The following contains spoilers from NieR: Automata Ver1.1a Episode 1, “or not to [B]e,” now available on Crunchyroll.
NieR: Automata Ver1.1a is the newest in a recent string of video game-to-television show adaptations, which has caught the eye of new viewers and fans of the game. It has been stated that the show will attempt to cover the main story of its namesake NieR: Automata, but this has raised a few questions since the game is known for having multiple endings — 27, to be exact. This has caused some people to wonder if they should play the game before watching the show or go into the anime knowing nothing at all.
The answer to this question is a bit complicated. While NieR Automata is known for having quite a few endings, the majority of them are joke endings or game-over scenarios, meaning that they shouldn’t have any impact on the story of the anime — or at least, this is what people thought until Episode 1 aired.
A New Take On Old Endings
As it turns out, at the end of the episode, it is stated that every episode will include coverage of one of the many endings the video game has to offer. In the case of Episode 1, the anime showed a variation on ending U of the game, known officially as “deb[U]nked.” While in the game, the player must self-destruct in the Bunker to trigger this ending, in the anime, it is caused by 2B touching her black box to 9S’s.
It is most likely that these skits at the end of episodes won’t have any real impact on the story, and while having the context of playing the game could make some of them funnier, it shouldn’t affect the viewing experience too much. However, some of the endings do involve events that the anime may not cover. Fans of the anime curious about the greater world of NieR may feel compelled to play the game regardless. Nonetheless, the very name of the anime could hint at some possible changes to the story that even people who played the game are not expecting.
Episode 1 of the anime was fairly true to the events of the game, with many of the scenes in the anime matching up with or expanding on game cutscenes. Still, referring to the anime as NieR: Automata Ver1.1a, is a notable choice when considering that the project is based on a Yoko Taro game. Fans of the NieR games will note that 2021 saw the release of NieR Replicant ver.1.22374487139…, which was a rerelease of NieR Replicant. While this version of the game saw graphical overhauls and gameplay quality-of-life improvements common to rerelease, this new version also included the addition of story content only seen in books up until that point. The naming convention for the anime could be purely aesthetic, but it could also hint at the inclusion of story content that even people who have played the game have never seen.
Despite being an adaptation of a video game, NieR: Automata Ver1.1a could hold more than a few surprises for everyone watching. While playing the game is far from a requirement for watching or enjoying the anime, it could provide viewers with a different perspective on the story. Alternatively, one could watch the anime and then play the game, thus having a completely new experience.
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