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NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139...
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JaySevenZero
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Jobobonobo
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Re: 609: NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139...
Having played and adored Nier Automata, I always wanted to try out the original to see how it all began. So I eagerly leapt at the chance to try out this remake. Having finished it I can say that Replicant showcases a lot of great things but also contains some negative aspects that hold it back from being a 10/10 experience.
But first, the good. The combat is pretty much copied from Automata and as a result, it is really fun chopping up enemies, deftly dodging their attacks while spamming magic projectiles at them. I heard one of the big flaws of the original was that the combat was a bit on the clunky side and detracted from the strengths of the game such as its narrative. The developer Toylogic did a great job emulating what Platinum Games achieved and have really made a satisfying combat system that makes going up against the various creatures and robots in this game a real joy. Related somewhat to the combat are that the bosses were a big highlight for me. Massive spectacles that always seemed to go in perfect sync with the story and music. This seems to be something that the Nier games in particular are great at and has only being enhanced with the refined combat system seen here. Music by Keiichi Okabe is also just as wonderful as it was for Automata. So many of these themes stick with you long after you play them and perfectly capture the brooding, melancholic atmosphere of the Nier series.
Another big positive is the main cast of characters. They are all flawed yet easy to empathise with and the chemistry between them is top notch. Nier is a kind hearted guy who deeply cares for his sister and is always willing to help others but carries a genocidal hatred of Shades. When you learn more about what Shades actually are, the player becomes a lot more uncomfortable with how Nier feels about these beings. Grimoire Weiss is an entertaining blend of pompous and sassy and his quips with other characters definitely provided a lot of the light hearted moments of the game. Kaine is anti-social and foul mouthed. However she begins to soften considerably as she interacts with Nier and especially the last member of your party Emil. He is honestly quite opposite to Kaine in that he looks horrific but is one of the sweetest characters in the game. Overall, this was a very interesting group to play with and marks these characters as one of the most memorable party in an RPG I have ever played as.
Related to the characters is the story itself. It definitely takes a lot of twists and turns and becomes pretty subversive after Route A as you begin to understand more about the Shades and why your actions might have been far more harmful than you intended. It is a story with a lot of gray shades and Route E in particular throws some really wild things your way. It is also brilliant in that if you just finish Route A then it looks like a nice happy ever after ending (well other than Weiss and Emil sacrificing themselves that is) but subsequent playthroughs show that things are a lot more messy than you typically encounter in most RPGs.
So those were the positives and there were very big positives indeed. However, this game also has some flaws that made my time with it less than ideal. Unlike Automata where the game significantly changes as you start Route C, in Replicant Route C has you replaying the same sections again. I got so sick of the Lost Shrine by the end of Route C that I never want to set foot in it again. Unfortunately you do have to replay that blasted section again when you aim for Route E so yeah in order to get all endings you are playing through the Lost Shrine NINE times. I am quite frankly really sick of games demanding I do the same thing again and again in order to finish the game properly.
Another big sin is that to get Endings C and D you have to collect all 33 weapons in the game. I was lucky in that I had 27 weapons by the time I started Route C so I did not have to collect too many in order to progress and just had to finish a few sidequests and grind a lot of money in order to buy them. This game is strangely stingy with money and the only way to really start raking in the dough requires you to finish sidestories. But even if it was not too bad gathering all the weapons, I despise when developers insist you have to collect every single one of a particular doodad in order to even finish the base game.
Since I mentioned sidequests already, that is my other main complaint with this game. They are really bad. Automata did not have great sidequests either but at least some of them tried to explain the lore of the world you are in. Replicant to my knowledge has only a few sidequests like that and even with them it was pretty meh. But the vast majority of sidequests are fetch quests and grinding for materials to make a doodad for someone. And your reward is typically some money, non essential items or occasionally a weapon. So to finish the game properly you have to engage with some of these absolute borefests of sidequests. Developers, please I am begging you, if you want me to spend time in the lovely world you have developed make sidequests actually interesting. From now on I will not do any sidequests unless there is a compelling reason to do them. This game really is the epitome of rubbish sidequests and I have reached breaking point with this time wasting nonsense.
In summary: at its best, Nier Replicant is a really fascinating, complex story with compelling characters, great combat and excellent music. But to really experience these highs you have to trudge through a lot of repetition to get there. If you can forgive those faults, I say give it a whirl as at its best, it gives Automata a run for its money. If it was not home to some of my biggest pet peeves with game design I would heartily recommend it. As it is, I can only do so with some caveats. Still all in all, interesting game that I am glad I played.
TWR: Fascinating, flawed gem
But first, the good. The combat is pretty much copied from Automata and as a result, it is really fun chopping up enemies, deftly dodging their attacks while spamming magic projectiles at them. I heard one of the big flaws of the original was that the combat was a bit on the clunky side and detracted from the strengths of the game such as its narrative. The developer Toylogic did a great job emulating what Platinum Games achieved and have really made a satisfying combat system that makes going up against the various creatures and robots in this game a real joy. Related somewhat to the combat are that the bosses were a big highlight for me. Massive spectacles that always seemed to go in perfect sync with the story and music. This seems to be something that the Nier games in particular are great at and has only being enhanced with the refined combat system seen here. Music by Keiichi Okabe is also just as wonderful as it was for Automata. So many of these themes stick with you long after you play them and perfectly capture the brooding, melancholic atmosphere of the Nier series.
Another big positive is the main cast of characters. They are all flawed yet easy to empathise with and the chemistry between them is top notch. Nier is a kind hearted guy who deeply cares for his sister and is always willing to help others but carries a genocidal hatred of Shades. When you learn more about what Shades actually are, the player becomes a lot more uncomfortable with how Nier feels about these beings. Grimoire Weiss is an entertaining blend of pompous and sassy and his quips with other characters definitely provided a lot of the light hearted moments of the game. Kaine is anti-social and foul mouthed. However she begins to soften considerably as she interacts with Nier and especially the last member of your party Emil. He is honestly quite opposite to Kaine in that he looks horrific but is one of the sweetest characters in the game. Overall, this was a very interesting group to play with and marks these characters as one of the most memorable party in an RPG I have ever played as.
Related to the characters is the story itself. It definitely takes a lot of twists and turns and becomes pretty subversive after Route A as you begin to understand more about the Shades and why your actions might have been far more harmful than you intended. It is a story with a lot of gray shades and Route E in particular throws some really wild things your way. It is also brilliant in that if you just finish Route A then it looks like a nice happy ever after ending (well other than Weiss and Emil sacrificing themselves that is) but subsequent playthroughs show that things are a lot more messy than you typically encounter in most RPGs.
So those were the positives and there were very big positives indeed. However, this game also has some flaws that made my time with it less than ideal. Unlike Automata where the game significantly changes as you start Route C, in Replicant Route C has you replaying the same sections again. I got so sick of the Lost Shrine by the end of Route C that I never want to set foot in it again. Unfortunately you do have to replay that blasted section again when you aim for Route E so yeah in order to get all endings you are playing through the Lost Shrine NINE times. I am quite frankly really sick of games demanding I do the same thing again and again in order to finish the game properly.
Another big sin is that to get Endings C and D you have to collect all 33 weapons in the game. I was lucky in that I had 27 weapons by the time I started Route C so I did not have to collect too many in order to progress and just had to finish a few sidequests and grind a lot of money in order to buy them. This game is strangely stingy with money and the only way to really start raking in the dough requires you to finish sidestories. But even if it was not too bad gathering all the weapons, I despise when developers insist you have to collect every single one of a particular doodad in order to even finish the base game.
Since I mentioned sidequests already, that is my other main complaint with this game. They are really bad. Automata did not have great sidequests either but at least some of them tried to explain the lore of the world you are in. Replicant to my knowledge has only a few sidequests like that and even with them it was pretty meh. But the vast majority of sidequests are fetch quests and grinding for materials to make a doodad for someone. And your reward is typically some money, non essential items or occasionally a weapon. So to finish the game properly you have to engage with some of these absolute borefests of sidequests. Developers, please I am begging you, if you want me to spend time in the lovely world you have developed make sidequests actually interesting. From now on I will not do any sidequests unless there is a compelling reason to do them. This game really is the epitome of rubbish sidequests and I have reached breaking point with this time wasting nonsense.
In summary: at its best, Nier Replicant is a really fascinating, complex story with compelling characters, great combat and excellent music. But to really experience these highs you have to trudge through a lot of repetition to get there. If you can forgive those faults, I say give it a whirl as at its best, it gives Automata a run for its money. If it was not home to some of my biggest pet peeves with game design I would heartily recommend it. As it is, I can only do so with some caveats. Still all in all, interesting game that I am glad I played.
TWR: Fascinating, flawed gem
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Sage + Onion Knight
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Re: 609: NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139...
On another (non-gaming) forum that I post on, I tend to get tagged whenever anyone mentions that they're starting that game or considering getting it. Playing that game was as much a revelation for me in my mid-twenties as playing Final Fantasy VII was as a kid - so I was over the moon when this remaster of the previous game in the series was announced (I'm holding out hope that the Drakengard games will get a similar treatment, though I understand they're a much tougher sell!)
Overall, I loved Nier Replicant - it's clearly rougher around the edges than Automata, but there was a lot in that roughness that I really loved. The postmodern self-awareness with which it references different game genres, for example, and the creative use of such a small set of locations. It was certainly much more repetitive with its multiple endings than Automata was, but limitations like these are elevated by their relationship to the story's themes, the beautiful music, and the sheer imagination behind every idea.
The additional ending gives me hope that Yoko Taro has more to say with this series and with this amount of ambition. As much as I've enjoyed the Voice of Cards games, it's a shame that he's largely been working on smaller-scale projects and dodgy looking gacha games in the years since Automata.
Overall, I loved Nier Replicant - it's clearly rougher around the edges than Automata, but there was a lot in that roughness that I really loved. The postmodern self-awareness with which it references different game genres, for example, and the creative use of such a small set of locations. It was certainly much more repetitive with its multiple endings than Automata was, but limitations like these are elevated by their relationship to the story's themes, the beautiful music, and the sheer imagination behind every idea.
The additional ending gives me hope that Yoko Taro has more to say with this series and with this amount of ambition. As much as I've enjoyed the Voice of Cards games, it's a shame that he's largely been working on smaller-scale projects and dodgy looking gacha games in the years since Automata.