Just recently I finally purchased Nier: Automata after it went on sale on Steam and I’m liking the game so far. I am aware that there is a lot more to this game than meets the eye so I will be keeping a close watch on the game as I make my way through it but I wanted to talk about a very specific thing that it does that is just genius, immediately breaking the fourth wall.
You see the system and settings options in this game are actually tied to your character effectively modifying their own systems in order to make themselves more combat effective and while this is just a small detail it really makes me feel more immersed and while it might seem strange I like the game just a little bit more for including this detail. Breaking the fourth wall in video games isn’t anything new but I like it when it attempts to integrate game systems into the story so as to make it unique to the medium rather than just acknowledging the player’s presence. Undertale does this well too by integrating the save system into the lore of the characters thereby making your actions more noticeable in the grand scheme of the story. I love small details like this and there are so many occasions in which games utilise their own game mechanics to break the fourth wall and yet still make the game immersive, something which I think more games should do.
So I ask all of you, what moments of games slightly breaking the fourth wall do you most remember and enjoy? Let us all know in the comments below! That’s all for now, and as always. It’s not just a game, It’s a Life.