NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139... (2021)

I didn’t realize until 9 hours into the game that the structure is basically Ocarina of Time: visit a bunch of different small towns and solve their problems, something happens that changes the state of the world, then you will revisit each area (as an adult several years later, no less) to collect 5 special objects to go to basically Ganon’s castle. The game’s constantly parodying and paying homage to classic gaming series and this is yet another case of that I guess, pretty funny sometimes.

The game as an actual game is getting a bit old, since as much as they mix up the camera angles and give cool boss fights, the gameplay loop is fundamentally quite repetitive and reusing areas is not helping. The combat does get a lot more satisfying after you unlock two-handed weapons, I’ll say that. The story has had a few clumsy moments but is mostly still good—that’s the main thing keeping my attention for sure.

Playing the new reworked and remastered release on PS5. I am enjoying it a lot so far after 2 hours of play. It takes about 45 minutes to set everything up story- and gameplay-wise, then it opens up a bit and the story gets good quickly.

Several things are recognizable from Automata as someone who only had played that one, including characters and gameplay mechanics. However it has a much more organic and magic-focused setting as opposed to the robotic vibes of Automata, which I like for a change. Combat is quite similar, though you seem to have a lot more different non-melee abilities than I recall the other game having, which is pretty cool. Hitting stuff with a sword is still a bit more fun though.

Also, no surprise, but the soundtrack really stands out, super evocative and pleasant to listen to. I genuinely have no idea how long or big this game is, or much about it at all. Looking forward to playing a lot more this weekend.