Nier Replicant Ver.1.22474487139…
A cult JRPG gets the TLC it deserves
Hack. Slash. Shoot. Dodge. Fail. Again. Repetition is part and parcel of videogames but outside of recent roguelike titles it’s often taken for granted as a mechanical necessity and seldom more closely examined.
In 2010 Nier debuted with a daddy protagonist searching for a cure for his daughter’s terminal illness. But a different version was exclusive to Japan, featuring a teen protagonist fighting for the sake of his sister’s health. Beyond these minor differences both versions tell largely the same story, but it’s the latter version that forms the basis for this rerelease, bringing the young hero to the West for the first time.
Developer Toylogic has taken hold of Nier’s reins and overhauled almost every aspect of the original. Rough mechanical edges have been sanded down, visuals updated, voice acting rerecorded, the score similarly renewed, and the team has even gone as far as reimplementing a sizable chunk of cut content. It’s a loving remaster, to say the least, which never loses sight of what was so appealing about the original Dad-venture. Rather than plaster over anything, Toylogic’s made a faithful restoration.
If you’re unfamiliar with how director Yoko Taro likes to do things, Nier was notable for its non-standard story structure. Watching the credits roll bookends a satisfying story in its own right but leaves plenty of twists unrevealed – to get the full picture you need to reload your cleared save data. Once you do, the action picks back up more than midway through, and replaying the last act will treat you to entirely new scenes that give greater context to what is happening.
It doesn’t go as hard as 2017’s Nier: Automata (which has 26 endings and perspective-hopping
It’s a loving remaster which never loses sight of what was so appealing about the original.
gameplay) but that is exceptional within games, and Replicant’s approach to storytelling still feels fresh all this time after its original release. The stakes are high, but there’s more to the game than action set-pieces. Instead, its pacing prioritises downtime so you can fully appreciate the emotional twists and turns as well as get closer to characters you’ll come to adore. Trust us, you’ll want to keep the tissues close for this one.
SYSTEM REBOOT
That’s not to say combat is one-note in comparison. Gone is the clunky hack-and-slash action that felt like it belonged more in a PS2 game than one released mid-way through PS3’s lifecycle, and in its place is a much breezier form of fighting. The combat system is built with accessibility in mind; on top of some nifty button mapping options that allow you to play the game entirely one-handed, you’re well within your rights to hurl mixed-and-matched magic attacks with u from a distance and dash through fights. A slew of magical, shooter-like abilities you can switch up on the fly, along with a variety of weapons, keep things interesting on higher difficulty settings. It’s nowhere near as flashy as Automata’s character action but it also doesn’t need to be. After all, you’re not a specially programmed combat android, you’re a lad waving a sword around, desperate to protect what little he has left in the world.
It’s a game far more interested in its emotional beats than, say, grinding experience before a boss. As long as you’re packing healing items, you’ll rarely feel unprepared as you push forward. Each Big Bad itself presents a memorable encounter that is equal parts theatrical in its staging and mechanically dense. Nier likes to throw in bullet-hell-style projectiles and perspective shifts alongside its character-actionadjacent antics, making for pacy, thrilling bust-ups that keep you on your toes.
Fights aren’t the only thing to play with genre: you’ll stumble into a number of dungeons that offer more than just cute references to gaming history (though there are plenty of those too). Unafraid to switch things up, Nier is playful with the medium in a way that’s bound to at least leave a smile on your face, though we’ll leave you to discover how.
ALIKE IN DIGNITY
If you were initially unfamiliar with Nier’s structural shenanigans, we can imagine what your first thought was on reading the start of this review: “Why aren’t the bonus scenes part of the first playthrough?”
In a word, pacing. The first playthrough feels far from incomplete without them but the additional context offered by these new scenes needs room to breathe and percolate – weaving them through a second playthrough does that. If Nier gave you everything the first time, story beats would be fighting for air, muddying the impact of each one. Begging the questions it does during a first
It’s a game far more interested in its emotional beats than grinding experience.
runthrough teases out its bigger ideas on the second go-around.
Repetition isn’t just a structural element of the game, it’s a thematic one as well. We don’t want to spoil anything, but suffice to say you’re far from the only one fighting for your sister. The first playthrough tells a fairly straightforward story (on the face of it, at least) as Nier cuts down enemies known as Shades left and right in the name of protecting his family. A second runthrough goes on to demonstrate that the lines of conflict are rarely so clearly drawn, and your protagonist’s naïve tunnel-vision begins to chafe. It’s a reversal smartly done that still feels surprisingly fresh more than a decade on.
Unfortunately, there’s less to see from the third runthrough on – which you’ll need to undertake if you want a shot at all of the endings to see the full scope of the narrative. The third go-around and beyond are the breeziest cycles of the lot as your experience as well as your weapons carry over between runs. That said, if you’re desperate to see it all, there’s nothing wrong with taking a breather before round three.
We’d say, replays and all, it’s worth the investment for a story that makes the most of the videogame medium in its telling. If you loved the 2010 cult hit – warts and all – Toylogic’s remaster is absolutely worth acquainting yourself with as it lays out the red carpet for more than just a trip down memory lane. On the other hand, if you’ve yet to play anything directed by Yoko Taro, this is an excellent entry point.