NIER: REPLICANT

ver.1.22474487139…

RELEASED 23 APRIL Reviewed on Playstation 4

Also on Xbox One, PC

Publisher Square Enix

Yoko Taro is known for his offbeat approach to JRPG genre conventions, and this cult classic remastered for modern systems is a prime example. For instance, Nier acknowledges that it is a little odd that one of your comrades is running around in her underwear – but she has her reasons.

A straightforward tale of a lad attempting to harness terrible power to save his sister soon reveals it’s more than just that old chestnut. Yoko’s quirky sensibility extends to narrative structure too: hitting the credits for the first time, while telling a complete story, doesn’t give you everything. Replaying the last act offers more time with your engagingly eclectic party, plus new scenes that reframe what you thought you knew.

Developer Toylogic has given these unique aspects room to shine by lovingly updating every facet of the 2010 release. Clunky hack-and-slash combat has been overhauled, offering a fluid experience uninterested in grinding for experience and skewing closer to successor Nier: Automata’s action. Voice acting and the memorably melancholy score have been re-recorded, and the ruined world has never looked better.

The twists in this emotional tale are worth unspooling now more than ever, whether this is your first brush with Yoko’s work or hardly your first JRPG rodeo. Jess Kinghorn