NieR Replicant is set in a desolate and broken recycled
world built upon the lies of the previous generations. The sky is overcast
constantly and whilst some of the locations are visually stunning there is a
constant melancholy feeling lurking in its wake.
The story is just as pessimistic. The main character is on a quest to save his dying younger sister from a disease. A mysterious black scrawl has started manifesting itself under her skin. No one has ever survived this disease before and there is not much information recorded about it. As this is happening the monsters of the world, The Shades, are growing more violent and the main character is working as a mercenary to help them get by.
Of course, in typical Yoko Taro fashion, there is a hell of
a lot going on behind the scenes. There are practically two plots happening simultaneously, but for someone as dramatic and over the top as him, I was surprised by
how basic and easy to follow the main plot is.
Previously NieR was released in two versions in Japan. NieR
Replicant features the brother/ sister relationship, whilst Gestalt had a
father/daughter connection between the main characters. This is the first time
Replicant has been released in the West and there are plenty of upgrades for
players familiar with the 2010 Western Gestalt release.
The combat system is fast and fluid featuring range magic thanks to Grimoire Weiss, the talking magical tome. The entire system has been improved to bring it more in line with Automata, however, I did feel the sequel is still superior combat as the counter was more responsive due to a flashy animation and sound effect. There is also a new ending to bridge the gap between Replicant and Automata based on the events of a Japanese exclusive novel.
The remake also features a new scenario that was cut from the release of the original game featuring a mermaid character. This is what I love to see in rereleases- new content which was not realised in the original release due to technical, budget or licensing restraints.
Additionally, Emil, one of your party members, was originally gay in the Japanese original, however, the localisation staff toned down the scene in the Western version. Now Emil fully embraces his sexuality (which I think does demonstrate how far gaming has come in being inclusive especially in the West).
The whole party become full of memorable
characters ostracised from their society and watching these mix-matched individuals' relationship develop over the course of the adventure is amusing. The voice work across the board
is strong but there are stand out performances in Liam O’Brien’s Grimoire Weiss
which was clearly inspired by Alan Rickman. There is an aurora of pompousness
and arrogance to him whilst being confined to existing as a magical talking
book. Additionally, Laura Bailey’s expletive obsessed Kainé is
another great performance for the character.
The soundtrack is also very memorable. I thought the Automata
soundtrack was good but frankly a little overrated and unmemorable. I felt
Replicants was much better
Listen to this-
This was one of the gaming themes which athletes walked out
to in the parade of nations in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics earlier this year and it
completely deserves to be there. It is dramatic and you can feel the rising
stakes and tension building up in it. There are plenty of other standout tracks
as well.
In typical NieR style, there are multiple endings that
reveal different information and shine certain events in a different context,
however, I did feel it was slightly more repetitive than it should have been.
Each ending sees you replaying the last 3-5 hours again and NieR Automata
managed to get through this by letting you play as different characters and
then showing events that happened past the original ending, but NieR Replicant
does not manage to change the gameplay as dramatically.
Overall, this was my favourite game of 2021. It has a grim
and callous atmosphere running through its core, but the bizarre party of
characters and their developing relationship is strong enough to take it
through all 5 of its endings.
NieR has cemented itself as one of my favourite game series over the past four years thanks in part to experiencing this solid prequel.
Additional Notes-
Firstly- How can your game of the year be a remake? Well, I
never played it originally. My first exposure to this title was in 2021, so it
has been judged as a new title and out of the new titles, it was my favourite.
Another factor that will have unintentionally but undoubtedly swayed my
judgement is the circumstances under which I played it. I went in blind, but I
did play Automata a few years ago so knew what to expect- cute androids having
existential crises, and I was surprised to see there were no android (but it’s
NieR so of course there was still the latter)
Additionally, it came out when I had a week off. I did not
plan it- it was just a coincidence, but I did devour it which I don’t get to do
much as an adult so formed quite strong memories of playing it.
Hey, I know, but this is my personal blog. Memories surrounding
games are sometimes just as impactful as the games themselves. Your favourite
game is probably your favourite game not just because of the game but because
of the situation, you found yourself in when you played it.
It is far from a perfect game, but it was an enjoyable one and I have fond memories playing it which is ultimately why it has won my game of the year award.
Well done NieR Replicant and the team working on it!
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