Nier: Automata was one of the best and most highly acclaimed JRPGs of the past video game generation, and things aren't slowing down for the PlatinumGames franchise. Five years after the game was first released, it's recently been announced that Nier: Automata will be receiving an anime adaptation. Given how epic and grand the game's story was, it'll definitely be exciting to see it translated into animated form, although it also comes with a few problems.
Video game anime adaptations in general can be rather hit and miss, and much of this stems from how accurate to the game's story the anime should be. This is complicated further by the game's many endings, making the story potentially even harder to adapt. Here's how the Nier anime can do things right by the game's fans while also being a good show as a whole.
Should Nier: Automata Be Accurate or Loose With the Game's Plot?
As mentioned, many anime adaptations of video games struggle because the showrunners can't figure out how much fidelity to have with the game's story. This isn't necessarily a problem for games with less linear or lengthy stories, as the writers can be more liberal with the direction of the narrative. In the case of anime for games like Persona 5, however, the developers are caught between a rock and a hard place. If they steer too close to the game's plot, fans of the material may feel that they're simply watching what they've already played. Likewise, if they get too creative with things, it begs the question of why they're even bothering to adapt the game at all.
Automata featured multiple endings, and although only a few of these were actually canon, it's very different from a story with a more cut-and-dry conclusion. That's not to mention all the philosophical and deeper themes present in the plot, making Nier: Automata more than just a mere action/adventure JRPG narrative. While this might make doing the material justice an immense challenge, the anime's developers could still easily succeed by replicating and complementing what's already worked.
Nier: Automata's Anime Should Be Supplemental to the Game
The best course of action would be for the Nier: Automata anime to straight-up adapt the plot of the game, adding in extra bits of plot here and there while making sure not to contradict what was in the game. Given that the game's director Yoko Taro has signed off on numerous spin-off projects such as stage shows, all of which are considered canon, it's likely that this is the plan for the anime as well. In doing this, the anime would be guaranteed to capture much of the magic of the game and accurately retell its story.
As for feeling like a retread to those who have played the games, the simple fact that it's jumping to a new and much different medium should curtail that. After all, playing a story in an interactive fashion is much different than seeing it played out in a television show format, so what once were old memories will soon be new again.
The story should also have adequate time to tell itself so as to not feel rushed or truncated. This was part of what ruined the Persona 5 anime, although that story also has more characters. By simply telling the same story that the game did, while adding a few extra things here and there and doing so with good pacing, the Nier: Automata anime is sure to become god-like when it hits TVs and anime streaming platforms in the "Nier" future.
