During Square Enix’s 10th Anniversary Livestream, the company announced NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139… for the PS4, Xbox One, and PC. And yes, that’s not a type, that’s the actual name of the game. I know that seems strange, but it’s not like they haven’t done this before; see NieR: Automata – 3C3C1D119440927.
According to Square Enix’s Producer, Yosuke Saito, who is returning to work on NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139…, is not a remake or remaster, but a version up (upgraded version). This will be the game that the Western audience never received, with several upgrades included. Which I’m assuming is only possible due to the reception of NieR: Automata. A game that went on to sell 4 million copies across the PS4, Xbox One and PC. It’s also one of my favorite games of this generation.
Per Famitsu, it looks as there will be a new character who’ll be added to the game, the original soundtrack has been re-recorded, along with several new songs (Keiichi Okabe). New gameplay mechanics are being introduced to liven up the game.
Japanese gaming website, Game’s Talk, has mentioned that Takahisa Taura, from Platinum Games’ and was attached to NieR: Automata is also involved. Most like he’ll be around to ensure the gameplay is closer to what was featured in Automata, which was praised for its action. Yoko Taro will also return to direct, with Keiichi Okabe back to compose yet more music to tug on our heartstrings.
As fans of the NieR series are aware, they were two versions of the original title; NieR Replicant, which was released in Japan for the PlayStation 3, and NieR Gestalt, which was released for the Xbox 360 and the only version of the game that would see a Western release. While both Replicant and Gestalt were similar titles, they were also several differences such as different timelines and with versions of the protagonist, NieR.
While Gestalt features a much older NeiR who set out to find a cure for his sickly Daughter, Yonah. While Replicant also features the protagonist, NieR, with the exception that now he’s out to help his sickly Sister, who is also Yonah.
Currently, there has been no word on when we can expect a release for this game. Though, as a fan of the series, I’m excited to see this is happening. Yoko Taro teased we’d see a new project based in the world of NieR, some time ago and I’m happy to see what Square Enix has planned.
