There will be a whopping 22-page article featuring Yoko Taro in this week’s issue of Famitsu Magazine (the 8/2 issue, 7/19 publishing date). The article will touch on multiple Yokoverse topics, including the NieR and Drakengard series, SINoALICE, his stage plays, manga, and much more!
We’ll get a closer look at his history and who he really is, his quirks for game development, as well as a mash-up of various interviews, questionnaires, comments he’s made in the past. If you are a Yoko Taro fan, this is an issue you won’t want to miss!!
Images courtesy of Famitsu. The 1st image below may have actually inspired the most recent loading screen in SINoALICE. Additionally, the headline on the 2nd image says, “Yoko Taro and the Path of 48 Years” (Please note here that Yoko Taro just turned 48 years old this past June 6th).
There will be an official livestream by Famitsu to celebrate the birthday of NieR Replicant/Gestalt’s titular character, Nier… as well as Yoko Taro himself.
Yoko has stated in past interviews that Nier sharing his own birthday was actually a mistake. He originally used his birthday as a place holder but forgot to change it later, and by then it was too late.
The livestream will be on Wednesday, June 6 from 8:00-10:00pm (Japan Standard Time). You can watch live via the following sites:
As a side note, there was an old issue of Famitsu magazine (No.1120 6/3 2010) in which the interviewer asked Yoko why he used two different birthday dates for Nier in Replicant and Gestalt. I was working on translating this entire article before the hard drive on my laptop died and I lost everything… But here’s a brief excerpt regarding this point:
ーOne of the differences between “Replicant” and “Gestalt” is Nier’s birthday on 6/6 in Replicant and 9/11 in Gestalt. What were you intending with this difference?
Yoko: The 9/11 date comes from the release date of the first Drakengard. Regarding the 6/6 date, however… That was entirely a goof in the character setting. (haha) I forgot to change the temporary place holder, and before I knew itー it had become reality. I saw some people online were speculating that it was meant to be a reference to the holiday “Brother’s Day” in Japan, so when I searched about it, I discovered there really was such a holiday on that day. So, please write that this was how the date became an official part of the setting. (haha)
Just for a little additional clarity on this, he used 6/6 as a place holder because that’s actually HIS birthday. He meant to change the date later, but obviously forgot and kept it that way in spite of it all. One of many Yokoisms. (haha)
Notable Happenings on June 6 (Japanese) Big Brother’s Day: Established by Kunio Hatada, a sister/brother researcher. Comparatively, March 6th is “Little Brother’s Day”, September 6th is “Little Sister’s Day”, and December 6th is “Big Sister’s Day”.
In the 14-page article on NieR:Automata in Famitsu magazine Issue No.1527, the development team (namely Yoko himself) dropped a massive hint about a bug that was never fixed in the final version of the game which allows you to zoom-out the camera while manipulating the directional pad and R3 buttons. By doing this, it will bug-out the camera and allow you to see outside the usual scope of what you would normally be able to see, revealing some rather “NieR-esque” things.
The news of the “last secret in NieR:Automata” has been reported on repeatedly, but I’ve noticed that some of the information has been garbled over time. To set the record straight, here is a direct translation that I made from the article:
ーIf there’s any subject on “NieR” that hasn’t been discussed yet, could you share that with us?
Taura: Without entering into the options menu, there’s a specific trick you can do to change the camera distance with the arrow keys while holding down the R3 button.
Yoko: But please use it with caution since it will cause the camera to bug-out and clip through the terrain. After some discussion, we decided to leave it in since it felt pretty “NieR-esque” anyway. They haven’t found “it” yet, have they?
Negishi: No, no one’s found “it” yet. I think it would absolutely be devastating if somebody discovered it, so we’re not going to reveal what it is.
Yoko: There were various circumstances with different specifications, so it’s still a bit unbalanced (in terms of the programming).
ーWhat!?
Yoko: I can’t really talk about it in detail since it’ll get me in trouble, but just imagine this as the last NieR:Automata secret.
According to this passage, it’s clear that they are speaking mostly from a programming aspect. When they essentially say that it would be “bad if this secret got out”, they’re commenting that it would be bad for Platinum Games and the programmers who were unable to discover the cause of the bug, were unable to fix it, and merely left it in the final product of the game without fixing the bug. That could very well tarnish their reputation as a company, which is why they would rather not discuss or even disclose the details of the bug.
However, unlike many reports and references by fans about this information, absolutely nothing was stated about the “fans not liking something” if they found the secret. I believe this stems from an inaccurate translation that was then spread by word of mouth, which eventually took on a whole new shape in the end. Hopefully the translation here will help clear the air and set the record straight about what they were really talking about.
And apparently this so-called “secret” has yet to be found! So, get out there and play around with the R3 camera bug… but be gentle to Platinum Games if you actually *do* find something incriminating.
Famitsu recently sent out a questionnaire to international fans of NieR:Automata, and here’s a compilation of the comments that were chosen and printed in this week’s issue of Famitsu magazine, No.1531
I thought maybe I saw a comment that I made but…alas. lol Maybe they recognized my name and don’t consider me as “international” since I live in Japan. orz I’ll have to complain to Sugihara-san. lol J/K
[PlayerQuestionnaire] The best part about NieR:Automata Total number of unique users: 3856 Multiple answers possible.
Gameplay: 3085
Story: 3562
Art: 3008
Music: 3399
Other: 397
[Breakdown of Voters]
Total participants: 3856
Male: 3309
Female: 461
Other: 63
No Answer: 23
[Age]
10s: 417
20s: 2531
30s: 814
40s: 83
[Location]
North America: 1964
Europe: 1290
Asia: 227
South America: 193
Oceania: 154
Africa: 16
The twists on the above aspects were so clever and unique. ーJohn M (20 / M / Europe)
PlatinumGames creates very exciting and fun to play combat. Yoko Taro’s stories are always so interesting and compelling. The style of NieR:Automata is so different from American games, and the music of NieR games are on a whole other level above most American games. ーMichael Coleman (30 / M / North America)
Everything is excellent. What I love the most, though, it’s the way in which it usese every single feature of videogames as a mean to enhance the narrative. I’ve particularly enjoyed the moment when you cannot read the options menu because of the missing chip, or at the end, when 2B/A2 are damaged and it reflicts on the screen. ーLontrain (20 / F / Europe)
Everything was so unique and unusual. ーMsg (30 / M / North America)
The only thing missing from mosst of Yoko Taro’s games was polished gameplay, and PlatinumGames delivered wonderfully in that area. I also love the work of Akihiko Yoshida, so getting to see his designs in a Yoko Taro work was a welcome surprise. Keiichi Okabe’s musical work continues to be some of my favorite in the industry, as well as Emi Evans’ vocals. ーMimi (20 / Other / North America)
The weapon stories were an interesting way of providing some information about the world, and it was helpful because I’ve never played the first Nier or Drag-on Dragoon. ーAndrew (30 / M / North America)
Every aspect of this game was thoroughly considered. ーkstor (20 / M / South America)
The gameplay was fun, the music was amazing, I loved the story, 2B is really cool. ーMike Parks (30 / M / North America)
The hacking 8-bits parts were genius too! Especially with those 8-bits musics! ーTin (30 / M / Europe)
Parce que aucun jeu n’est comme lui. Et pour l’émotion qu’il apporte. (There is no other game like it. Especially the emotion it brings) ーCharles (30 / M / Europe)
What a great example of Japanese gaming culture! Fast paced, energetic, sexy, funny, sad, touching, entertaining as hell. Great game! ーTobi (20 / M / Europe)
Yoko Taro’s “madness” is a very interesting phenomenon of videogame industry. NieR:Automata is no exception. ーDarkV (20 / M / Europe)
This game made me think about my existance in this world. Damn you Yoko Taro. ーShadi (20 / M / North America)
2B’S BIG BUTT ーKale Cahoon (20 / M / North America) *multiple duplecate comments
The story, the music. Most importantly 2B FTW! ーMaherTRY (20 / M / Asia)
Unique gameplay elements that can go from action to 2D shoot ’em up. The story is also interesting where it tried to explore what makes the androids individual beings. ーBuga (30 / M / Asia)
The music in this game is a masterpiece, I never heard any game that have this amazing music before in my life. ーHammerTank (20 / M / Asia)
Yui Ishikawa is fantastic in this game, also the combat is great. ーKi’oon (20 / M / Europe)
The Japanese voice actors’ performances of the script was fantastic. ーgrace (20 / F / Asia)
Interesting side quests. ー4yvak (20 / M / Europe)
Romeos and Juliets. ーNir (10 / M / Asia)
Emil! ーTiffany (20 / F / North America)
Yoko Taro is a mad genius. ーPandorise (20 / F / North America)
The music and story is very powerful and sad. ーBeau (20 / M / Oceania)
The Atmosphere. It’s perfect in this game. ーMakoEyes (30 / M / Europe)
◼︎ Who’s your favorite Main Character?
2B: 2169
9S: 916
A2: 770
[2B]
She is a strong and complex character. ーZMangz (20 / M / North America)
Her development, her personality. I got her tattooed on my leg. haha ーAnonymous (20 / M / Oceania)
2B’s story of opening up and becoming more “human” is very touching. ーTrevor (20 / M / North America)
She’s my waifu. ーNess (20 / Male / North America)
[9S]
I like his design and character a lot! Hacking was a lot of fun, too. ーRebecca (20 / F / North America)
I love how he degraded from a nice boy into a mad one after losing 2B. ーRebecca (20 / F / North America)
[A2]
I love A2’s personality. She reminds me of Kaine from Gestalt. ーBianca (20 / F / North America) *multiple duplicate comments
A2 was very cool and mysterious, which made it more enjoyable to find out about her. I also really liked her interactions with Pod042. ーEll (20 / M / Europe)
BECOME AS GODS BECOME AS GODS BECOME AS GODS ーSky (20 / M / America)
The really cool character designs! And the soundtrack was super good, too. ーNave (20 / M / North America)
Crazy story from Yoko Taro, amazing music from Okabe, and awesome gameplay from PlatinumGames. ーAnacra (30 / M / Oceania)
The YoRHa androids’ designs are amazingly beautiful, the areas are gorgeous, and the music is so beautiful it brings me to tears. ーVivian (10 / F / Europe)
Yuki Aoi as Pascal. ーPyotr (20 / M / Europe)
As a long time NieR and Drag-on Dragoon fan, it was nice to have some questions from both games answered while expanding the universe I adore. ーPhazonmasher (20 / M / North America)
The ending credits sequence. This was so moving to me, something that could only be done in a video game. How you had to choose to sacrifice everything, but you saw that so many people had sacrificed for you. It was a special moment and speaks to Yoko Taro’s genius. ーChristopher Dodge (30 / M / North America)
Everything. I could write endlessly, but here are the most important parts I loved:
The beautiful UI and its inclusion in the game’s story
The haunting music, especially the song entitled “Tower”
All the continuity and references to the rest of the NieR and Drakengard universe, especially the first NieR’s Popola & Devola, A2’s stage play backstory, and Accord …..
Overall, the most impressive accomplishment of NieR:Automata is that it’s a story that could only be experienced in the format of a video game.Aside from being incredibly fun and satisfying to play, every element that makes video games unique is used to its fullest potential to create nothing short of a masterpiece. ーshiina (20 / F / North America) *Due to the length of the comment, the Japanese translation was shortened.
2B’s final message to 9S had me in tears. ーJK (20 / M / Europe)
◼︎ What’s your favorite ending?
#1: the [E]nd of YoRHa ー 1958 #2: flowers for m[A]chines ー 418 #3: childhoo[D]’s end ー 247 #4: meaningless [C]ode ー 231 #5: aji wo [K]utta ー 106
The choir version of Weight of the World has a strong, emotional impact. ーbradyonetta (20 / M / Oceania)
Having to choose to sacrifice your whole gamesave to help someone you will never meet, such a brilliant decision. Very moving. ーChristopher Dodge (30 / M / North America)
The integration of the credits with the shooter hacking game and the story was unexpected and wonderful! ーKarasu (40 / M / North America)
I unlocked it by accident and after realization of what I have done I laughed so hard… ーILYA (20 / M / Europe)
Took me off guard, did not expect that a fish would be the end of me. ーNehelichus (20 / M / Europe)
I played the first Nier, so what Emil said during the fight was pretty moving. ーNoleen (20 / M / Europe)
One of the headlines reads that there is a “secret” that no one has realized about NieR:Automata yet but apparently they don’t go into any great detail about this “secret” in the article…?
The article welcomes 10 members from the development team as they discuss the various points in the game’s production. As you can see in some of the preview pages, there is a timeline that begins in 2014– I assume this is the first run of the YoRHa stage play since that was in October 2014… but YoRHa activities actually began in 2013, so it will be interesting to read if they mention anything about that in the text.
Lastly, some spoilers will be discussed, so it’s recommended to be aware of that.
Matsudaira Hito – Character Modeler (Platinum Games)
Negishi Isao – Game Designer (Platinum Games)
Koda Kazuma – Illustrator (Freelance)
Taura Takahisa – Game Designer (Platinum Games)
Yoko Taro – Director/Creator (Bukkoro)
Saito Yosuke – Producer (Square Enix)
Yoshida Akihiko – Character Designer (CyDesignation)
