Nier
Nier is an RPG released by Square Enix and developed by Cavia. The game takes place in the same universe as Cavia’s PS2 series Drakengard, but takes place over 1000 years later. The game is a action rpg, with a heavy emphasis on combat.
In Japan Nier had an interesting release with two versions. Each platform received a different version of the game. The Xbox 360 received “NieR Gestalt” in which the main character plays Yonah’s father. The PS3 received “NieR RepliCant” in which the main character is younger and Yonah’s brother. The North American release of the game is only the Gestalt version.
Graphically the game is hit and miss. Some visuals are great others seem bad, but the game does have several interesting and varied environments. The voice acting and music are top notch and really add to the experience.
The game features a world in which a nuclear war has devastated the planet. The remaining populous are fighting diseases and are under attack by shadowy monsters called Shades. Nier’s story begins when his sister contracts the fatal disease known as the Black Scrawl. While searching for a cure he instead discovers a talking book called Grimore Weiss. Weiss is part of a legend which tells of an evil book named Grimore Noir who causes the disease which Weiss will cure. Sure that the book is the key to saving his sister Nier takes it along as a companion. Since Weiss has also lost his memory though they must find the sealed passages to discover how to stop the Black Scrawl. This leads to a lot of the comedy in the game as Nier and Weiss will bicker a lot.
The game consists of the usual RPG elements including leveling up, towns with NPCs and shops, quests to undertake, and multiple weapons and items. The real change from the classic formula is that the combat system really pushes what an action RPG has been in the past. With several spells, attacks, blocks and dodges, the game comes closer to an actual action game that your standard action RPG one button combat. Blocking an attack at the right moment will allow Nier to launch a counter attach which will throw enemies off balance.
The shades are visually not very appealing and while there are different shades with different attack patterns, you’ll feel like you are fighting the same enemies throughout the entire game.
Despite how good the combat is though, it gets old fast. The game throws tons of monsters at you and while you are doing the same fetch quests over and over you may get tired. The majority of the side missions (there are roughly 100) are the same, and the main quest feels a little drawn out. Some areas just consist of you clearing waves of enemies.
One really nice touch to the game is the camera system. The camera changes to the horizontal view at certain sections like when you are in a home which makes it easy to move around. In some dungeon rooms it also shows a top down view which gives a real Zelda feel and works well.
The game has several other elements to mix up the gameplay, there’s a finishing mode, and a garden that you can tend to and grow different things. There’s an interesting word mechanic where you attach magic words to spells or weapons to change their properties as well.
Overall the game is interesting and starts off great, the real test of if you’ll enjoy it is how quickly you tire of a game. If you are the kind of gamer who doesn’t mind some repetitive gameplay and a lot of backtracking, there’s a fun adventure to be had here.
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