![]() ![]() The world was effectively destroyed, some centuries ago, by an invading force of aliens that sent armies of robots into battle for them. It’s been decades since existentialist thinking was the in-vogue philosophy exercising the great minds of the world, but Taro-san has managed to modernise its core precepts to give a look at existentialism that remains relevant and thought-provoking even in this day. If we were looking for a game to join that tradition, then NieR: Automata would be the game to do it. ![]() Generally speaking existentialists arrived at the belief that there is no purpose to any of it – this is where Nietzsche’s famous “God is dead” quote comes from – and that the futility of searching for a meaning to life is fundamentally counter-intuitive and absurd.Īnd yes, for people playing along, that’s where absurdist art, such as Samuel Beckett’s masterpiece, Waiting for Godot, and Albert Camus’ novel, The Stranger, came from. On the one hand it explores what is the fundamental nature of humanity on the other, more importantly, it also explores what is our relationship to “God” – not God in the literal sense, but rather the idea, or concept, that there’s greater meaning and purpose in the universe which, firstly, we can analyse and understand, and secondly, we can participate in. This game’s overall narrative focuses very closely on the core existentialist themes that the aforementioned philosophers made central to their work. The quote above is so potent because it immediately sets up the storytelling structure for the entire experience, making it clear that dialogue does not exist purely for the superficial reason of pushing the narrative forward it has purpose and depth all to itself. It’s wonderful, intense, and beautiful, and, with no exaggeration, the best game I’ve ever played. It’s the smartest game you’ll ever play, and it effortlessly replaces its predecessor as the closest that a game has come to offering genuine literary merit. In combination with PlatinumGames, Taro’s latest development partner, it also offers visceral, dynamic, exciting combat. Coming to us from the mind of one of the games industry’s true auteurs, Yoko Taro, the game is a mesmerising combination of rich philosophical thinking and deeply human emotion and storytelling. Is this a curse? Or some kind of punishment? I often think about the god that blessed us with this cryptic puzzle, and wonder if we’ll ever have the chance to kill him.” We are perpetually trapped in a never-ending spiral of life and death. “Everything that lives is designed to end. Related reading: On why NieR: Automata’s predecessor was the best game of all time before this one came along. The opening line of dialogue in NieR: Automata could have been pulled directly from Nietzsche or Kierkegaard, if those men were militant androids about to go to war with an army of genocidal robots. ![]()
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