Nier-er To Me: The Nier Thread

[MarcAlan]

So SE had the Nier info dump for TGS. It was wonderfully called "We Have a Decent Amount of New Info" and it was pretty jam packed. Looks like Neir Replicant is getting released on 23 April, 2021 in the west and they even had a bit of footage of how it looks to run. I for one am quite excited for it, although I probably won't be springing for the almost $200 Snow White Edition no matter how cool it looks.

Also, the massive statue the showed off for Nier Automata is supremely awesome.

 

[Zef]

Really looking forward to the Automata Concert Blu-Ray and all the new story elements it will add to that game's plot!

But yeah, Re-Nier looks great, and the cast interviews were cute, but I'm still uncomfortable with getting just Bro Nier when Dad Nier is the one I grew up with...

I had to go into a meeting after the cast interviews, but did they say anything about Re[in]carnation's formal, Western release?

 

[MarcAlan]

It is coming west, but that was about it.

It kind of blew my mind that Nier Automota has sold 4,850,000 units. I knew the game was popular, but damn!

 

[Oathbreaker]

It looks like they drastically improved the combat so that helps soften the blow of not getting dad Nier. Still hoping at least for some Gestalt DLC later though.

No word on when the western release for Re[in]carnation is happening, but they opened a twitter account where they say they'll be posting info for it, @NieRReinEN

 

[Syless]

I don't plan on buying it unless they do a Gestalt DLC. Playing as a grizzled father trying to save his daughter is just so much more... emotionally heavy than another onii-chan archetype. I want to be excited, but... brother-Nier is just so dull, even if the gameplay is improved.

 

[keurig]

This looks so good.

Legitimately in. I'll admit though, I picked up the original right before they originally announced this so it still stings lol. I had played quite a bit of it back in the day though so I don't mind waiting for the remake.

 

[Mightyblue]

I think the other issue is that trying to find both an xbox and a copy of Nier can be a bit of an issue now, it was never released or made backwards compatible with the xbone. So potentially losing Gestalt is bad, but this is still good from an availability/preservation aspect.

 

[Zef]

Meanwhile there's a huge Square Enix sale going on, but apparently I'll die mad that the Drakengard 3 never dropped even a single cent from its beastly $30 story expansion DLC.

 

[R.R. Bigman]

The Drakengard 3 DLC, like the base game itself, wasn't worth the trouble. You're not missing anything. D3 was the moment that I could tell that Yoko Taro's games were going to start being a lot less interesting to me.

 

[spines]

i feel like i'm probably going to kind of resent the remake and always prefer playing the original, because that always happens and seems even more obvious when the implication of its creation is that it'll be more like automata, but unfortunately i don't think that'll stop me from buying it

i'm a little bewildered by the "fan theory" stuff i've seen circulating today too. not in an evaluative sense, i just think the whole thing about "tying the games together" in a Zelda Timeline sense or whatever and multiverse business is extremely far from the main appeal to me

 

[Juno]

Strongly considering getting the White Snow edition

 

[Beowulf]

i'm a little bewildered by the "fan theory" stuff i've seen circulating today too. not in an evaluative sense, i just think the whole thing about "tying the games together" in a Zelda Timeline sense or whatever and multiverse business is extremely far from the main appeal to me

I mean, I suppose they could make more "game" that ties the games together...but the material all exists and is out there. The Japanese artbooks lay out the entire world history between Drakengard's fifth ending and NeiR, and from NeiR to Automata (which, honestly, is much more straightforward and more of it is in the game to begin with). The only thing we really need to to canonize my theory that the "aliens" were all just Emil clones.

 

[Zef]

I haven't heard anything about a new "fan theory", but perhaps I'm not visiting the Nier communities AFAIK, Drakengard 1.E leads to Nier, leads to Automata. YT messed up the Drakengard 1 backstory with Drak 3, but that game makes mush of its own timeline so I feel it's perfectly fine to ignore it and just focus on its themes rather than its connections to the franchise. Same for Drak 2.

And, honestly, anything from the stage plays, Grimoire Nier, and the concerts, reaches such a limited audience that I'm happy to set it aside as "optional content". If Yoko wanted everyone to get it, he should've put it in the games (or at least insert it as DLC, like that bastard thing he did with Drak 3.)

 

[Issun]

stage plays

wut

 

[Zef]

wut

There's at LEAST two different Nier Automata stage plays: the original YoRHa, and the later, much better funded Shounen YoRHa. They're basically backstory on the game's Project YoRHa, shown from different angles (A2's origin story and the potential origin for the Scout series model, respectively.) They are extremely Yoko Taro at his unedited, unrestrained, storytelling best. YMMV on whether that's a good thing or a bad thing.

BTW, to my knowledge, Drakengard has a game and an artbook. Drak 2 has a game and an artbook. Drak 3 has a game, required DLC, an artbook, at least three different spinoff manga series, and a bunch of novellas. Nier has the game, completely optional DLC, an artbook with novellas in it, and one concert-exclusive expansion. Automata is the game, DLC that's just gameplay challenges and no story, stage plays, an artbook, and multiple concert-exclusive expansions.

At this point I expect NieR Re[in]carnation to have a webtoon, a Fortnite broadcast, and an epilogue narrated entirely through role-playing Twitter bots.

 

[Issun]

I just searched up some footage from the plays and hoooly shit. That certainly is... something.

 

[Falselogic]

I've got NierAutomata installed on my PC but I haven't started yet. Something about all the talk about having to play the game multiple, multiple, multiple times in order to really experience it has me hovering above the icon but not clicking...

Can anyone here reassure me?

 

[MarcAlan]

It's not that bad. Total playthrough is maybe 30 hours depending on how much you do the side quests and weapons. You technically beat the game 4 times. But the first two run throughs are the same story from different perspectives and the other two are from another two perspectives.

Now, there are 26 endings but most of them are "bad" endings from doing something deliberate to get it. Hint: Self destuct on the space station for the best ending EVAR.

 

[Falselogic]

Thank you @MarcAlan

30 hours for each run through or for the four "main," for a better word, endings?

 

[Juno]

30-35 hours to get Ending E, which you can get only after unlocking endings A-D.

 

[Zef]

Someone remind me--in order to unlock E, do you need to replay all of the second half individually to get each of C and D, or is it enough for you to get C or D, reload the final save, and get the other one?

The original Nier only did its thing after ending D, so everyone I know watched C, reloaded, then did D from the final save (except me, because I liked playing it so much I did separate playthroughs for C and D).

 

[Falselogic]

I don't know what I was expecting but a twin sticker shooter wasn't it.

 

[Issun]

Someone remind me--in order to unlock E, do you need to replay all of the second half individually to get each of C and D, or is it enough for you to get C or D, reload the final save, and get the other one?

You get one, reload, do the final duel over again, and then Ending E interrupts C/D (whichever is the second one).

 

[Juno]

Someone remind me--in order to unlock E, do you need to replay all of the second half individually to get each of C and D, or is it enough for you to get C or D, reload the final save, and get the other one?

The original Nier only did its thing after ending D, so everyone I know watched C, reloaded, then did D from the final save (except me, because I liked playing it so much I did separate playthroughs for C and D).

Once you get either C or D, a chapter selection option comes up. You can go right to the scene where you make the choice between A2 or 9S

 

[Sprite]

“Beat the game four times” is misleading. You beat part one of Automata twice, then part two opens up. You beat part two once, then use the chapter selection to skip ahead and “beat” it again without having to do anything. Maybe don’t click that (non-specific) spoiler if you want to play it completely blind, but if multiple playthroughs are what’s stopping you, I say don’t sweat that too much.

 

[Issun]

And even path B, while having a lot of the same story, still has a different perspective, and the main method of combat changes dramatically.

 

[Zef]

Incidentally, False, for the love of GOD do not Google ANYTHING, anything AT ALL about any ending.

Hell, don't Google anything that could even hint at story or themes. You can play it perfectly fine without any guides, walkthroughs, or directions. The only place you might need a FAQ is for finding and maxing out all the weapons, but that's entirely optional (unlike Drakengard or Nier where it was mandatory to get the final endings.)

 

[Sprite]

The problem with Nier Automata is that no one wants to spoil it, because it is a beautiful and precious thing, but then the bits that aren’t spoilers make it sound like a chore to play.

 

[spines]

that's because it is though

 

[Falselogic]

I should probably make a spoiler thread for this game, huh?