I went into this knowing it was weird, but I wasn’t prepared for how much it would stick with me. It’s a sad android story wrapped in excellent combat, and the combination works better than it has any right to.
You play as 2B with her katana combos and 9S with hacking minigames. The camera switches between regular 3D combat, side-scrolling, and top-down bullet hell, which keeps things from getting stale. Pod programs let you customize your approach, and each character plays differently. The chip system lets you build how you want, though the good combinations need resource management. Boss fights look cool and feel tough but fair.
The perspective shifts are what make it special. Each playthrough reframes what happened before, and side quests and weapon descriptions add more context. The story asks big questions about what it means to be alive, and there are no easy answers. The way it builds to the true ending requires multiple playthroughs, but it’s worth it.
The characters are compelling despite being androids who supposedly can’t feel.
The world is empty but beautiful. Ruined amusement parks, falling apart factories, empty deserts - they tell stories before anyone says anything. The soundtrack is wonderful, perfectly melancholic, and the android designs work well.
This game made me care about characters who supposedly can’t feel. I still think about it years later. You need multiple runs to get the full story but it’s worth it.