Dengeki had their first Live Broadcast showcasing the beginning portion of the up-coming NieR:Automata demo last night. I was busy at a dinner party with people from work, so I apologize for the delay in this post.
Beginning the broadcast, we are introduced to the cast on the show:
Dengeki Writer Tadatsugu and Ishikawa Yui
Voice of “heroine” 9S Hanae Natsuki & “DJ” Saito Yosuke
Platinum Games Producer Nishimura Eijiro
■ PS4 Vs. PS4 Pro
The first topic of choice was comparing the differences between the PS4 and PS4 Pro versions of the game:
Motion Blur – This feature is meant to be demonstrated in actual motion, but the PS4 Pro adds a little bit of motion blur to make movement more realistic.
Light/Shadows – The beams of light and details of shadows are more clearly defined.
Detailed Shadows – The PS4 Pro version has a much higher defined shadow.
For me, I don’t need these added details in order to enjoy the game. In my current financial situation, I would much rather go with the PS4 instead of the Pro.
■ Difficulty Levels
Next we were shown the Difficulty Select menu. As it was stated before, the player is able to change the level of difficulty at anytime during the game. According to these screens, there are a total of four difficulty levels: Easy, Normal, Hard, and Very Hard.
The descriptions for each difficulty level is pretty entertaining as well… Probably.
Another thing to keep in mind is that the Auto Mode is only accessible from the Easy difficulty setting. Just like the rest of the difficulties, you are able to enter the Auto Mode at any time. The System Message also details exactly what areas the Auto Mode will help you with.
■ The Demo: Setting
We’re shown very briefly a screen of text which details the setting of the demo. I had originally thought the demo would be merely a YoRHa training simulation on the Bunker (which is may still be), but the events that take place here appear to follow along with the clips of the Opening Sequence Conte that I translated before.
First off, let me translate the setting screen:
| 243rd Descent Mission
Mission Dispatch Date: March 10, 11945 Mission Details: The objective of this Assault Mission includes the dispatch of a 6-unit squadron to the enemy territory (the Factory Ruins) to gather intel of the area and the large-scale weapon in order to destroy it. Unit 9S from the Intelligence Squadron is scheduled to rendezvous and assist with the mission. End of transmission. |
It was stated that the B Type of androids is an all-rounded “Battler” model series, whereas the S Type is the analytical, information gathering “Scanner” model series. I entirely forgot that an old page detailing information on the YoRHa idol group from DearStage listed additional android types. So, here’s what each type is likely to stand for, including the discontinued type designations:
- A – Attacker (Discontinued)
- G – Gunner (Discontinued)
- S – Scanner
- B – Battler
- D – Defender
- E – Executioner
- H – Healer
Edit: September 2, 2018.
As a little aside here, I’ve been misinterpreting the “Cancellers” as a stand-alone YoRHa Type Model–the Type C–but this was a headcannon that apparently I made so long ago that it solidified as fact in my brain. After confirming with Yoko, he states that the YoRHa Type C models have not been revealed thus far. This is likely a system built into the aerial flight units to help shield them from enemy fire as they descend through Earth orbit.
Ｃ型は今の所公開していません。
— yokotaro (@yokotaro) September 2, 2018
Secondly, we now have a precise date for the beginning of Automata, which does indeed start in 11945, like was stated in Ishikawa Yui’s monologue as 2B from the NieR Music Concert & Talk Live event. You can also note that the year 11945 is the final year of the 14th Machine War, which is meant to be an allusion for WWII.
■ The Demo: Character Lines
Continuing with the information from the Opening Sequence Conte, 2B is flying in her “Ho229” aerial suit (the mech) and it eventually receives massive damage before 2B has to jump from it. This is where Pod042 quickly states the situation:
Pod042:
Ho229 equipment has received massive damage.
Abandon operation.
General communication system down.
Booting the Laser Communication System.
Scanning terrain……long-distance.
Transferring control to FCS.
Transferring control to IMU.
Booting FFCS.
Signal from 2B’s Black Box confirmed.
Booting NFCS.
Beginning secondary assessment sequence of 2B’s vitals.
Beginning short-range camouflage pulse.
Booting close-range battle parameters.
Enemy response, massive numbers detected.
2B:
I can see that.
In this sequence, we see 2B battling some Lv1 Bio-machines of small to medium sizes within an enclosed area.
When she defeats the larger machine:
Pod042:
Enemy destruction confirmed.
2B:
Not yet…..
And that’s when the gigantic saw busts through the wall.
And we’re presented with a warning screen that lists the enemy’s name in classic Angelic Script format, which reads “Mars”.
When 2B first engages in battle with this huge machine, she wonders if this is the “Massive-scale Weapon” that they were charged to destroy, but Pod042 tells her that it is, unfortunately, not their target.
Eventually, 2B thinks that she’s defeated the gigantic machine, but it comes after her with another saw. This time, she gets a little help–and scolding–from 9S.
“It’s dangerous if you don’t make sure it’s dead…”
9S:
You’re 2B, right? I’m 9S. I’ve been instructed to assist you.
2B:
I understand.
9S:
So that big can opener was the “Massive-scale Weapon” we were after?
2B:
No. It seems like it was just a defense mechanism.
9S:
Then… I guess we’ll have to look for it.
I’ve got an aerial suit, so I’ll take a look around out here.
2B:
Alright. I’ll search the area inside.
■ Merchandise: YoRHa / 2B Hoodie
This is the new hoodie that will first become available at Jump Festa this weekend at the Square Enix booth. This item will also be available from the Japanese SQEX e-STORE at a later date.
■ NieR Music Concert & Talk Live Blu-ray
The very nice Blu-ray of the NieR Music Concert & Talk Live event that was held this past April was just released on December 14. This also became the present for a lucky viewer on the NicoNico side of the broadcast; the blu-ray would be opened and signed by the hosts of this broadcast.
■ The Resistance Camp, Items, and Weapons
As it had been shown in past live streams of the game, the Resistance Camp is populated by many different types of androids, some very human-like types and others that clearly resemble tin robots. Devola and Popola also reside somewhere in the camp.
Within the camp are item and weapon shops, people to talk to and even some who will enlist your help in the form of quests. Here’s a quick glance at the Item and Weapon Shops:
Producer Saito Yosuke mentions that you are able to obtain new weapons from the shop or by discovering them out in the field. Weapons can also be upgraded with the use of items that you gather from defeating enemies. Weapon upgrades can be done in the Weapon Shop menu:
- Buy
- Upgrade
- Sell
Of course, Weapon Stories are back in Automata, so you can expect to see the typical 4-step story progression for each weapon. And with the collaboration with FFXV, Noctis’ Engine Blade will be a usable weapon in Automata along with its own Weapon Story.
Speaking of weapons, another type of weapon was announced during the PSX events in the US and Mexico: the spear! Here is a quick look at the names of these weapons:
■ Other Playable Characters & The Open World
At about 39 minutes into the live broadcast, Saito says that at some point in the game, 9S will become a playable character. He wouldn’t elaborate on that any further before Tadatsugu followed up with another question regarding the “Open World” aspect of the game. He went on to say that each area connects seamlessly (no loading time necessary), but there are parts of the story in which some areas are closed off to you…possibly making this definition of “Open World” a little less open. Perhaps it’s more like FFXV in which the majority of the world is free to roam as you like…up until a point. I guess we’ll have to wait and see.
■ Android Report – Multiplayer?
During the gameplay footage, one of the hosts playing the game died, which displayed the “Android Report” screen…which they didn’t want to release just yet.
As far as the YoRHa stage play goes, upon the destruction of the androids, their remaining data is uplinked to the Bunker to be used in the creation of future, more advanced androids. Could this be the function that would utilize multiplayer aspects? Maybe this is a sort of scoreboard in which you can view when and how players DIED. lol
■ Further Collaborations and More!
A weapon or other equipment from NieR:Automata will be in PSO2! (Expect to see Emil’s head)
▶︎ The collaboration with PSO2 will include the following items from NieR:Automata:
- Costumes and hair designs of 2B, 9S, A2
- Accessories
- Weapons
- Lobby Actions
- Mag: “Pod”
- Theme Song Music
A weapon or piece of armor from NieR:Automata will appear in Monster Hunter Frontier Z! There will even be a related original quest as well! (Expect to see Emil’s head)
A “visual summary” of the game detailing its artwork, additional text by Yoko Taro, and more will be released on the same day as the game (Size: B5).
Dengeki has been the publisher of the these giant collections known as the “complete guide” for these games, and they plan to release their next work for NieR:Automata sometime toward the end of March! (Size: B5, Pages: Roughly 300 pages)
Regarding the release of the guidebooks, Hanae suggests that the publisher release enough books since it was very difficult for him to even find one to buy! Let’s hope they listen to him!
Credits:
All translations and photo edits on this page were done by me. Photos from the Dengeki 1st Live Broadcast were taken from the YouTube version of the broadcast.