Nier Replicant remaster fixes the worst thing about this flawed but overall brilliant game

I played a preview version of Nier Replicant ver.1.22474487139, the impending remaster of Deny in 2010 – and I’m delighted to report that this improved re-release perfectly addresses my biggest complaint about the original, while cleverly stopping short of any major changes that risk throwing the baby out. with the bath water.

That main complaint, as detailed in my eleven-year review of the original version, was about its visuals. Denying was a very bland game. Not that it lacked flair in its artistic conception, but rather that it was simply painfully aligned with an era in video game history where too many games looked like muddy mess. Denying was among the worst; In the RPG site’s screenshot database, it’s hard to get your hands on screenshots of the original that aren’t just smeared with some nasty yellow-brown sort of thing.

This new version of Nier Replicant fixes that with a complete visual overhaul that brings the look of the beloved Nier Automata game closer to 2017, and it’s a very welcome change.

Along with new textures that don’t hesitate to use a little more color for definition, there are new character models and several adjusted character designs, with Akihiko Yoshida leading the art of Automatons, to help reshape the identity of the game. The geometry of the world itself seems largely unchanged, to mind, and therefore still features a more basic layout design, from the 2010 era, which is at times even a little confusing to navigate.

While I only played a small part of Nier Replicant and can talk about it even less at this point in the preview, that seems to be the theme of this remaster. Those who expect major revisions to really make this game feel like a much-loved successor won’t quite get this; it’s roughly the same game under the hood.

The fight, for example, isn’t close with the “PlatinumGames,” the original Nier having come from a studio that certainly didn’t have as much of an action pedigree. What you get instead is a bit more sloppy – in 2010 I compared it to Dynasty Warriors but with some magic and RPG capabilities, and reading this now it seems a bit reductive, it also looks pretty. close to refer to here.

The combat is slightly improved, but that’s thanks to smaller tweaks, plus the significant overall benefit of this new presentation over current hardware where the action runs smoothly and at a higher frame rate. As a result, he feels a lot better, but he’s obviously still not going to hold a candle for Automata – it’s systemic, deeply ingrained in the game itself. Only a full remake could change that.

And you know what? I’m not sure I want this full remake even if it was offered to me. There are a lot of things that I really love about the original Deny, and there’s more about it that, while imperfect, forms a really important part of the show’s identity. Automatons could only exist because this game was as it was – and that includes the more bumpy elements of racing.

Those who originally missed this but played Automata will find a lot of familiar things to love, but also a very different kind of game at the same time. This Nier is poised to offer his successor downtime more frequently and owes a lot to The Legend of Zelda both in terms of presentation and design of some of its dungeon-type locations and boss encounters.

The score I gave the original in 2010 still feels right to me – it was a deeply flawed game brimming with above-average potential that was then made in the 10/10 Automatons. However, this Remaster seems to make enough changes in enough places to let the brighter elements of Nier Replicant shine through. The roughest edges have been sanded down, making the experience much more enjoyable that the additional five million or so people who bought Automata over the original will likely enjoy without much frustration.

At the heart of it all, of course, and barely mentioned in this preview, is the Nier Replicant storyline. This version of the story, with a younger man as the protagonist, was not released in the West last time. Instead, we have the version of the story where you play as an older, gruff father figure. This is the originally conceived version of the tale, however, available in the West for the first time. This means we have a whole new location with both returning members and new cast, and it’s as great – if not better – than the first time around.

I won’t say more, as this is a story that should be lived for real rather than through a proxy; but I will say that I actually have enough of a soft spot for the original Nier tale which I sort of prefer over Automata – which is indeed very complimentary.

Anyway – there’s a lot more to say about Nier Replicant ver.1.22474487139 – but for that I’m going to have to read the full version in more detail. For now, you can leave that sneak peek knowing that this remaster does more justice to the original – which was a cult classic, but flawed. It’s definitely a better game this time around – and hopefully that means more people can experience its wonderful story in its entirety.