Yoko Taro has been one of the most enigmatic figures in the gaming niche for a number of years now, always seen having a full mask covering his head in public. He's most widely known for Nier: Automata, which served as one of two spin-offs of his initial Drakengard series. While Automata was reviewed exceptionally well, the original NieR flew under the radar with mediocre reception upon its release this year. Since that time, NieR has gotten a cult following that has really come to appreciate the game, and now the game gets a second lease on life as NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139…
NieR is a very unique example that you won’t find too often within the gaming industry, because it released in two variations back in 2010. The NieR release observed in free airline in those days was referred to as NieR Gestalt, but Japan had a PS3 exclusive version known as NieR Replicant that featured one major difference. Replicant were built with a teenage boy because the lead protagonist attempting to save his sister, while Gestalt instead was focused on a father attempting to save his daughter, who many have named Papa NieR. Apart from a few dialogue changes to deal with this, the game itself was exactly the same in pretty much every way. This was supposedly done due to Square Enix’s United states branch wanting a mature protagonist, but there's no definitive confirmation of this. However, Taro has gotten his opportunity to produce the definitive version of NieR and it just so transpires with opt for the Replicant protagonist instead.
As aforementioned, NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139… features a teenage protagonist that you get to mention yourself, who is taking care of his sickly younger sister Yonah. However, the game starts within the distant past with the same protagonist who is also attempting to save his sister Yonah. After the quick tutorial type section, you're moved more than a 1,000 a considerably long time with similar, yet different characters which are residing in just a little village. The protagonist is simply trying to find a way to heal his sister, but she starts to get even worse after you have afflicted with something known as the Black Scrawl, which seems to be tied to the creatures known as Shades that are attempting to invade this village and beyond.
In the entire process of looking for a method to heal Yonah, you'll meet a unique talking magic book referred to as Grimoire Weiss that has lost most of his memories. He ends up teaming up with you, in which you two try to look for the one known as Grimoire Noir that may be the key to saving Yonah. This winds up being only but a piece of the puzzle, but that will go greatly into spoiler territory that's better to experience yourself. Weiss, as you come to call him, can serve as the game’s comedic relief in ways to help bring some levity to what is a very dark and depressing story overall. There are a lot of games in which the banter between characters while just walking around or fighting isn’t worth paying attention to, however the back and forth with not only Weiss and the protagonist, but additionally some other characters is well worth listening out for in the game.
As you play with the game, you will meet two other very important characters along the way that play a significant role referred to as Kainé and Emil. Kainé starts off very standoffish when you initially meet her, but you will find explanations why she's like this. Her truly tragic backstory unfolds not just throughout the game, but particularly in what some would consider post-game content later that greatly fleshes out her character. You then meet Emil a little later, who ends up having an equally depressing backstory that you simply learn more about while you play the game. There are many standout party companions in gaming, however these two along with the protagonist wind up hitting those emotional beats about in addition to them, which very well would bring you to definitely tears before all is said and done.
This isn't just because of the writing hanging around, but also the fantastic voice acting across the board. NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139… makes things better still with the addition of many more voiced lines towards the game, where the majority of the game is actually voiced beyond some small conversations with NPCs. The voice actor they used for the younger protagonist also does an excellent job in the game with the redone dialogue in the original, along with redone lines in the other returning voice actors too.
One of the very most interesting aspects of NieR Replicant is how unapologetically melancholy the story in general is, which appears to be a Yoko Taro staple. He’s not scared to simply rip your heart out by killing someone even when you least expect it, but it’s not just for shock factor either. These moments carry major weight within the narrative and make the storyline all of the better consequently. There are a lot of moments where the game really plays with the idea of shades of gray, particularly when you are looking at the lead ups to the endings. Although it may sound like a cliché, the world just wasn’t ready for the kind of story that NieR wanted to tell when it originally released in 2010, but games like Nier: Automata as well as others such as the Last people games have paved the way in which for any game in this fashion to thrive.
After you get charge of your character following the opening tutorial, the village can serve as your main hub in NieR Replicant, with three gates where you can venture beyond it to various areas. The game is structured a bit like a Legend of Zelda game, in which you visit undertake something like a few early dungeons before something major happens and then you need to not just revisit everywhere, but also visit newer and more effective locations too. This unfortunately leads to a lot of backtracking on and on backwards and forwards between areas that may get pretty tedious early on, particularly if you take on the numerous sidequests hanging around. After some major events hanging around though, you'll eventually gain the ability to fast travel that may help much you clean out those widespread sidequests.
Those coming into NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139… fresh off of NieR: Automata will discover a familiar, yet still different gameplay style. PlatinumGames stepped set for Automata and escalated the combat in many ways from NieR Replicant, but that is not to say that this game’s combat is disappointing in any way. Actually, adhere to what they tell where they made some improvements towards the camera to be more on the amount expected from Automata. Even if you have Kainé or Emil to help you in battle at a reason for the sport, you control just the protagonist in combat and also have a bevy of weapons at your disposal. They are split between one-handed swords, two-handed swords, and spears, though the latter two do not become available until area of the way with the game. The combat with one of these are pretty typical for the usual action RPG, but in which the game really shines is with its use of magic.
Grimwoire Weiss lends you his magic to make use of in battle, which only grows stronger while you play with the game. It is because you start the sport off if you attempt to collect what are known as Sealed Verses, which are actually a number of powerful spells that Weiss can use in battle. You'll be able to map those to the bumpers and triggers, though the triggers are defaulted to defend and evade naturally. These spells use varying levels of a magic meter you have, which replenishes through attacking or just slowly over time. Certain enemies are more susceptible to magic attacks versus melee, but the the easy way handle things is by using the two together to consider down enemies. This is especially the case with the bosses, where you’ll have to employ different strategies to beat them. For those that might not benefit from the combat that much though, this version has added a brand new Auto-Battle mechanic so that you can play through and take in the story without having to worry concerning the gameplay too much. The combat overall may not be as fluid as Nier: Automata, but it’s still pretty enjoyable by itself.
There are 33 different weapons to locate and collect in the game, which actually is something you require to do if you want to obtain the true endings towards the game. All these weapons can also be upgraded by finding the right materials too, which can really improve their strength. On top of that, Nier Replicant features a rather unique mechanic referred to as ‘Word Edit,” where all weapons, magic, and even your defend and evade moves might have two ‘words” placed upon them. These test is collected through the game by defeating enemies and can add perks for example increased attack power, increased armor break, increased XP gain, and even increased item drop rate. The sport might be really played without these over time, but it’s an interesting mechanic to help you out regardless.
As alluded to above when endings were mentioned, NieR Replicant does in fact have multiple endings for you to experience. While it’s nothing that can compare with the 26 different endings that Nier: Automata had, farmville has five total with Endings A, B, C, D, and E. The very first four of those were already in the original game, but Ending E is actually completely new to the NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139… release. As the second playthrough may seem a little tiresome because of the fact you need to replay the second half of the game essentially, the sport still has interesting story elements that flesh out Kainé especially, but also Emil and even a few of the Shades themselves. Ending C requires a similar approach, but Endings D and E are very different and are certainly something will want to play right through to obtain the full experience.
Not only does NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139… add one more ending to the game, but there's also a number of other elements added to the game too. Including new story content that supposedly was meant to be in the original, which finds a shipwreck in the Seafront area of the game. Although this doesn’t take place until a little later hanging around, there are some elements of it weaved into the existing story that cause the eventual shipwreck. For people who have never literally game before, you wouldn’t have noticed that this wasn’t always part of the game before now either. This story quest winds up culminating inside a massive boss fight that is definitely one of the greatest in the entire game undoubtedly, which is a very worthy addition to the sport as a whole.
That is far in the only addition as well, because you will eventually unlock the ability to change costumes, which ties into something quite interesting. Within the original NieR, there were a series of challenges that you could take part in after finishing the initial playthrough of the game that allow you to play as the younger protagonist instead of Papa NieR at that time. This game features the precise reverse, as the father in the previous Gestalt version of the game is playable in these segments which will reward you with the various costumes. Square Enix will also be offering a free DLC pack with costumes based from Nier: Automata’s 2B and much more too, which is cool to see.
NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139… also includes another Automata related bonus, as you can also eventually switch the game’s soundtrack towards the Nier: Automata soundtrack instead. While that is a stellar soundtrack and it is well worth switching to for a change of pace, the NieR Replicant soundtrack itself is absolutely phenomenal, which has been completely re-recorded for this release. The various tracks assistance to convey the various emotions you will feel while playing the game, with ‘Kaine (Salvation)’ being utilized to near perfection by composer Keiichi Okabe.
One of the most popular complaints about the original NieR was the lackluster visuals that actually did not impress at the time. NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139… addresses that issue head on with rebuilt character models and environments, which is a major upgrade from the way it was before. The game still isn’t a visible showpiece or anything, however it runs at 4K with a 60fps frame rate, that is a major upgrade from the 720p at 30fps frame rate from the original. There have been not many moments where it seemed like the frame rate dipped either, because the game stayed very smooth even if the screen was full of attacking Shades.
There are extremely few games available that may turn things around like NieR did after its poor reception in 2010. Even though you may still find some things holding the sport back overall, many elements which were less taken in the time have aged quite well, while others have even been enhanced in NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139…. Mix that along with probably the most captivating stories that you’ll get in gaming and you've got a real recipe for success with NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139…, which truly deserves to be viewed by many more people now.
The Verdict
Gamers weren’t quite ready for Yoko Taro’s NieR in 2010, but now the now cult classic is getting another chance in the way it had been originally intended. Along with additional content and bonuses not based in the original, NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139… features a beautifully melancholy narrative that's equal parts gut-wrenching and heartfelt, all of which is extremely worth experiencing.
