothing is wrong]]]]. And this is ''[[FromBadToWorse before]]'' [[spoiler:she has to watch all her friends and comrades die from the Logic Virus, shortly before [[AndThenJohnWasAZombie being infected herself.]]]] She's so obviously psychologically tormented that [[spoiler:[[GoOutWithASmile death comes as a relief]] just because it means she won't have to kill 9S again.]] In fact, it's probably a ''good thing'' that [[spoiler:she dies before she ever learns that humanity is extinct and that killing 9S all those times was [[AllForNothing completely pointless.]]]]
148	** [[spoiler:Devola and Popola]] have spent [[TimeAbyss almost 10,000 years]] shunned and abused due to nothing they themselves did, but due to [[spoiler:the role ''Videogame/{{Nier}}''[='s=] Devola and Popola models played in humanity's extinction]]. To make things worse, [[spoiler:at some point during those millennia all Devola and Popola models were ''reprogrammed'' to constantly feel guilt. No matter how hard they play TheAtoner, it'll never be good enough for them to be at peace with themselves]]...at least until [[spoiler:the pair die protecting 9S]].
149	** 9S. Oh boy, [[TraumaCongaLine 9S.]] To begin with, [[spoiler:he's executed by the girl he loves more than ''thirty'' times]] before the main story even starts. In the very first battle of Route A, he loses two of his limbs and blows himself up along with 2B to kill the attacking Goliath units, an event which she retains her memories of but he does not. He has his attempts at getting to know his crush continuously rebuffed, and ''then'' he, at some unknown point, [[spoiler:figures out that she's been assigned to kill him.]] After the battle with Grun, he's kidnapped by Adam, who tortures him, ''crucifies'' him, and [[spoiler:taunts him with his knowledge of 2B's true designation.]] After ''that'' happens, he learns that [[spoiler: the entire mission he's been fighting for is a lie and humanity has been dead for millennia]], ''then'' has to immediately throw himself back into the fray again to help 2B [[spoiler:only to become infected with the Logic Virus and asks her to MercyKill him]]. ''Then'' [[spoiler: the Bunker is destroyed and almost everyone he's ever known is killed, and he has to watch the woman he loves die right in front of him.]] And that's before he learns [[spoiler: that [[AnguishedDeclarationOfLove 2B loved him back]] and that androids are actually reverse engineered from the Machines they're supposed to destroy, that all of [=YoRHa=] was meant to be destroyed [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness as soon as it had fulfilled its mission]], he has to watch [[his surrogate mother figure die, the Twins, his only surviving allies, sacrifice themselves to help him enter the tower, he loses an arm ''again'', the Machine Network succeeds in driving him completely insane, he's infected with the Logic Virus ''again'', and he finally dies choking in a pool of his own blood after accidentally impaling himself on A2's sword.]] [[{{Understatement}} Life is not kind to our favorite scanner boy.]]

Context YMMV / NierAutomata