Yoko Taro’s philosophical action-RPG (February 2017 Japan, March 2017 West) starred 2B, an android fighting machines in post-apocalyptic Earth. The existential narrative, multiple endings (A-Z), and 2B’s design made it a cult phenomenon selling 7.5M+ copies.
Narrative Structure
Players experienced story from multiple perspectives—2B (combat android), 9S (hacker), A2 (rogue). Each playthrough revealed new truths about machines’ consciousness, humanity’s extinction, and android purpose. Ending E’s sacrifice of save data made players question attachment to digital existence.
2B Cultural Icon
2B’s gothic lolita design exploded in cosplay, fan art, figurines. Her stoic personality contrasted 9S’s earnestness. “2Booty” became meme acknowledging Yoko Taro’s admitted “I just really like girls” design philosophy. Square Enix merchandise sold millions.
Platinum Games Combat
PlatinumGames (Bayonetta, Metal Gear Rising) delivered silky action combat. Pod shooting, weapon combos, chip customization. Genre-shifting: shoot-em-up segments, hacking puzzles, text adventure sequences. Emi Evans’ invented-language soundtrack haunted players.
Key hashtags: #NieRAutomata #2B #YokoTaro #SquareEnix
Sources:
- Square Enix sales reports (7.5M+ copies by 2023)
- Famitsu interviews with Yoko Taro (design philosophy)
- Steam concurrent players (50K+ peak March 2017)