And I'm done. All endings clear, including the good one, [L].
Final score: 'damn fine game' / 10.
Numerical scores are nonsense.Thoughts below. I'm not going to spoil any major plot points, but if you think that knowing which characters are playable is a spoiler...well, stop reading.
Stop reading now.
Last chance.
...
...
...Okay, then.
Gameplay: This is the general concept of Nier polished to a mirror shine. Fluid, fun, addictive, and with more than enough variety to keep it interesting. Although, as with Nier, I didn't find the need to use more than a couple of the
spellspod programs. I could find few flaws. More than once during this game, I thought to myself "there are a lot of ways they could have screwed up the camera, here". But unless I did something dumb like lock onto an enemy, and then try to walk away, the camera was pretty much spot-on.
Graphics: Others here have already gushed enough about 2B's animations, so I'll just say I'm an A2 fan, and leave it there.
Whoever was responsible for modelling waterflow in this game deserves a bonus. Not just the waterfalls, but the pattern of light flickering over a streambed. And if you find yourself in a particularly dark area, try playing around with aiming the pod lamp. It can produce some extraordinary silhouettes.
Writing: The world-building is incredibly creative, and many of the individual story episodes are extraordinary. However, the main plot lacks the strong personal motivation present in Nier, and I didn't find the main characters particularly compelling. 2B never really strayed from the kuudere type, and 9S simply wasn't very interesting (I liked his operator, 210, better). A2 had potential, but she suffered from a lack of screentime, and her backstory was largely buried in the archives.
Contrast this with Nier, which had a sarcastic talking book, a foul-mouthed hussy slaying monsters in her undergarments, and a grizzled protagonist ("I think you want a doctor. I'm just a big guy who kills things.").
I usually play games with Japanese audio, but played Automata with English, hoping that there might be a reprisal of Kaine's glorious profanity. But unfortunately, the dialogue (or localization?) wasn't quite at Nier's level--although A2 did have occasional moments.
Music: ...yes. Very.
Overall: I officially endorse this product. Although I've finished this game, I kinda want to go back and play it again. Maybe I could erase my memory, and start fresh? That always works out.
...but seriously, even if it was a joke ending, [L] was the one where I sat back, and said to myself: Yeah, I could go with that.
[L]one Wolf:
Fed up, 2B left the camp to its fate and decided to...go fishing? Yeah, that's it! Fishing! With a smile on her face, she packed up and headed for the coast.
Ten years later, 2B would find herself hunted by both machine lifeforms and YoRHa assassins--a life she seemed to enjoy more than her previous one.