Grab a PS3 copy
It doesn’t hold up nearly as well mechanically, but if you dug the narrative themes of NieR: Automata, you’ll probably dig the original NieR.
The problem is that it’s super hard to find at a standard retail price, as Square Enix stopped printing it a long while ago. That changed this week in Europe, as the publisher re-released the game on their store. The listing specifically mentions that it’s to “celebrate the launch of Automata,” and that it’s a reprint, just in case you’re a collector.
In the meantime Automatais celebrating one million shipped/sold digitally. Odds are we’ll see another Drakengardor NieRat some point!
NieR [Square Enix Europe] Thanks Jeff!