NIKKE x NieR Automata event units 2B, A2, and Pascal previewed

Developer Shift Up is launching its planned Goddess of Victory: NIKKE x NieR Automata crossover event next month. With the formal title "OveR: Automata", the event kicks off on September 1 and runs until September 27, 2023. Players who participate will also receive a playable version of Pascal, the philosophical Machine Lifeform, as a SR-tier unit.

Pascal breaks down boundaries for NIKKE, as he is the first male-identifying character to appear as a playable unit in the game. All other playable NIKKE characters to date are female-identifying. Male characters do appear in NIKKE normally, but normally only as NPCs. Even Denji and Aki Hayakawa were left as NPCs during February 2023's Chainsaw Man crossover.

Meanwhile, Shift Up previewed the other two NieR Automata characters being added to the event: YoRHa Androids 2B and A2. Both will be SSR-tier units and be exclusive to the in-game gacha system.

2B will appear as an assault rifle unit, wielding the "Virtuous Rifle" firearm. A2 wields a Type-4O Blade, but is classified as a Rocket Launcher unit. If you're wondering how a unit that holds a sword will function in a game whose central mechanic is cover-based shooting, don't worry: A2 isn't even the first NIKKE unit to do that sort of thing. The Pilgrim unit Scarlet simply cuts enemies with her sword from behind cover, doing what fans like to call "anime damage".

Players who acquire the characters and complete mission challenges during the event will also receive free cosmetic skins for 2B and A2. Called "Metamorphic Damage", the skins change the appearance of the characters. 2B's skin reflects the character's skirt-less appearance after triggering her self-destruct function. A2's skin shows off her short-haired appearance, reflecting a story point in NieR Automata's campaign.

Shift Up also previewed the character's appearances in cutscenes and the select screen, showing off their Live2D-based animations. Japanese voice actors Yui Ishikawa and Ayaka Suwa will reprise their roles as 2B and A2 in the Japanese dub. For the English dub, it appears that voice actors Kira Buckland and Cherami Leigh will also play 2B and A2 as before, although they aren't credited directly. 

Incidentally, both Yui Ishikawa and Kira Buckland play multiple roles in NIKKE proper. Ishikawa plays Rapi, a major story character, while Buckland provides the English voices of characters Novel and Privaty.

Goddess of Victory: NIKKE is available on Android, iOS, and PC. The NieR Automata crossover event launches on September 1, 2023.