How "NieR" was brought back from the dead

Yoko has explored these themes before. “It’s been an interest of mine, and an observation, for a very long time while I’ve been making games,” he explains. “Most games are about defeating an enemy, or killing an enemy and surviving through that. In some ways, it’s also come to be seen as an enjoyable thing. People have fun, and there’s some fun to be had in destroying someone or killing someone. And I’ve always wondered about that. Why do people enjoy the act of killing, and why do they do it? And surely maybe that motivation and that reasoning is flawed, and the reason people do these things — kill people, enjoy killing — is because they’re missing something, or there’s definitely some problem there.”

In the original Drakengard, for instance, humans give up a piece of their existence — their voice, their sight or even the ability to die — in order to make pacts with mythical beasts. Caim, the hero, is obsessed with revenge, slaying his enemies mercilessly. During combat, his comrades frequently comment on this worrying obsession and how much he enjoys the act of killing. The first NieR game also touches on the soul, as humans try to detach themselves from their bodies and avoid a devastating disease.

“If there is one theme that maybe comes back again and again, in all of the works that I make, it probably is that relationship of how people see and relate to killing.”

A franchise revived

NieR: Automata‘s public demo, which came out last December, triggered a wave of public interest. Screenshots, video walk-throughs and tweets flooded the internet. People liked what they saw. It was fast, fresh and unashamedly Japanese. Overnight, expectations had skyrocketed for the final product. Suddenly, NieR was relevant again. An all-but-forgotten franchise had risen to become one of the most hotly anticipated Japanese releases.

That demo was just a slice, however. It shows off the combat and one of the boss encounters, but not the game’s open world and RPG mechanics. That’s a boon for Yoko and his team: They haven’t shown their full hand just yet. “What I think doesn’t show so well through the demo is Mr. Yoko’s great story and the more role-playing elements of the gameplay,” Saito says. “Those are really big draws for the game as well. It’s not just the action, although that’s amazing — you’ve got those extra elements too, and if people buy the main game they’ll be very excited and satisfied to see those elements as well.”

If you ask Yoko, however, he’ll disagree that the narrative adds much to the overall experience. “You’ve got to look at it as an overall package,” he says. “Because I think my story gives zero value to it all. That’s nothing, but PlatinumGames’ action is probably worth 120 percent. So if you look at it overall, it’s actually a pretty good game. You’ll definitely get your price back for the money you pay for the game.”

Again, I can’t tell if he’s joking or not.