NES: Automata - What if Nier: Automata was developed for NES?

Nier: Automata is a third-person hack and slash game by Platinum Games. One of the unique aspects to the game is that there are several forms of gameplay that appear throughout the game. Some of these forms of gameplay are similar to other genres including top-down shooters, visual novels,
shoot ‘em ups, and side-scrolling games. These different types of gameplay are found throughout the game and will seamlessly switch between them as the game is played. The game also makes use of various high tech features such as 3D models, animations, voice overs, post-processing, and particle effects. Nier: Automata is also praised for its music and story which make use of all of the hardware that is available today. By using today’s available technology being able to quickly load between new areas and different control schemes, feedback in the form of animations, particle effects, controller vibration, and being able to explore a large 3D world are fairly straightforward.

These elements combined together are what create the game’s tailored experience for the player.

In this post I will go over what I believe to be the core pieces involved in delivering Nier: Automata’s game experience and how these core elements could be brought to an older system such as the Nintendo Entertainment System, where weaker technology would have to be taken into account when implementing these pieces.

Current Gen Experience

The primary core experience that Nier: Automata attempts to deliver is presenting the player as an android, a much stronger, faster, powerful, and intelligent life form as opposed to the machines, the enemies the player will encounter during the game. This, alongside the seamless interchanging of gameplay make the player feel powerful and like they are able to do anything as they push forward and adapt to the situation at hand. The merge of game genres and constant exposure to new gameplay elements keeps the game feeling fresh to the player.

Feeling Powerful

The player feels more powerful compared to the enemies by giving the player a wide arsenal of combat options, and making most enemies weak, this is common in hack and slash games as it allows the player to fight large numbers of enemies at once. Cutscenes during the game also show the differences between the androids and machines and often present the machines as less intelligent and not as capable as the androids. An additional difference between the androids and machines is how the androids are much more adaptable compared to the machines, during gameplay the player controls one of the protagonists who are all capable of running, jumping, dashing, melee, and shooting, meanwhile the machines are more specialized and typically only able to do one of these actions. This power and adaptability is further demonstrated when the player has to change their playstyle due to a gameplay “genre switch”.

Constantly Changing Gameplay

When the gameplay changes drastically from 3D open world to side-scrolling hack and slash or a top down shooter, it changes the way the game is played. These switches happen throughout the game and make it feel fresh and can sometimes be brought in to work alongside the narrative as well. Sections of the game where the player character is controlling a “Flight Unit” feel very different compared to the rest of the game and it helps reinforce the idea that the player is an android that is able to adapt to any situation.
Additional gameplay elements are introduced throughout the game and keep the player on their toes. Each protagonist has something that makes them unique, 2B can equip 2 weapons and has access to a self-destruct ability, 9S can hack enemies introducing a new form of combat, and A2 has a berserk function that allows her to be more aggressive. The player will also encounter new and more challenging enemies as they progress and will need to find ways to exploit any weaknesses.

NES Experience (NES: Automata)

Replicating the “original” experience of the game would not be entirely possible on the NES system due to the large difference in hardware and technology available. However, certain elements from the game can be brought over and different techniques can be used in order to achieve a similar experience.
The primary goal with bringing the game to NES is to retain the original game’s aspects of multiple forms of gameplay and constant introduction to new gameplay elements. By doing this the player should feel like they can adapt to any situation, and feel powerful as they fight their way through hordes of machines.

Gameplay

The gameplay for NES: Automata would consist of 2D side-scrolling action sections featuring melee combat as well as shoot ‘em up sections consisting of both vertical and horizontal scrolling levels.

2D Side-Scrolling Gameplay

The main form of gameplay in NES: Automata would be the player having to traverse from the left side of the screen to the right side of the screen. The player has access to free movement in the left/right directions and has the ability to jump and duck, ducking while on certain platforms will allow the player to fall through them. Enemies and hazards are placed throughout the level that the player will need to deal with in order to successfully reach the end of the level, where they will need to defeat a boss.

Combat

During normal side-scrolling gameplay, the A button is used to do a close range melee attack, while the B button can be used to activate the current character’s skill. These skills affect the playstyle for the character the player is currently controlling and gives each character a unique feel. During the game the player will play as 3 different characters, 2B, 9S, and A2.

Characters

2B

2B is the first character that the player will take control of. 2B has access to standard melee attacks like the other characters, and a Pod that will fire a linear projectile in the direction she is currently facing. These projectiles are used to defeat enemies, and destroy breakable objects in the world, to help with memory management and the spamming of this ability, only a certain number of projectiles may be “active” at once, similar to games like Galaga. 2B is the most well rounded character of the three and will be the first character that the player takes control of. Her gameplay is simple and straightforward in order for players to begin learning the game.

9S

As 9S is a Scanner model, he is not as powerful in direct combat compared to a Battle model like 2B. 9S’s melee attacks are not as powerful as 2B’s however, 9S is capable of hacking enemies. When 9S is within medium distance of an enemy he can begin hacking that enemy, this occurs by filling a “hack” bar, when the hack percentage is higher than the enemy’s current health percentage the enemy will explode, dealing damage to any enemies that may be nearby. The hack bar is filled quickly over time and automatically targets the closest enemy within a medium range of 9S. Much of 9S’s gameplay will revolve around focusing on the position of 9S and the enemies.

A2

As an Attacker model, A2 is the most aggressive of the three playable characters. A2 will be able to activate “Berserk” mode for a brief moment, during which the player will be rewarded for playing aggressively. When Berserk mode is active A2 will deal more damage and attack faster, however, activating Berserk mode will cost the player 20% of their current health and can only be used if the player has at least 30% of their current health still left. When the duration of Berserk mode expires, the skill will go into a short cooldown before it can be used again.

Shoot ‘em Up Gameplay

Certain levels in the game will change up the gameplay to be more reminiscent to a side-scrolling shoot ‘em up game, here the player will take control of a Flight Unit and will have access to a close range melee-like attack that hits in a short radius around the player, and a projectile that is fired from the front of the Flight Unit.
The close range attack can be used to destroy certain enemy projectiles that the player may get hit by, and can also be used to damage enemies.
The projectile acts similarly to 2B’s projectile, where it will shoot from the Flight Unit’s position, and travel in a linear direction.
The screen will sometimes be horizontally scrolled with the player starting on the left side of the screen and enemies appearing on the opposite side, while the view may sometimes change to be vertically scrolling with the player on the bottom of the screen and enemies appearing from the top.
This simple view change while keeping the gameplay the same helps the level feel unique and can also change the pacing of the game due to the 4:3 aspect ratio, meaning the player has less time to react to enemies if they are coming from the top of the screen, however, the speed of enemies can be tweaked depending on the level to best fit the gameplay.

Controls

Current Gen Controls

In the normal version of the game many buttons exist on modern controllers, this allows for additional inputs as well as more features due to various tech and hardware upgrades. The current gen version also allowed for various control types and even the ability to manually set each control to the player’s preference.

NES Controls

Due to there being only 6 buttons the player can use existing on the controller, the inputs that the player is able to do should all be important and be available during gameplay at most times.

Conclusion

Bringing a modern game like Nier: Automata back in time and restricting the hardware that is available to play the game allows an interesting insight into the core gameplay to be made. It is not possible to bring over the entire experience from the current gen version, but retaining some of the intended experience for the player is possible. By carrying over the aspects of new gameplay types and elements into the game as the player progresses, similarities between the original game and the “demake” can be made and allow the original experience of constantly being exposed to new gameplay elements to remain.

Interesting Info

While researching more about the NES and Nier: Automata, I discovered several comparisons between Nier: Automata and a game called The Guardian Legend, where one of the main aspects is a blend of top down action gameplay and vertical scrolling shooting gameplay. Interestingly the game also had the playable protagonist be an android-like character.