It has been five years since the initial release of NieR: Automata and in that time has become a cherished game thanks to its unique storytelling, gameplay, and soundtrack. The game has inspired everything from artwork and cosplay, to crossovers with other games, to having a NieR: Automata anime currently in production, one would think that the franchise would have conquered every avenue it could dream of. But there is one platform left for NieR: Automata to move onto: the Nintendo Switch.
During the Nintendo Direct Mini: Partner Showcase, Square Enix announced that the NieR: Automata - The End of YorHa Edition will be coming to the Switch later this year. NieR: Automata's world and story have levels of depth to them that would seemingly disqualify it from getting onto the Switch platform natively, but PlatinumGames has found a way to make NieR: Automata run on the Nintendo Switch.
When NieR: Automata - The End of YorHa Edition launches, it will include all post-launch DLC content as well as new Nintendo Switch exclusive costumes. The 3C3C1D119440927 DLC introduced in 2018 for the Xbox console launch featured new boss encounters and new battle colosseum enemies, including battles with Square Enix President Yosuke Matsuda and former Platinum Games head Kenichi Sato. As funny as the inclusion of these out-of-place real-life people were, these boss battles are regarded as some of the hardest fights in the game built from the eccentric mind of game director Yoko Taro.
NieR: Automata - The End of YorHa Edition will release on October 4th, 2022 with gameplay native to the Switch. This is an impressive feat as, in the past, games of this size and scope have ended up available on the Switch via Cloud Gaming such as Control Ultimate Edition, Resident Evil 7, and a collection of Kingdom Hearts titles with varying degrees of enjoyment for fans. In general, the fan's internet availability, speed, and strength vary greatly and hampers the experience. NieR: Automata running natively on the Switch is great news.
The release on Nintendo Switch 5th Anniversary celebrations for PlatinumGames and Square Enix hit RPG. Earlier this year, it held a special 5th Year Anniversary stream that revealed the anime in development as well as showed off a variety of anniversary collectibles. This surprise announcement on the Switch may never be regarded as the definitive way to experience this game, but it brings one of the best RPGs of the decade onto a portable device and adds to NieR: Automata's 6 Million copies sold across all platforms.
NieR: Automata is now available on PC, PS4, and Xbox One and comes to the Nintendo Switch on October 4th.
Source: IGN
