The latest issue of Weekly Famitsu included a spread on the upcoming NieR upgrade NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139… and on the mobile game NieR Re[in]carnation.
This included new concept artwork and the first screenshots for both games.
You can check them out in the gallery below.
NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139
Screenshots
Concept Art
NieR Re[in]carnation
Screenshots
Concept Art
In the accompanying interview, creator Yoko Taro mentions that he initially he worked on Replicant ver.1.22474487139… thinking of it as a remaster. However, a lot of effort has been put into it, to the point that it feels more than a remaster.
Weapon stories will be included and new parts of the scenario will be added. While in event scenes the camera work is the same as the original NieR, that feels like a remaster, but a lot has been added.
The atmosphere of the original Replicant is still strong, but it’s different, with many new elements.
NieR: Automata’s designer and Astral Chain director Takahisa Taura isn’t directly involved in the game’s development but he covers an advisory role for the action part, surveying the progress almost from a fan’s point of view since the original Replicant is what gave birth to Automata.
Yoko Taro adds that fans of NieR: Automata need to be able to play comfortably. While the flavor of the original is still there developer Toylogic is working with the idea that what doesn’t feel good should be changed.
Composer Keiichi Okabe mentions that there is more live-recorded music compared to the original. Songs and choruses have been re-recorded to improve quality. The new parts added to the game will also feature new music.
Yoko Taro also mentioned that Yui Ishikawa and Natsuki Hane will play roles in the game but they won’t be 2B and 9S from Automata. They’ve been included in order to please fans of the newer game and he’d like them to look forward to discovering which roles they’ll play.
Speaking of Re[in]carnation, he confirms that the girl we see in the gameplay is not Kaine. She’s a completely new character.
While it shares the worldview with Replicant and Automata, the game is its own thing, so it can be enjoyed separately from the rest of the series. Producer Yosuke Saito added that it’s part of the so-called “Yoko Taro World” and it’ll feel like a NieR game when you play it.
The little ghost-like floating character is named “Mama” and she basically takes care of you. It plays a role similar to the Grimoire Weiss or a Pod.
Since this is a smartphone game that will work as a service, content will be added over time and it may end up being the longest NieR game in terms of text. It has a strong story but it’s also quite unique, different from conventional NieR games in a way.
Asked whether the girl is the protagonist, Yoko Taro explained that it’s difficult to explain, but the plan is to have multiple protagonists that will appear in the game. Saito-san added that there will be many.
We also hear that it takes inspiration from various gacha mechanics and the story spans multiple plots. That being said, even if it sells well, the end of the story will come. It’s actually a story in which the “goals” are repeated. It’s similar to Puzzle & Dragons in the way that you clear a stage and then you move on (even if Saito-san mentions that it’s not actually similar, and Yoko Taro confirms that there is nothing really similar indeed). On top of that, there is no PvP and the dungeons are called “ships.”
Saito-san concluded the interview that while the Coronavirus emergency adds an unknown element to the equation, the team will do its best to launch Replicant ver.1.22474487139… before the end of the 10th anniversary (which would mean before April 22, 2021).
NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139… is coming for PS4, Xbox One, and PC. NieR Re[in]carnation will launch on iOS and Android.
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