Why Nier Replicant Was Decades Ahead Of Its Time

When mentioning Nier Replicant, most would think about the 2021 remake of the game. But, I will be referring to the 2010 Nier Replicant. Nier Replicant is the prequel to the more popular game of the series Nier Automata.

Nier Replicant is an action RPG that felt like a game unlike anything before. It is unique compared to many games that were released at that time in many different ways. This game forged a path for Nier Automata to shine, which is the most popular game in the series.

Not Just One Genre

While playing Nier Replicant, the game just seems to shift genres. You will see it transitioning from an action RPG to different genres that players might be familiar with. These change the gameplay aspects of the game as well as the method of storytelling.

At some point, the game will turn into a visual novel game where players would go through dialogues and make decisions as they see in other visual novel games. The game would sometimes turn into a 2D side scroller where the player must traverse through platforms and fight enemies.

Sometimes it allows you to play through certain points of the game from an isometric point of view. At first glance, they just seem like normal camera changes but the stages are designed to give the players a different experience like they just changed games.

Hackin ‘n Slashin Through Quests

The game introduced a unique combat system with the addition of an equipment system where players can use different weapon types, different spells, and ranged options, which can be combined to make builds or loadouts.

This is a great system adding variety to a combat style, allowing players to switch their weapons to try something new or find a fun combination of melee and ranged attacks.

You are accompanied by your 2 allies who act as party members. The protagonist also has a companion which is a book (it sounds weird but trust me it is the best character in the game especially the voice acting). These allies bring a lot more personality to the game and their banter will never fail to amuse you.

If you get tired or bored of the main story, you can always do the side quests. Each quest has a small story of their own which doesn’t feel like a waste of time and is not repetitive, unlike the side quests in other RPGs. I really loved the side quests because the allies react to these stories which is always fun to witness.

Engaging Storytelling

Nier Replicant follows the story of a boy looking to heal his sister from an unknown disease. The premise sounds simple, but the story is anything but that. Characters will face different enemies, but their struggles are their biggest rivals.

Nier Replicant will end on your first playthrough, but the story won’t. Players will have to complete multiple playthroughs to reveal all the world’s secrets.

Playthroughs peel the layers of the story until you reach the core which rewards the true ending. Plus, the soundtrack of the game complements the playthroughs and never gets old.

This system was not present in any game before. Even if some games tried it, they couldn’t support it with a well-written story. Nier replicant’s storytelling mechanic is still the best to ever exist and will be for years to come. Even Nier Automata followed the same method of storytelling as it had become their iconic system.

Snow In Summer

I highly recommend this game if you like a great narrative experience or if you are looking for a new and unique game to try. Nier Replicant (2010) might be hard for some to access since it’s hardly available. However, you can try the remake since it is the same game with a new ending added and better visuals.

So witness a land where it snows in the summer and head out on a journey for the sake of the protagonist’s sister in this wonderful gaming experience that will keep you asking for more. For those playing this for the first time, I am quite jealous because I wish every day to forget about the game and play it for the first time again.