NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139…
While many video game brands have a strong global fanbase from the very beginning, it sometimes takes a franchise a little longer to become a household name. There is perhaps no better example of this than Sega’sYakuza, a series that had already released multiple games acrossthreegenerations beforeYakuza 0made its grand debut on PS4 and opened up the city of Kamurocho to the mainstream gaming community at large. It had always been there, it just needed the right opening with which to welcome the people to its neon-infused streets en masse.
Another example of this phenomenon comes in the form of Square Enix dystopian franchiseNieR. Already a spin-off from the equally obscureDrakengardseries, the 2010 action RPG had its fair share of fans, but did not really turn western heads en masse. Then, in 2017, developer PlatinumGames unleashed the critically acclaimed hack ‘n’ slasherNieR Automataupon the world and — thanks to its mesmerizing storytelling, wild action, and eponymous protagonist, 2B —NieRwas no longer a cult brand, suddenly finding itself referenced alongside more mainstream gaming series such asFinal Fantasy, Tomb Raider, andBayonetta.
And thus, it comes as little to no surprise that when the originalNieRwas remastered this year asNieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139…, it immediately found better favor and fortune than its original 2010 release. Appealing to an entirely new audience of fans — gatewayed into Yoko Taro’s incomparable universe via 2B’s exciting escapades —NieR Replicantwas able to reintroduce its fascinating worlds, characters, and lore to an audience now more attuned to the series’ tone, lore, and calm yet utterly apocalyptic style.
Better still,NieR Replicantallowed the original RPG to return loaded for bear, featuring fully-voiced character dialogue, and with deeper context and resonance added to its tale of love, loss, adventure, and redemption. While all of these upgrades add polish toNieRevocative and emotional narrative,NieR Replicant‘s gameplay also received a technical upgrade via an overhauled combat system (courtesy of PlatinumGames) and gorgeous remastered visuals from developer Toylogic, allowing the title’sengaging cast of characters and grim, yet oddly calming vistas to shine like never before.
NieR Replicantis a remaster/remake done correctly. More than a nostalgia-baiting cash-grab, or a half-hearted retread, the 2021 revisit demonstrates growth — Growth in technology, growth in its creators, and growth in the franchise itself. While it might have taken over a decade for the people to experience its evocative, heartstring-tugging adventure en masse, it has most certainly been worth the wait. The critical success ofNieR ReplicantandNieR Automataonly galvanizes this unique and compelling sci-fi series. For a franchise built in bleakness, the future remains curiously bright.
