The distant future… Invaders from another world attack without warning, unleashing a new type of threat: weapons known as “machine lifeforms.” In the face of this insurmountable threat, mankind is driven from Earth and takes refuge on the Moon. The Council of Humanity organizes a resistance of android soldiers in an effort to take back their planet. To break the deadlock, the Resistance deploys a new unit of android infantry: YoRHa . 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...
Nier: Automata shares the post-apocalyptic setting of Nier, taking place thousands of years after the game's fourth ending. Set in the year 11945 AD, the story revolves around a proxy war between the human-made androids and the machine army of invaders from another world. Lacking both emotions and true names, androids have particular attitudes that distinguish them from their fellows. The initial protagonist is 2B (short for "YoRHa No. 2 Type B"), a YoRHa combat android whose main traits are her calm and composure. 2B is accompanied by 9S (short for YoRHa No.9 Type S), a male "scanner" android who displays more emotion than the other YoRHa units. Eventually another playable character is introduced: "A2", an obsolete attack android with a taciturn personality who often chooses to act alone. The androids are supported by Pod 042 and Pod 153, floating box-like robots that act as ranged weapons. The first and second playthroughs follow the respective views of 2B and 9S during an initial invasion. After opening a route for future missions, they are sent to clear out machine threats for the Resistance, led by Anemone, who provides the two with support. During their missions, 2B and 9S discover that the machines are exploring human societies and concepts. The third playthrough is through the lens of A2.
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