Wikipedia

Nier

This article is about the 2010 video game. For other uses, seeNier (disambiguation).

Nier[b]is anaction role-playingvideo gamedeveloped byCaviaand published in 2010 bySquare Enixfor thePlayStation 3andXbox 360.In Japan, the game was released asNier Replicant[c]for the PlayStation 3 with a younger main character, while an alternative version titledNier Gestalt[d]with an older main character was released for the Xbox 360;Gestaltwas released outside of Japan asNierfor both platforms. Aremasterof the Japanese version,Nier Replicant ver.1.22474487139...[e]was released forPlayStation 4,Xbox One,andWindowsin 2021.

Nier
Original Western cover art showing (from center to left) theunnamed protagonist,Kainé,and Emil
Developer(s)Cavia[a]
Publisher(s)Square Enix
Director(s)Yoko Taro
Producer(s)
  • Takuya Iwasaki
  • Yosuke Saito
Designer(s)Daisuke Iizuka
Programmer(s)Takeshi Katayama
Artist(s)
  • D.K
  • Yoshio Kamikubo
  • Shogo Tojo
Writer(s)
  • Hana Kikuchi
  • Sawako Natori
Composer(s)
SeriesDrakengard
Platform(s)
ReleasePS3, Xbox 360
  • AS/AU:April 22, 2010
  • EU:April 23, 2010
  • NA:April 27, 2010
PS4, Xbox One
  • AS:April 22, 2021
  • NA/EU:April 23, 2021
Windows
  • WW:April 23, 2021
Genre(s)Action role-playing,hack and slash
Mode(s)Single-player

The game is a spin-off from theDrakengardseries, following the fifth ending of thefirst game,the events of which have left Earth in ruin. Set over one thousand years later, the story follows theunnamed protagonistattempting to find a cure for a terminal illness afflicting the girl Yonah—either his sister or daughter. The gameplay borrows elements from variousvideo game genres,occasionally switching between them and the mainrole-playing-based gameplay.

Beginning production in 2007, the game was directed byDrakengardcreatorYoko Taro,who was given a lot of creative freedom with the project. Its storyline drew inspiration fromSeptember 11 attacksand theWar on Terror,while its gameplay was partly inspired byGod of Warseries. Due to Western feedback, multiple versions of the protagonist were created. The music was composed by Monaca, a music studio led byKeiichi Okabe,and several albums have been released.

Nierwas released to mixed reception; reviewers praised the story, characters and soundtrack and were mixed in their opinions of how well the disparate gameplay elements were connected. The execution of some gameplay elements was criticized, notably the side quests, and the graphics were regarded as substandard. Despite this, the game acquired acclaim among players over time, becoming acult classic.The originalNiersold 500,000 copies, while the updated version shipped 1.5 million copies worldwide. A sequel developed byPlatinumGames,titledNier: Automata,was released in 2017.

Gameplay

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The main character fighting a giant Shade. TheBosshealth baris at the bottom, aminimapcan be seen at lower right, and the top right contains bars representing the protagonist's health andmagic.

Nieris anaction role-playing gamein which players take on the role of anunnamed protagonist;the protagonist is a middle-aged man inNier Gestaltand a teenage boy inNier Replicant,named by the player.[2]The player directly controls the main character through a third-person perspective to interact with people, objects, and enemies throughout the game.[3]The player can turn the camera around the characters, which allows for a 360° view of the surroundings. The three-dimensional world is divided into areas separated by loading screens, and the player can move freely throughout these areas by walking, running, jumping, and climbing ladders.[4]In some rooms and buildings, the camera swings to the side and the main character is restricted to moving as in a two-dimensional platforming environment, while during certain battles the camera pulls up to simulate a top-downshoot 'em upor other video game genres.[3]

While traveling the player is frequently attacked by monsters, which include shadowy figures called Shades, large animals, and robots.[3]Defeating these enemies gives the player experience points that can increase the main character's power, and money that can be used to purchase items.[2]The player's weapons can be customized to have greater damage and abilities using materials that can be purchased, dropped from monsters, or scavenged around the world. Multiple varieties of each weapon type can be acquired. The player can also use magic spells, which require enough energy from a constantly regenerating amount to cast. These spells include projectiles and large shadowy fists, among others; new spells are acquired in the first half of the game by completing specific battles.[5]In addition to the main plotline,Nierincludes numeroussidequests,which give the player experience points and money, as well as fishing and farming segments.[6]

Synopsis

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In the mid 21st century, in the midst of a snowstorm in summer amid a ruined city, the protagonist fends off ethereal black monsters to protect the sick young girl Yonah—either his younger sister or daughter, depending on the version. The protagonist uses a magical book to fend off the creatures, but Yonah touches it and is covered in black markings, worsening her condition. The story moves to over a thousand years later, with the current feudal civilization in decline and the black creatures—dubbed Shades—becoming more hostile. The protagonist and Yonah live in a village built within post-industrial ruins, with the protagonist taking odd jobs from the village leaders Devola and Popola to earn money to support the sick Yonah. While rescuing Yonah from a temple after she wanders there looking for a rare flower, the protagonist meets the talking book Grimoire Weiss, which suggests that the two team up to use Weiss's magic and to find a cure for Yonah's disease, identified as the terminal Black Scrawl. In their search, they encounterKainé,a hot-tempered and foul-mouthed swordswoman; and Emil, a blindfolded boy whose eyes petrify anyone they see. After journeying for a time, the protagonist's village is attacked by a giant Shade. The battle ends with Emil being forced to petrify Kainé to seal the shade, and Yonah being kidnapped by a master Shade dubbed the Shadowlord.

The game jumps forward five years, with the situation worsening. The protagonist and Emil successfully find the power necessary to free Kainé and kill the giant Shade, but getting the power transforms Emil into a skeletal being the villagers fear. Under Devola and Popola's guidance, the party seek out parts of a stone key that will unlock a pathway to the Shadowlord. After defeating five Shades and assembling the key, the team goes to defeat the Shadowlord. Devola and Popola then confront the party, revealing themselves to be allied with the Shadowlord in the name of a greater plan. 1300 years prior, humanity faced extinction due to an incurable disease. In an attempt to survive, they separated their souls from their bodies; the current humans are the artificial Replicants who developed their own personalities, while the Shades are human souls—dubbed Gestalts—who are slowly losing their minds through being unable to reunite with their bodies. The Black Scrawl is a side effect of the Gestalts' insanity degrading their Replicant counterparts. The Shadowlord is the prime Gestalt used to stabilise them, and Devola and Popola are androids who oversee the system. The party defeat them, with Emil sacrificing himself in the process. The remaining group then defeats the Shadowlord, revealed to be the Gestalt of the prologue's protagonist, with his actions driven by the wish to save his Yonah by reuniting her Gestalt and Replicant. The Gestalt Yonah dissipates to save her Replicant version's life, and the protagonist kills the Shadowlord after Grimoire Weiss sacrifices himself to weaken his power.

If the player entersfurther playthroughs,events start just after Kainé is freed. Kainé's past is focused on, showing the discrimination she suffered due to her parents' deaths, being bornintersex,and later being partially possessed by the rogue Gestalt Tyrann. Through Tyrann, the player can understand the previously-garbled speech of Gestalts. New story sequences show the Gestalt antagonists' motivations and backstory, showing them to be sentient and fighting for their own beliefs and goals. The second ending shows the spirit of the Gestalt protagonist and Yonah reuniting in the afterlife, and reveals that Emil survived; further information confirms that the Shadowlord's death will lead to humanity's extinction as Replicants and Gestalts can no longer be rejoined. In a third or further playthrough, Kainé becomes overwhelmed by Tyrann, going berserk and forcing the protagonist to fight her. The protagonist can either kill her to end her suffering (the third ending), or sacrifice his life for her (the fourth ending). The latter choice erases memory of him from Kainé and Yonah, and deletes all of the player's save data.

The updated version ofReplicantadds a fifth ending after a new game is begun following the fourth ending, beginning following the defeat of Kainé's Shade nemesis Hook. Three years after the Shadowlord's defeat, Kainé continues having nightmares about losing something precious, and fights increasingly-hostile Shades. Investigating a settlement, she finds its people killed by robots emerging from its central tree, the control unit recording Replicant memories. Kainé, who is talked to by the control unit's AI through twin childlike avatars. Kainé is aided in fighting past machine duplicates of her by Emil, eventually entering the tree's mainframe and battling enemies drawn from her memories, culminating in a battle with a more-powerful Hook helped by the data remains of Grimoire Weiss. Kainé destroys Hook and the AI, restoring the protagonist in his young form; all of the player's save data prior to the fourth ending is consequently restored.

Development

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The concept that would becomeNierwas first proposed following the release ofDrakengard 2and the reveal ofseventh generationconsoles. The original concept was for a third entry in theDrakengardseries. As the project evolved, the original ideas were reworked and the game eventually became a spin-off from the main series. Despite this, the game's directorYoko Tarocontinues to think of it as the thirdDrakengardgame.[7]Different reports described its planned platforms.[7][8]An earlier report stated it was intended as an Xbox 360 exclusive, then expanded onto thePlayStation 3(PS3).[8]Yoko later stated that the PS3 version was the original one planned due to the lessening importance of thePlayStation 2,whichDrakengard 2had been made for.[7]Including concept planning, the total development time lasted three years, with two years spent actually developing the game. It was initially a small-scale project, but during planning it grew into a full-fledged role-playing game.[9]

Development was handled byCaviawith help fromSquare Enix,who had previously provided development support for theDrakengardgames.[9]Square Enix had minimal input on Yoko's vision for the game's atmosphere and story, allowing him high creative control.[8]Nieris intended to be set over 1000 years after the originalDrakengard's fifth ending. In this scenario, the game's protagonists Caim and Angelus travel across a dimensional boundary to fight a monstrous beast. After winning the battle and killing the monster, they are shot down by a fighter jet and killed; their introduction of magic to the world leads to magical research that results in the Black Scrawl.[10]According to Yoko, after the dark story ofDrakengard,Yoko focused on more positive themes of friendship and combined effort.[8]Much of the game was inspired by theSeptember 11 attacksand theWar on Terror.Yoko took from it the idea of a terrible event where both sides believed they were doing the right thing, and wanted to show the player multiple perspectives of the same events.[11]The term "Replicant" was borrowed by Yoko from the 1982 science fiction movieBlade Runner,although Yoko did not cite a particular source forNier's name, passing it off as a codename that persisted through development.[8][12]

The characters were designed by an artist under the moniker D.K.[13]Two character designs for the protagonist were created forNier.The developers believed that the Japanese audience would respond more strongly to a younger protagonist, while non-Japanese audiences would prefer an adult protagonist character.[8][14]Other than changing the protagonists appearance and modifying a few lines of dialogue to fit with him being a father rather than a brother to Yonah, the developers made no changes between the two versions;[6][14]it was initially believed that the older protagonist was the character's original design.[6]Many characters underwent changes during development, and some needed to be cut. There were originally thirteen Grimoires, with all but three—Weiss, Noir, and Rubrum—being cut. Emil's character was derived from a female character named Halua, while Kainé was originally a far more feminine type who hid her violent nature.[15]Yonah's original Japanese name was derived from the Biblical nameJonah;this could not be taken verbatim into its localized form due to the name being associated with a man, so the name was changed to "Yonah".[8][12]Yoko was initially shocked at Kainé's design, but warmed to it and had it kept.[13]Kainé's character was madeintersex,since the team felt it fit in with many other aspects of her gritty backstory. Kainé's status as intersex caused some "commotion" in western territories, which is something the team did not actively intend.[16]Yoko attributed the original suggestion to female staff members working on the game.[9]The in-game cutscenes were created and directed by Studio Anima.[17]

The combat and action elements ofNierwere inspired by theGod of Warseries of games, which both Taro and Saito enjoyed. While the games had not been as popular in Japan as in North America, the two felt that the idea of having Boss fights with different combat styles than the regular battles was an idea that would appeal to players in both regions. The changing styles, as well as the occasional changes in camera angle and movement, were meant to "accentuate [the] gap between real, modern scenery and the fantasy world" as a tie-in to the game's story.[18]The game was designed to have gameplay that would appeal to non-Japanese players in mind, with producer Saito stating that they wanted to depart from menu-based combat.[19]The game was meant to appeal to older players; it was intended as an action-role playing game (RPG) for an older market than Square Enix's action-RPG seriesKingdom Hearts.This influenced the decision to have a main character in his 30s for the international version, as well as more blood and swearing than typical in a Square Enix RPG.[18]The fusion of different gameplay styles was included as a homage to earlier gameplay styles and genres.[8]

Music

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Main article:Music of Nier

The soundtrack toNierwas composed by a collaboration of the studio MoNACA, directed by Keiichi Okabe and including Kakeru Ishihama and Keigo Hoashi, and Takafumi Nishimura fromCavia.Okabe served as the lead composer and as the director for the project as a whole. Okabe was brought onto the project when the concept for the game was first being devised, and worked intermittently on the soundtrack for the next three years until its release. The music for the game was generally composed entirely separately from the development of the game. The music was designed for different motifs to appear in various arrangements throughout the soundtrack, and also to convey a sense of sadness even during the "thrilling" tracks. Okabe was allowed a great deal of freedom regarding what the music was to sound like; game director Yoko Taro's main request was that he use a lot of vocal works.[20]

The soundtrack toNieris largely composed of melancholy acoustic pieces which heavily feature vocals by vocalist Emi Evans (Emiko Rebecca Evans), a singer from England living in Tokyo. She is the singer for the band freesscape, and had previously worked on video games such asEtrian Odyssey.In addition to singing, Evans was asked to write her own lyrics in futuristic languages. The composers gave her preliminary version of songs and the style they wished the language to be in, such as Gaelic or French, and she invented the words. Evans wrote songs in versions ofGaelic,Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, French, English and Japanese, where she tried to imagine what they would sound like after 1000 years of drifting.[21]

Square Enix released a soundtrack album of music from the game, titledNier Gestalt & Replicant Original Soundtrack,on April 21, 2010.[22]The soundtrack album reached number 24 on the Japanese Oricon music charts, and remained on the charts for 11 weeks.[23]As preorder bonuses forNier GestaltandNier Replicant,two mini-albums,Nier Gestalt Mini AlbumandNier Replicant Mini Album,were included.[24][25]An album of arranged music,NieR Gestalt & Replicant 15 Nightmares & Arrange Tracks,was published by Square Enix on December 8, 2010.[26]The arranged album reached number 59 on the Oricon music charts, a position it held for a week.[27]Another album,NieR Tribute Album -echo-,was released on September 14, 2011,[28]and an album of piano arrangements,Piano Collections Nier Gestalt & Replicant,was published on March 21, 2012.[29]

Release

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Nierwas officially unveiled in June 2009 at theElectronic Entertainment Expo 2009for both the PlayStation 3 andXbox 360,along with its developer and publisher.[30][31]The localizations for the game—in English, French, and German—were produced during development so that all of the versions could be released at the same time, and so that Cavia and Square Enix could solicit feedback from North America and Europe on the game so that it would appeal to players outside Japan.[8][32]Due to its high violence, the game was given a CERO D rating in Japan.[12]In Japan, two versions of the game were released;Nier Gestaltfor the 360 which would use the adult lead, andNier Replicantfor the PS3 which used the young lead. In the West, theGestaltversion was released on both platforms under the titleNier.[8]The PS3 version had a Japanese voice cast, while the 360 release used the English dub.[33]Nierreleased worldwide by Square Enix in April 2010: it released on April 22 in Japan and Australia, April 23 in Europe, and April 27 in North America.[34][35]

A supplementary guidebook,Grimoire Nier: The Complete Guide + Cels,was released on May 28, 2010 byASCII Media Works.The guidebook included documentation of in-game elements, developer interviews, and novellas detailing both additional character stories and a post-game ending scenario.[36][37]On May 11, Square Enix released a piece ofdownloadable contentfor the game, titled "The World of Recycled Vessel". The small expansion features a series of fifteen battles with the incarnation of Nier other than the one in the specific version of the game. Nier enters the battles in a dream world accessed through a diary in his house. The expansion offers new costumes and weapons for the game.[38]A CD drama,NieR Replicant Drama CD The Lost Words and the Red Sky,was released on April 27, 2011. The CD covers additional stories related to the game's backstory and characters.[39][40]

Remaster

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The remaster ofNierupdated the character art, and used the younger version of the protagonist.

An updated version ofReplicanttitledNier Replicant ver.1.22474487139...was announced in March 2020 as part of the 10th anniversary celebrations for the series and was slated for a worldwide release forPlayStation 4,Xbox One,andWindows.[41]It was released on console in Asia on April 22, 2021 in Japan and Asia, and April 23 in the West. The Windows version released worldwide on April 23.[42]The game came in both standard and a limited "White Snow" edition exclusive to the Square Enix online store. Pre-orders came with a digital soundtrack and platform-specific art-based bonuses.[43]An updated version ofGrimoire Nierwas released in Japan in 2021, and for the first time in English in 2023.[44][45]

Yosuke Saito returned as the producer, Yoko Taro remained as creative director, and the role of game director went to Saki Ito. Development was handled byToylogic.[41]The combat redesign was supervised by Takahisa Taura ofPlatinumGames,who had worked on the game's sequelNier: Automata.Toylogic was brought on board due to Yoko knowing its founder, Yoichi Take, from their time working together at Cavia. Kazuma Koda, who worked on laterNierprojects, contributed promotional artwork.[1]Ito described his work reworking the combat and graphical design as preserving as much as possible while matching his own idealised memories of the game and create something to please fans ofNier: Automata.[46]The characters were redrawn byAkihiko Yoshida,Toshiyuki Itahana, and Kimihiko Fujisaka; all three had contributed to theDrakengardandNierseries, and were brought in at Yoko's request.[47]Yoshida worked on the redesigns of the young protagonist, Kainé, Yonah and Emil; Itahana redesigned Devola and Popola; and Fujisaka reworked the designs for the king of Facade, his queen Fyra, the father protagonist, and designed new character Louise.[48]

The game included new story content, content creating a narrative link to its sequel, and story content originally cut from the game.[49]For the remaster, Yoko chose to exclusively use the brother version of the protagonist as he had initially wanted. As the father character had apparently seen mixed responses in the West, Yoko decided to feature the brother in the remaster.[50]The father protagonist was featured as the player character in the "15 Nightmares" content, originally released as DLC dubbed "World of Recycled Vessel".[48][46]The Mermaid story, featuring new character Louise, was planned for the original game but cut due to budget and reworked into a later novella. Yoko decided to include it given the opportunity, but did not incorporate other novella material as those were original stories rather than cut content.[51]Weapon Stories, a feature from theDrakengardseries andNier: Automata,were also incorporated.[46]The fifth ending, originally a backup plan in case the original save data deletion was dropped and later written into a novella, was included both due to Saito's request for fan service and having the budget to incorporate it.[51][50]Tying into later developments in the series, elements of the fifth ending featured advanced technology.[50]

ver.1.22474487139...features new Japanese voicework to make the game fully voiced, and both new and rearranged music.[41]The score was arranged by Okabe, Hoashi, Ryuichi Takada, Kuniyuki Takahashi, Shotaro Seo, and Oliver Good. Okabe and Hoashi composed the new tracks. Evans returned to perform vocals with Saki Nakae. The chorus work was done by Evans, Nakae, Okabe, Shotaro Seo, Yukino Orita and KOCHO.[52]Most of the English original cast returned, includingLaura Bailey(Kaine),Liam O'Brien(Grimoire Weiss),Julie Ann Taylor(Emil), andEden Riegel(Devola and Popola). The protagonist had two voice actors;Zach Aguilarvoiced the younger version, whileRay Chasevoiced the older version after the time skip.[53]

Reception

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Initial release

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Nier Gestaltsold over 12,500 copies in Japan the week of its release,[59]whileReplicantsold over 60,000 and was the top-selling video game in Japan that week.[60]Replicantsold over 121,000 copies in Japan by the end of May 2010, and ended the year with over 134,000 copies sold.[61][62]In 2019, Yoko estimated thatNierhad sold around 500,000 copies worldwide. According to Yoko, "we weren't really in the red, but it wasn't exactly a success either".[63]

Nierreceived mixed reviews. Reviewers criticized the graphics, with Ryan Clements ofIGNsaying that "one of Nier's greatest flaws is its visuals," whileGameSpot'sKevin VanOrd bemoaned the "flavorless visuals" and "lifeless environments".[4][57]Dustin Quillen of1UPsaid that the game "looks downright primitive", while Adriaan den Ouden ofRPGamer,who awarded the game a higher score than most, said that "the environments are bland and poorly rendered".[3][5]The music and voice acting, however, were praised; Clements said that "both are quite excellent", den Ouden called the soundtrack "absolutely fantastic", Chris Schilling ofEurogamersaid that the music was full of "memorable themes", and one of the four reviewers for the JapaneseWeekly Famitsutermed it "a cut above".[2][5][56][57]

Reviewers were divided in their opinion on the effectiveness of the multiple styles of gameplay presented. Seth Schiesel ofThe New York Timessaid that while "there are plenty of games that surpass it in each area," thatNierpulled all of the styles together into a "coherent, compelling whole" instead of feeling "disjointed"; he especially praised a section of the game that is presented entirely through text.[64]Patrick Kolan of IGN Australia, however, said that while the different styles were "interesting" and one of the game's biggest strengths, they suffered from poor execution and cohesion and left the game "with split-personality disorder".[58]Clements said that "the developers' ideas sometimes outshine the actual implementation", while highlighting the gameplay elements as part of what made the game fun.[57]Adriaan den Ouden called out the variety as the best part of the game, likening it to a buffet table, while also acknowledging that none of the sections were "amazing" on their own and could easily be looked upon poorly.[5]

The regular combat was reviewed as solid, if not exceptional, and the sidequests were seen as repetitive, with Quillen saying that "the side quests inNierare about as numerous as they are totally mindless, "VanOrd calling them" a series of monotonous events, often connected only by long stretches of nothing, "and aFamitsureviewer saying that they "didn't see much purpose" to them.[3][4][56]Clements said that the combat had "a fair amount of satisfaction", though players should "not expect anything too extraordinary", and Kolan termed the combat as "moderately deep".[57][58]Critics gave a generally positive review to the plot and characters; VanOrd liked most of the characters but thought Nier was bland and the story "soggy", while Schiesel called the story "provocative" and "profound", saying that it "succeeds at fostering an emotional investment in its characters and in its world".[4][64]Quillen said that the plot "takes some fascinating and truly original turns" and thatNierhas "a supporting cast of genuinely interesting folks," and Schilling said that the story made the game "difficult to dislike".[2][3]TheFamitsureviewer that viewed the game the most favorably said that he was "blown away" by the multiple endings, and that "nothing like it's been done in gaming".[56]

In 2015, Jeffrey Matulef ofEurogamercharacterizedNieras "the rare game that gets better with age". Despite "poor sales and tepid reviews", he wrote, the game had acquired a cult following, which he attributed to its "sense of wonder" due to its cryptic storytelling, mashup assortment of game mechanics and melancholy mood.[65]

Replicant ver.1.22474487139...

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By June 2021,Replicant ver 1.22474487139...had shipped over one million copies worldwide in both physical and digital sales,[75]noted as being double the estimates for the original version.[76]As of November 2022,Replicant ver 1.22474487139...has shipped 1.5 million copies worldwide.[77]

Famitsulauded the gameplay improvements and visual upgrade, though one reviewer noted the lack of fast travel and another said some players might be thrown off by "quirks" in the design.[78]Electronic Gaming Monthly'sMollie L. Patterson enjoyed the remaster, liking the young version of the protagonist better than the earlier adult version and praising its reworked gameplay and additions.[69]Jason Guisao ofGame Informerfelt the visual upgrade was inconsistent and disliked the side quest structure, but lauded the overall narrative and improvements to the game's mechanics.[71]GameSpot'sMichael Higham was generally positive about the game, praising its narrative, new elements and music while finding its gameplay and world held back by archaic design.[72]

Mitchell Saltzmann ofIGNnegatively noted the repetition in later areas and the side quest design, but praised the graphical and gameplay updates along with the new story content.[73]Julie Muncy ofPC Gamerpositively noted the improvements to combat and general movement, and praised the story's tone and additions, but highlighted that the original's pacing issues were also retained.[74]Chris Plante ofPolygonenjoyed the slow pace of the narrative and the combat, but disliked the archaic design and was uncomfortable with some of Kainé's storyline.[79]Malindy Hetfeld ofEurogamerdid not like the game as a whole, but enjoyed its later narrative and noted that the graphical and gameplay improvements had made it playable for modern audiences and series fans.[80]

Replicant ver 1.22474487139...won the "Best Score/Music" category atThe Game Awards 2021.[81]It also saw nominations at the 2021 NAVGTR awards in "Outstanding Animation, Technical", "Outstanding Game, Franchise Role-playing", "Outstanding Original Dramagic Score, Franchise", and "Outstanding Song, Original or Adapted".[82]

Legacy

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Nierwas the last game that Cavia made; the company was absorbed into its parent company,AQ Interactive,in July 2010.[83]Square Enix executive producer Yosuke Saito later commented that "a number of things" related toNierwere in progress, and that an announcement could be due in 2011.[84]The only announcement ended up not being for a newNiervideo game, but instead for a live evening concert for Nier's music titled "Nier Night ~ Evening of Madness" which took place on October 28, 2011.[85]In March 2011, there were plans made between Yoko and Takuya Iwasaki, one of the original producers forDrakengard,to develop a port ofNierfor thePlayStation Vitaat Iwasaki's company Orca. The port would have incorporated material from both versions of the game. When Orca was chosen to help developDragon Quest X,the project was shelved.[86]A number of key staff fromNier's development, including director Yoko and Okabe, would later reunite to work on a new entry (Drakengard 3) in theDrakengardseries from whichNierwas spun off.[87]

A sequel titledNier: Automata,developed by Square Enix andPlatinumGamesfor thePlayStation 4,was released in Japan on February 23, in North America on March 7 and worldwide on March 10, 2017. The PC version ofNier: Automatawas released on March 17, 2017. TheXbox Oneversion was released on June 26, 2018. TheNintendo Switchversion was released on October 6, 2022. Yoko, Saito and Okabe returned to their previous roles. Other staff members include Yoshida as lead artist and producerAtsushi Inaba.[88][89]A mobile game,Nier Reincarnation,produced by Applibot, with Yoshida returning to design the characters, was released on February 18, 2021.[41]Owing to the success ofAutomata,Nierwas reprinted for thePlayStation 3inPAL territoriesin April 2017.[90]

Notes

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  1. ^Remaster developed byToylogic.[1]
  2. ^Stylized asNieR
  3. ^Japanese:ニーア レプリカント,Hepburn:Nīa Repurikanto
  4. ^Japanese:ニーア ゲシュタルト,Hepburn:Nīa Geshutaruto
  5. ^Japanese:ニーア レプリカントver.1.22474487139...,Hepburn:Nīa Repurikanto ver.1.22474487139...

See also

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References

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  1. ^abふたつ の tân tác 『ニーア』について khai phát スタッフに thẳng kích. 『ニーア』10 đầy năm は chú われていた!?.Famitsu(in Japanese). May 15, 2020.Archivedfrom the original on February 8, 2021.RetrievedApril 16,2021.
  2. ^abcdeSchilling, Chris (April 22, 2010)."Nier Review".Eurogamer.Archivedfrom the original on July 13, 2011.RetrievedJuly 12,2011.
  3. ^abcdefgDustin, Quillen (May 6, 2010)."Nier Review".1UP.Archived fromthe originalon October 19, 2012.RetrievedJuly 12,2011.
  4. ^abcdeVanOrd, Kevin (May 3, 2010)."Nier Review".GameSpot.Archivedfrom the original on July 13, 2011.RetrievedJuly 12,2011.
  5. ^abcdeden Ouden, Adriaan."Nier – Staff Review".RPGamer. Archived fromthe originalon July 13, 2011.RetrievedJuly 12,2011.
  6. ^abcMeyer, John Mix (March 3, 2010)."Q&A: Square Enix's Nier Combines Fighting, Farming".Wired.Archivedfrom the original on April 25, 2010.RetrievedJuly 12,2011.
  7. ^abcSato (April 5, 2013)."Drakengard 3 Producer And Creative Director Explain How The Game Came To Be".Siliconera. Archived fromthe originalon March 23, 2014.RetrievedSeptember 10,2013.
  8. ^abcdefghij【DEVELOPER'S TALK】『ドラッグ オン ドラグーン』 の スタッフが lại tập kết! PS3とXbox360で dị なる nhân vật chính を miêu いた『ニーア レプリカント／ニーア ゲシュタルト』に bách る[[Developer's Talk] The staff of "Drag on Dragoon" are reunited! Approaching "Nier Replicant / Nier Gestalt" depicting different protagonists on PS3 and Xbox 360] (in Japanese). Inside Games. May 18, 2010.Archivedfrom the original on July 13, 2011.RetrievedMarch 11,2015.
  9. ^abcカイネ の ra đời は “Nam tính の ヒロインを nhập れて☆” と ngôn う muốn vọng から 『ニーア レプリカント・ゲシュタルト』 の hoành đuôi ディレクターにインタビュー! ( trước biên )[Interview with Director Yokoo of "Nier Replicant Gestalt" from the request that "Kine was born with a male heroine ☆"! (Part 1)] (in Japanese). GetNews. May 19, 2010.Archivedfrom the original on July 20, 2015.RetrievedMarch 11,2015.
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