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For gamers who first discovered Deny when PlatinumGames released 2017, its 2010 predecessor may seem like it came from another time and place.
The post-apocalyptic future depicted in Nier Replicant (or to give the remaster its full title, Nier Replicant ver.1.22474487139…) seems less based on science fiction but a world of ruins where humans are still trying to survive, while your powers come from the darkness of magic rather than high-tech gadgets.
But even for those who have played the original Nier of the now-defunct Cavia (the remaster is managed by ToyLogic), it’s still technically a new experience as it’s actually a remaster of the Japanese version of the game where the protagonist was a teenager. boy rather than a middle-aged man, which dramatically changes the context of the story.
Our practice isn’t story-centric, but Square Enix seems to want to remind us of the parallels Replicant shares with Automata, at least based on our trip to the Junk Heap in the early hours of the game. allows us to fight against enemies that are reminiscent of Machines in Automata, and similarly not so inspiring in design.
The combat might not have the sheen of a PlatinumGames production, but it controls the same with quick melee combos and dodge that, when properly timed, causes you to glide around your foe. A welcome addition is being able to block attacks, which can also turn into a parry that allows you to follow with a very damaging counter.
It’s hard to gauge attack windows properly, however, not helped by the fact that you’re often assaulted by multiple enemies, which also makes the locked camera frustrating, as we’ve found it frequently targeting a different enemy than what you are looking for. We have planned. As with Automata, the game also regularly changes its perspective of third-person action behind the player, going from side scrolling to descending, sometimes without rhyme or reason.
That said, in the Junk Heap we mainly keep our distance as these machines frequently produce volts of electricity up front. This is where our dark magic comes in handy, thanks to an unlikely alliance with a floating, talking book named Grimoire Weiss. Its presence could be compared to the pods that followed the player into Automata and a Dark Blast spell essentially shoots projectiles like a turret.
But there are even more spells at your disposal, from a dark fist smash from close to medium range to one that shoots a dark spear at long range, with most spells being able to become more powerful when charged. You can, in theory, map up to four spells to shoulder buttons, although we have personally chosen to retain our ability to defend ourselves and evade triggers.
As a knowledgeable tome, Weiss also works as an encyclopedia and organizer on the menu screen, whether you need to research tutorials or take on quests. Aside from spells, some defeated enemies also drop “words”. Similar to how your spells come from Sealed Verses, Weiss can also use these words as modifiers to improve your weapons and spells. If the words sound like mumbo-jumbo to you, the good news is that you also have the option of automatically equipping the best combination.
“This Replicant is essentially a ‘new’ Nier experience, or at least a version we’ve never had before in the West, should be reason enough for dedicated Nier fans to seek it out.
Weiss’s dialogue is also undoubtedly one of Replicant’s strong points, sounding like a rude, tired butler, and while the remaster offers two audio options, that’s as good a reason as it does. doesn’t matter who stick to the English audio – not to mention you. Spare yourself by trying to keep reading the subtitles in the middle of the fight.
Indeed, audio remains Nier’s greatest strength, and those delighted with Automata’s ethereal score will be delighted that composer Keiichi Okabe returns with a re-rated and extended soundtrack, from the Plains theme of the North with the beautiful otherworldly voices of Epic Choir Emi Evans during Large Scale Boss Battles.
These soundscapes certainly do a lot of aesthetic and emotional work compared to the visuals, which while clearly a huge improvement over the PS3 / 360 versions, looks a bit underwhelming nonetheless. The doubled frame rate to 60 fps is naturally excellent, but it’s a shame there isn’t a resolution upgrade beyond 1080p for those with a PS4 Pro, Xbox One X or a new generation console.
Still, increased resolution would likely not be favorable to ultimately bland environments, as seen in both the Scrap Pile and the Northern Plains, the latter being an open but empty field for you to slaughter sheep or the main enemies of the game, Shades.
The dated character design is most evident when, in another boss fight, we team up with Kainé, a potty woman who fights in her underwear, a fact the game almost never fails to remind us of.
Still, for those who preferred the older protagonist of the Western-released Gestalt version, it makes a bit more sense to play with a younger protagonist. As the story skips halfway through five years later, there is obviously a more pronounced difference in seeing a boy become a man.
Hand-to-hand combat also opens up, where previously we felt little difference between the one-handed weapons we were using. But as an adult capable of using two-handed and speared weapons, there is a greater sense of weight and speed to distinguish the types of weapons that will influence your playstyle.
This Replicant is essentially a “ new ” Nier experience, or at least a version we’ve never had before in the West, should be reason enough for dedicated Nier fans to seek it out. For now, it’s a bit of an uneven remaster compared to more polished re-releases, but for new converts who are a masterpiece in the rough edges and quirks of Automatons, it probably won’t have to do with it. ‘important if it’s still a Yoko-filled game. Taro’s unique personality, warts and everything.
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