The original NieR is finally getting a remaster for current platforms, Square Enix announced during a concert celebrating the game’s 10th anniversary. It’s called NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139…, and it’s coming to PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.
Related: Since NieR Automata‘s announcement I’ve been calling for a NieR remaster—it’s simply too important a game to be lost to technological iteration.
Released in 2010 for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, NieR became a cult favourite for its deep story, philosophical themes, rich characters, beautiful score, and unorthodox approach to game design. A limited print run and poor commercial response, coupled with the fact that it’s never been released digitally on either platform, make it difficult to access today for anyone who doesn’t want to get involved the secondhand collector’s market.
Following the runaway success of 2017’s NieR: Automata, and the renewed interest in NieR that came with it, it seemed inevitable that the original game would get a current-gen release at some point. NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139… is described as a “version upgrade”, and will reportedly have its whole soundtrack re-recorded (according to RPG Site). Presumably, there’ll be some sort of visual upgrade, too. We don’t have a release window yet, but at least now we know that it’s definitely, officially happening.
Interestingly, the NieR remaster is based on a version of the game that was never released outside Japan. For its Japanese release, the original game was split into two versions: NieR Gestalt for Xbox 360, and NieR Replicant for PlayStation 3. The main difference between the two is that in Gestalt, the main character, Nier, is a father looking for a cure for his sick daughter, while in Replicant, Nier is a young man looking for a cure for his sister. The Western release was based on Gestalt for both consoles, and Replicant remains Japan-exclusive, at least until the release of NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139…—it’s been confirmed that the international release will also use the Replicant version.
I know a fair few people who count NieR among the best games ever made. I’ve never played it, but I’ve been dying to ever since I played NieR: Automata and that quickly became my all-time favourite. I’m sure there are a lot of people in the same boat, who’ll be very excited to play NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139… when it comes out.
Source: RPG Site, @NieRGame (Twitter)
