A narrative and mechanical masterpiece, finally portable, with rare thematic depth. The port makes some technical concessions, but Platinum's action and Yoko Taro's writing remain undiminished in power.
Your verdict
Category
Action RPG1 player16+
Description
A port of the cult action RPG by PlatinumGames and Yoko Taro, published by Square Enix on Switch in 2022. Combat android 2B roams a post-apocalyptic Earth contested between machines and humanoids, in snappy action punctuated by shmup sections. A devastating multiple-ending story and sublime soundtrack make it an unclassifiable masterpiece.
NieR:Automata The End of YoRHa Edition review
MAX
Art direction
★★★★★
"Iconic"
MAX
Music
★★★★★
"Legendary"
MAX
Story
★★★★★
"Masterful"
The contrast between the elegant black-and-white androids and the ruined world overrun by nature composes an unforgettable melancholy aesthetic. Every setting, from the abandoned amusement parks to the desert, serves the theme and burns in images that haunt you long after.
Keiichi Okabe's soundtrack is an absolute masterpiece, often cited among the most beautiful ever composed for a game. Its choirs in an invented language are devastating, and each theme evolves dynamically with the action, reaching unmatched heights of emotion.
The scenario is a major philosophical work, questioning consciousness, free will and the meaning of existence through androids and machines. Its multi-reading structure, where each playthrough reveals a new facet, makes it one of the most ambitious narratives in the medium.
Gameplay
"Masterful"
The game constantly switches genre: Platinum-style action, vertical shoot'em up, top-down view, 2D platforming. These shifts are never gratuitous, they serve the argument, and the combat stays exemplary in fluidity and elegance throughout.
The major fights are never mere walls: they carry the game's argument about machine consciousness. Marx, Simone, Eve — each tells a tragedy, and the battle switches genre mid-fight, sliding from action to shoot'em up.
Is NieR:Automata The End of YoRHa Edition still worth playing in 2026?
This Switch edition of an absolute masterpiece finally makes portable one of the most striking works of its decade. Its philosophical meditation on consciousness, its multiple-ending structure and its devastating soundtrack have lost none of their power. As NieR enjoys a growing cult status, discovering it on Switch is a golden opportunity. Being able to take this story of androids and machines everywhere, and live it across successive sessions, multiplies its emotional impact.
