NieR: Automata's "secret door" finally revealed to be demo of fan mod tools

In the years since the launch of NieR: Automata, a renowned name in the action role-playing game genre, players have scoured the game's many interconnected levels for the hidden secrets that the title houses.

Game director Yoko Taro hinted at the "final secret" of the game, which was ultimately discovered by Twitter user Lance McDonald, with a confirmation from the official Japanese NieR Twitter account. However, the recent discovery of a potential "secret door" in the game by Reddit user u/sadfutago had fans of the game in shambles as no one seemed to be able to replicate the users' findings.

This made many players question the legibility of the clip and the player. They believed the secret door and the accompanying "church area" to be a mod. Although some people backed the user with his claim of the secret not being a mod — considering the fact that the complexity of the area and its surroundings were beyond the scope of mods in NieR: Automata — it turns out the church area and secret door were mods after all.

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Secret door and Church in NieR: Automata's Copied City level turn out to be mods

The secret door was teased by u/sadfutago on Reddit, which left fans in the NieR community in disarray. Many questioned the authenticity of the clips that showed the user accidentally stumbling upon the door while exploring the Copied City.

The door connects to a church that features a unique and never-before-seen cutscene. Many gamers hypothesized the secret to being a cut content that did not make it into the final game, while others believed it to be some sort of elaborate hoax by the user. The incident was also addressed by Yoko Taro himself when he put up a vague tweet regarding the discovery.

However, during a recent special Twitch stream, a team of NieR: Automata modders revealed that the secret door in Copied City was, in fact, their work, which was essentially a means to showcase the new and improved modification tools for the game. The team of modders also promised to release the mod files, which will finally allow fans to experience the alleged secret area for themselves.

Thus ends the saga of the game's elaborate secret door and church area, which sent the community into a frenzy. The incident that brought many questions to the table regarding NieR: Automata and its endless string of secrets also resulted in the game returning to the limelight, which is always a good thing, given the quality of the title, its thought-provoking narrative, and action-packed gameplay.

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NieR: Automata is also slated to make its debut on Nintendo Switch this year on October 6, extending the game to a whole new set of players; it is quite possibly one of Yoko Taro's best creations to date.

With his signature storytelling style that gets players attached to the characters on an emotional level combined with the high-octane action gameplay, courtesy of Platinum Games, NieR: Automata, without a shadow of a doubt, is one of the most memorable gaming experiences of the last decade.