And the game – a satisfying blend of side quests, vast plots and action – begins for real. Then we’re taken out of the flashback into another intriguing cut scene and I’m level 1 again.
He probably shouldn’t have left her alone in the first place, because Yonah suffers from a beautiful but terminal disease called the Black Scrawl. Having vanquished the shades with sword and magic, Nier stumbled into an old snowbound library to reach his daughter Yonah as she lay curled up with pain behind a bookcase. I soon destroyed them all first time around (partly because Nier soon finds a magical talking book that gives him a massive magic boost, and partly because I sapped out and played the game on an easy setting). The wave of shades felt like it lasted forever, but it only felt that way. No, of course it didn’t, for that would be poor gameplay. Surely the rest of the game wouldn’t continue at this pace?
The beginning was initially confusing, as I reached level 30 in ten minutes and battled my first big Shade Boss ten minutes later. They certainly weren’t above or below me, which is where I seemed to be looking half the time). Nier was forced to battle wave after wave of shades, and there was poor old me still trying to control Nier’s point of view as I hurled myself around with the intention of surviving long enough to figure out if the shades were in front of me or behind me (clue: they were all around me. It has to be said here: the graphics on Nier are outstanding.Īside from nodding my head with pleasure at the undeniable beauty of the game, I didn’t enjoy the first twenty minutes very much. While not as intentionally pixelly or shadowy as the Zelda: Twighlight Princess meanies and their evil portals, the shades in Nier are fluid geometric demons that provide a striking contrast to the dreamily-lit fantasy realism of Nier’s world. Personally I’d love to stay and watch the pretty snow, but Nier needs to reach his daughter – and hordes of shades block his path. A grouchy, grey-haired warrior with feral teeth) is stuck, trapped in a snowbound industrial zone. Then we get an evocative cut scene as Nier (our hero.
I’m highly amused and also quite impressed… She’s referring to him in ways I’d expect more likely to emerge from the mouth of a raging Courtney Love than from the pearly lips of a fantasy princess. The girl sounds desperate – belligerent but afraid. She is challenging an unseen entity called the Shadow Lord. As darkness unfolds, we hear a girl’s voice.
We’re told that this is a thousand years in Nier’s past – it’s a flashback. Who wouldn’t secretly want to be infected with the Black Scrawl? Armed with powerful allies, magical abilities, mighty weapons and a mysterious and slightly ill-tempered magical book, Nier will do battle against waves of dark enemies and giant bosses to discover the truth about the disease, his daughter… and himself. Packed with unique and memorable characters, intense action-packed battles, explosive magic and storytelling, Nier is set in a crumbling world plagued by disease and dark, unrecognisable creatures.The twists and turns of plot are integral to Nier, a game in which nothing is as it seems.īut who is Nier? He’s an unyielding protagonist (think dour, noble and grumpy) who’s determined to quest until he discovers a cure for his daughter who has been infected with the Black Scrawl disease. Nier is billed as a fast-paced action RPG with a mature and mysterious narrative, designed to appeal to action, adventure and RPG fans. Not to mention dungeon bosses, farming and fishing. Game reviews: Nier is an action RPG from the makers of Final Fantasy filled with buried secrets, intricate plotlines and unforgettable characters.
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