A Nier: Automata-inspired indie has brought back a mechanic that series creator Yoko Taro cut from his own iconic RPG.
Yoko and Nier: Automata game designer Takahisa Taura sat down with Homura Hime developer Crimson Dusk for for an interview with Automaton, giving their thoughts on the new indie game inspired by their own work. However, as it happens, even though it was inspired by Nier, Homura Hime actually got to do something that Nier didn’t.
As Taura notes, “There was actually one element where you did something I wasn’t able to do in Automata, and I was honestly a little jealous of it.” He explains, “It’s the system where shooting consumes a gauge and you can’t fire anymore once it hits zero. That’s something I wanted to include myself.”
The killer was in the room with them, as Yoko responds: “A system where shooting consumes a gauge and you can’t fire once it hits zero… I’m the one who stopped that, right?” To this, Taura responds: “Yes, you said no to it, so when I saw it in the game I was like, ‘Yes!! This is exactly it!'”
Taura also says how he would’ve designed the mechanic, suggesting to the Homura Hime devs: “I thought it would be better if it were clearer when you can’t shoot. Also, maybe the cooldown could be a bit shorter.”
In the same interview, Yoko explains that he’s “happy when people say they were influenced by Nier: Automata,” even though many devs “seem reluctant to say it, maybe because they’re concerned about rights issues.” However, he adds, “I personally see it as a form of respect or homage. That’s why I’d actually prefer people to say they were influenced by it, or even say outright that they copied it. Though I don’t know how Square Enix would feel about that.”