NieR: Automata

NieR: Automata
Developer: PlatinumGames Publisher: Square Enix Platforms: PlayStation 4, Windows, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch Released internationally: March 17, 2017 (Windows), June 26, 2018 (XB1), October 6, 2022 (Switch) Released in JP: February 23, 2017 (PS4) Released in US: March 7, 2017 (PS4) Released in EU: March 10, 2017 (PS4) This game has hidden bonus content.

This article is a work in progress. ...Well, all the articles here are, in a way. But this one moreso, and the article may contain incomplete information and editor's notes.

In NieR: Automata, Yoko Taro's eccentric post-apocalyptic nightmare worlds achieve surprise mainstream success through the action game skills of PlatinumGames. (Although, to be fair, the big robot hinders probably helped.)

Initially released for the PS4 and PC, later releases for Xbox One ("Become As Gods Edition") and Nintendo Switch ("The End of YoRHa Edition") followed. Both versions, along with a PS4 Game of the Year re-release ("Game of the YoRHa Edition"), packed in the unpronounceable "3C3C1D119440927" DLC content.

To do: A debug mode and debug room are present, but can be unlocked via normal gameplay. Should this be covered? There may also be additional debug tools left in the game data... A 2017 debug build with a more advanced debug menu was also accidentally posted to Steam, likely has references to more removed things (eg. cut transport locations)

Secret Cheat ("The Final Secret")

A hidden cheat code, hardcoded into the game engine, is present in the game's first chapter. If you have the Chapter Select, you can skip to the exact point by going to the checkpoint "Ch.01-02_3: 2B Inside the Factory".

After defeating the "Marx" boss and watching 9S fly off, don't go into the factory immediately. Instead, look around the area for two identical sets of three barrels, with a space between them. Park 2B between the two piles, hold down R2 and enter the press-button code Up, Down, Up, Right, Left, Square, Circle, Triangle, X (or your system's gamepad's equivalent) while doing your best to keep 2B from escaping the space between the barrels (it helps to press the left touchpad to pause the game). You might recognise this as the "Platinum Code" used to activate certain secrets in Bayonetta 2...

Upon the code's successful execution, the game will fade to black and skip straight to the post-credits scene from the final ending, unlocking everything that's normally earned by completing repeat playthroughs.

This cheat code was hinted at in a "one-year anniversary" Famitsu interview, where it was described as a development requirement that could cause unpleasant issues upon discovery due to its nature. Three years and ten months after the game's release, the secret was found, and confirmed as such by Yoko Taro and Square-Enix.

(Source: Lance McDonald)