10 Times Gameplay Directly Informed The Narrative

10. Nier: Automata

So much of Nier: Automata's narrative is informed by gameplay. From the repetitive combat reflecting what feels like the increasingly meaningless war at the core of the game's narrative to the physical and mental degradation of our android cohorts and, of course, the discomfort felt as you're forced to commit what amounts to war crimes against pacifistic tribes of robots. The whole thing plays out like a goddamn Beckett play at times it's that bleak and absurd.

This synergy is felt throughout, but it's during the tough end credits bullet-hell sequence where the gameplay truly informs the overarching theme of the title.

Here, the player is asked to do the unthinkable. What few games (apart from the previous instalment in this franchise) would ask of them: delete their save file. Why? So that through this sacrifice they can help a future player overcome the same challenge they themselves were just aided through.

The idea is this will hopefully inspire the next player to do the same, gradually making it easier and easier for future players to complete the cyclical loop that is Nier: Automata. This perfectly reflects the nihilistic, yet optimistic, central theme: that although we may often be doomed to repeat history, hopefully we may learn from it