NieR: Automata first gameplay trailer, screenshots

Square Enix debuted the first gameplay trailer and screenshots for NieR: Automata during a presentation at Paris Games Week today.

The followup to 2010’s NieR is developed by PlatinumGames and runs at 60 frames per second. We first provided translations yesterday, but here are the official story and YoRHa 2B descriptions from Square Enix’s western branch:

Story

Invaders from another world attack without warning, unleashing their secret weapon: the machines. In the face of this insurmountable threat, the human race is driven from the earth and takes refuge on the moon.

The humans develop an army of android soldiers to fight back against the mechanical horde, but succeed only in slowing its advance. To break the deadlock, a new breed of android infantry is sent into the fray: the YoRHa squad.

In the forsaken wasteland below, the war between the machines and the androids rages on. A war that is soon to unveil the long-forgotten truth of this world…

The world that you see in NieR: Automata is one where androids and mechanized weapons clash in ferocious combat in a barren and deserted wasteland. It’s set after the original game but the story is written in a way which means you don’t have to have played the first one.

The world/universe is still linked between the two NieR games though so if you have played the original, you will no doubt recognize some of the locations and characters who may or may not be returning. The locations in particular will look different as they’re now more like ruins after the alien invasion but there will also be areas where you get the sense of a very advanced civilization.

YoRHa No. 2, Model B, “2B”
(designed by Akihiko Yoshida from CyDesignation)

2B is an all-purpose battle android, deployed as a member of the automated infantry squad, YoRHa. She is equipped with a sword for close quarters combat, and can attack from range using the “Pod” support system. Her eyes are obscured beneath her standard-issue military visor, which she rarely removes.

Members of the YoRHa squad forgo names and are referred to only by their code numbers. Though the regulations forbid them from expressing emotions, each model has its own distinguishing personality, and 2B is comparatively cool, calm, and collected.

She’s not actually female, or maybe it’s more accurate to say she’s not actually human. Her name or serial number is 2B and she’s an android.

At the end of the E3 announcement trailer there were three words that popped up — “doll,” “human,” and “machine” so there were hints from the start…

Watch the trailer below. View the screenshots at the gallery.

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