While NieR: Automata was a massive hit, the original NieR didn’t fare so well. At release, reception was pretty mixed, and sales weren’t so hot either.
I’ve always thought that critics were wrong about NieR, but it’s easy to see why it didn’t immediately win people over. NieR is a game that tries to be everything. Sometimes it’s an action RPG with bullet-hell segments. Sometimes it’s a text adventure. Sometimes you’re just fishing and farming.
Unlike NieR: Automata, which asks you to play as impossibly stylish androids, NieR stars characters that aren’t conventionally appealing. In the version released in the west, NieR Gestalt, you’re a grizzled dad that doesn’t look like he belongs on video game box art.
Now that a remaster is on the way (which is awkwardly titled NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139), many people will get to experience NieR for the first time. However, this new version of the game won’t quite be what western players experienced in the past.
As mentioned above, the version of the game released in the west was titled NieR Gestalt. This version was also released in Japan, but there was another version as well: NieR Replicant. Both games had the same story, but Replicant had a younger protagonist, which altered some character relationships.
The upcoming NieR remaster will give western players a chance to experience the Replicant version of the game for the first time. It’s an interesting way to handle a remaster, and it has me pretty excited to play this version of the game.
Since this is a Yoko Taro title, I strongly suspect it won’t be a straight remaster. However, even if there are no hidden surprises, I’ll still be able to enjoy new content. I’m eager to see more when NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139 arrives on April 23, 2021, for PS4, Xbox One, and Steam.
You can check out the reveal trailer below.
