NieR Replicant - Review @ RPG Site

NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139... Review

It has been bizarre watching the NieR series become a tentpole franchise within Square Enix over the last couple of years. Surpassing 5.5 million sales as of February, NieR: Automata has absolutely shattered sales expectations beyond anyone's wildest dreams. Witnessing Yoko Taro's claim to fame exponentially increase has been a sight to behold. My purchase of the first Drakengard ages ago was simply by chance as a tremendous Dynasty Warriors 3 fan, and I've followed his career ever since then, for some reason.

The original release of NieR has a special place in my heart. It was not a looker, even in 2010, but it is one of the most memorable games I've ever experienced. I was so enamored with NieR Gestalt, the only version that received a western release at the time, that I went through the hassle of importing the other version, NieR Replicant. The situation surrounding two identical releases of the same game simultaneously, just with the alteration of whether the main character was a dad or older brother, fascinated me.

Whether it be the Replicant or Gestalt version, NieR was a true diamond in the rough. Its visuals were often marred by a muddy tone and harsh, overblown lighting due to extensive bloom. Combat was disappointingly basic, albeit serviceable, in a year when flashy action titles like Bayonetta, Darksiders, and God of War III made their debut prior to NieR's launch. Another blight that plagued NieR was its consistently inconsistent technical performance; it struggled to maintain 30fps and would occasionally dip into far lower frame-rates during busy scenes. Despite its flaws, I still cherish the original NieR as one of the ugliest games I love.

Let's be honest. A lot of modern NieR fans were introduced to the series thanks to the excellent NieR: Automata, and it's admittedly difficult to go back and play its predecessor these days for many, either due to a lack of hardware accessibility and/or the game's dated presentation.

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NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139... is one of the most carefully constructed re-releases in recent memory. I was delighted to see just how much of the original experience remained intact, with the bulk of alterations focused on its visuals and combat. While I am happy that NieR: Automata remains a resounding success, its influence over this updated release of NieR hasn't robbed it of its unique identity; this is, by and large, the NieR that I fell in love with. I think all the new content that has been added to Replicant ver.1.22 is all worth seeing. Looking back at my journey once more with Nier, Kainé, and Emil, I am so happy that one of the most underappreciated games gets another chance to show why it is so special again.

Score: 9/10

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Andrew23 said:

On my second attempt to get into Automata I spent 14 hours with it. But it didnt work for me.

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