I pretty much 100%-ed the game on my first playthrough and just started up a new one. A "positive" side effect of this Moment we've been living through the past two years is that my memory has gotten worse, I've forgotten enough of the minor plot points and side stories that it feels fresh again. Really looking forward to talking about it more. Horizon Zero Dawn is at the top of my Steam wishlist, just waiting for a sale to pick it up. I love Girlfriend Review so much, their Nier Automata review has convinced at least one friend to actually play it which feels like a huge win for a Yoko Taro game.
I presume you got to the B route then? Yeah, wasn't a big fan of the hacking mini game but I've played a lot of bullet hells so maybe it didn't bother me as much. Except for some boss fights they're basically recycling the same 4 or 5 templates so once you "solve" them you just do the same thing every time. I did every side quest I could during route A so my route B was pretty quick. Figuring out and manually setting up your chip configuration can also make you disgustingly Cyberpunk-level overpowered. What I really like is how the game manages to explore the themes of purpose, meaning and free will almost in isolation since the setting is so far into the future and so devoid of humans that it manages to slip out of the post-apocalyptic setting into something new. The common criticism of many open world games feeling mostly "lifeless" becomes an asset supporting the theme, while still giving you a sense of awe when you explore it and meet its inhabitants. I haven't read nearly enough science fiction to call it unique, but it felt fresh in a video game. I loved the musical score and the aesthetic, and as someone who struggled my way through Drakengard and the original Nier it is SO much better from a gameplay perspective once they brought in PlatinumGames its not even funny.