The asset has been around for more than 10 years. “Nier Replicant” is neither a remake nor a complete remake of “Nier,” but the gameplay is still fresh and original today. For the new release, Square Enix re-recorded the soundtracks and dialogues and gave the game some extra content.
Tantalizing story
The story is set for more than 1,000 years into the future: Shadow Devils roam the country, pushing the few survivors into small towns and villages. Meanwhile, the unknown hero searches for a cure for his terminally ill sister Yona.
At first glance, this story might seem like just another Japanese hero saga, but it remains a mystery from the start. It really starts out in the prequel and about ten hours later it is introduced as a role in the story that the other games will use in the grand finale. All this is marked by a deep sadness that runs through all the subplots.
Original genre mix
The game itself doesn’t care much about conventions. At its core, it is a role-playing game in the style of “Zelda: Breath of the Wild”, in which the hero explores his world from a shoulder-to-shoulder perspective, solving quests and slowly rising through experience levels. But “Nier” often breaks these expectations: Sometimes the adventurer jumps like in a sprint, kills monsters from an isometric perspective like in “Diablo” or moves boxes like the puzzle game “Sokoban”. Once he solves the task as well as in a text adventure from The Times of “Zork”. Because of this diverse mix of species, constant decline isn’t that important.
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Trailer for “Nier Replicant”
(Quelle: Square Enix)
However, the real highlights are the various final fights. Huge sticky scorpions and tentacle monsters hit the hero and attack the energy balls as in the “Hell Bullet” shooter. Each of these monsters needs different tactics: Sometimes some melee attacks are enough, but often powerful magic attacks like a giant fist or spears sprouting from the ground are the recipe for success. Later on, a few comrades support the hero, but they can only be controlled with simple commands such as “attack” or “defend”. Although the action scenes run more smoothly than they originally did thanks to new animation, the confusing camera modes are still annoying. It is not always possible to know which direction the attacks are coming from. Beginners shouldn’t be put off by this successful RPG adventure.
Tentative conclusion
The “Nier Replicant” program takes time to start. But once players give up the first few hours behind with many quiet walks through the visually bleak landscape, things really start. Then the game enchants with various fights against huge monsters, original level design, and an exciting and sad story. If you play through the game many times, it will even reveal the secrets hidden at the beginning. Even 10 years after it was first published, “Nier Replicant” shows that good gameplay and an unusual story are timeless. The new version finally brings the attention it always deserves.
Nier Replicant will be released on April 23rd for Windows, PS4 and Xbox One. It costs about 60 euros. USK from 16. We ran the Windows version for a few hours to test our.
(Duha)
