Have you ever played a game and had no idea how to even describe why you liked it so much? That's how I'm feeling about Nier Replicant. It's such a weird game that exists at odds with itself almost all the time. The story is both nonsensical and riveting at the same time. The combat is overly complex and satisfying at the same time. It's overloaded with cliches, and yet full of innovations. It's both beautiful and janky. It's both ahead of its time and dated. To put it bluntly, Nier Replicant is an enigma. It's constantly playing tug-o-war with pros and cons, and somehow that makes it feel like the most incredible experience you can have in a JRPG.
Nier Replicant was originally released in 2010 for the PS3 is Japan. When it was brought to the west, it was renamed simply Neir and the young main character was replaced with a gruff old man. I suppose this was to capitalize off the success of something like God Of War and to catch the eye of the western gamer. Ironically, it turned me off and I didn't actually pay any attention to this game until its sequel was released and I realized that the original game was very different than the marketing would have had me believe. About a decade or so later, the original Japanese version of the game would be re-released on PS4 and I'd finally give it a go. So here we are. Nier Replicant is like the kitchen sink of modern JRPGs. The setting is a mish-mash of Euro dungeons and dragons by way of Japan (think Wizardry's influence on everything that ever followed), combined with everything from Cyberpunk and Steampunk. It's like every JRPG you've ever played mashed up into one singular game. That description sounds like a bad and generic game, but somehow it works. The world itself is equally as muddied. Nier is a spin-off of Drakengard, so that's an obvious source of inspiration. But imagine combining elements of modern day Final Fantasy and Shadow Of The Colossus and basically any other JRPG you could think of in the PS3 era. This game draws upon so many influences that it shouldn't work at all, but it does. Big time. I think what works most in favor of Nier is that it's a game that throws in every influence it can think of, actually. It's also probably what worked most against it. It's a definitive PS3 era JRPG. But it's also an amalgamation of anything that the developer, Cavia could think of. Most of the time it's a typical 3D action role playing game. But suddenly, and without warning it'll turn into a side-scrolling 2D adventure game, or an overhead twin-stick shooter. The experience is so jarring that it's hard to put into words. Much of the time you might feel like this is a generic action RPG of the time. And then suddenly you're thrust into some kind of meta experiment. It's weird, janky and awesome all at the same time. Every facet of the game feels this way. At least on the first playthrough, the plot feels really typical. There's a post-apocalypse world. There's some kind of unknown evil. It's grim dark, and then there's completely fourth-wall breaking moments. The magic spell book that accompanies you comments on how sure, fast-travel exists (in other games), but it's not recommended in this world. Or then there's the introduction of Kaine, the hyper-sexualized replicant who would be there for sex appeal only, were it not for the actual in-game comment of wondering why she's in her underwear. And actually Kaine's an interesting character. Like I said, in any other JRPG she'd be there simply to be sexy. But in this game, that's called out. And she's a total badass. And given that she's a robot there's probably some deeper commentary there, but I don't want to ruin anything for anyone who hasn't played the game. But this is a PS3 era RPG. And as such, there's still some antiquated systems in place. Like, were we really still looking for save spots in 2010 or whatever? It's crazy. Just honestly let me save wherever. And if you really want to get into the battle system in this game, then be prepared to spend a lot of time in menus. I mean, you're always getting new weapons and new abilities and there's only so many buttons. So how do you actually maximize battles when you have to constantly go into a menu and change loadouts? I don't know about the original PS3 release, but in the PS4 re-release there's autobattle. And that's something I'd never mess with normally. But after reading an article (on Rock, Paper Shotgun, or Destructoid, or some blog) I was intrigued. It turns out that autobattle isn't exactly easy mode so much as it is story mode. Basically what it does is it turns the game into one where it's all about dodging and positioning in battles. The CPU figures out how to use all your gear and skills and you figure out how to move. In that sense, it turns an otherwise overly action RPG into more of a somewhat action oriented strategy game. And that I can get behind. Ultimately, I feel like I like Nier Replicant a lot. But it's not for any specific reason, other than that it's an entirely unique experience. Albeit, it's a culmination of a bunch of weird cliches but also completely subversive cliches. Nier plays a weird balancing act between being completely trite and completely outlandish. It's overstated and understated at the same time. It's got elements of every RPG you've ever played, and yet unlike any RPG you've ever played. It's an absolute head-scratcher of a game. One that begs you to replay it over and over again to unlock more of the story and make any sense of it at all. I don't even know if it's a good game, but it's so original in its own weird way that it's definitely highly recommended for any gamer even casually interested in the genre. So in that sense, even with any faults you can find, shouldn't it be considered genre defining? I think maybe.
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