8 Fatal Flaws That Stop Nier Automata Being A Masterpiece
5. The World Is Boring
This is a difficult one to talk about, because there's certainly a charm to Nier's world. Certain areas in the game are beautiful, and with the addition of the excellent soundtrack, the title can conjure up some visual moments that truly resonate and hit you in ways other releases never come close to achieving.
Likewise the sense of familiarity that comes from constantly revisiting areas serves to make them all memorable. But even then, you can't help but feel that this affection comes from purely being forced to go through the same locations over and over again.
And while the environment often alters in major ways as the plot progresses, there's no denying that there's a severe lack of attention to detail that players have come to expect from open world titles like this. Environmental storytelling is virtually non-existent, and you honestly could have swapped out the likes of the desert area or the forest section for literally anything else and it wouldn't have made a difference.
To give the game some credit there's an argument to be made that the world is purposefully sterile and empty to fuel the title's existential themes - but that justification doesn't make playing around in Nier's mundane world any more enjoyable.