Finally released on Thursday, April 22, 2021, " NieR Replicant ver. 1.22474487139... "
Eleven years have passed since the original "NieR Replicant/Gestalt" was released on April 22, 2010, and now it is back as an upgraded version!
As a fan of the series, I (a band member) pre-ordered the downloadable version of the game to play it personally, regardless of Saiga NAK.
However, the downloadable version can be played from midnight, and it would be a waste to just enjoy it personally!
I will try my best to avoid spoilers as much as possible in this report, but... spoilers are inevitably involved!
I'd like to introduce the first part of the game , including some spoilers!
Play the downloadable version on PS5!
"NieR Replicant ver. 1.22474487139... " is available on PS4, Xbox One and PC (Steam), but this time I will play the PS4 downloadable version on PlayStation 5 Digital Edition. Because that's what the author's playing environment is...
Please note that the game data is saved and played on PS5's built-in SSD, so my impressions regarding loading time and images may differ from those of those playing on PS4.
The screenshots in this article were taken using the create button on the PS5 to take screenshots.
I took quite a few of them in a bashful way, so please forgive me if you can see the screenshot icon in the upper right corner of many of the images.
The game data was pre-downloaded, so we'll start playing on Thursday, April 22, 2021, at exactly 0:00!
"NieR Replicant ver. 1.22474487139... "Start!
You have to activate it first to get started.
"NieR Replicant ver.1. 22474487139... This is the title screen of "NieR Replicant ver. 1.22474487139.... The title has a black background, a logo, and a simple yet atmospheric title.
Press the button to select "New Game" to start a new game, "Load Game" to start from the beginning, or "Setting" to configure various settings.
Selecting "New Game" allows you to choose the difficulty level from "EASY," "NORMAL," and "HARD. I started on "NORMAL" for now!
After selecting the difficulty level, you will be asked to enter a name for the player (the main character), which can be up to 6 characters long.
Once the name is chosen, you will be taken to the loading screen and the story will finally begin!
The following contains spoilers for the first part of the game.
One boy wakes up in a devastated city.
The movie starts and a boy is shown cowering.
A mysterious black shadow appears in the devastated city.
Tutorial starts here.
Move with the left stick. Right stick to change viewpoint. Press L2 to defend.
Use the iron pipe in your hand to fight the black shadow!
The movements are smooth and the action is exhilarating.
You can easily defeat it because it is a tutorial.
After the battle, you will find a girl "Yona" in the back of the ruins.
Yona, who seems to be the younger sister of the boy, is worried about her brother, although she is not feeling well.
The brother, not wanting his sister to worry, tries to reassure her.
Beside the girl is a book.
Don't ever touch that book, okay? Never?
You control the boy to fight off the shadows that are attacking again.
By the way, you can jump by pressing X.
The boy is not alone in his fight against the shadows, and is beaten back.
Just when it seems like the end is in sight, the black book that Yona had told him never to touch comes into his hand.
When the boy touches the book
You can now use magic with great power.
You can use the magic "Black Hand" by pressing L1 button.
Now that you can use magic, you have a wider range of actions.
It is easier to fight against a large number of opponents than hitting them with an iron pipe because you can involve them all at once.
As you use the "Black Hand" to defeat shadows, your level will increase, and you will be able to use the new magic "Black Bullet" with the R1 button.
You will also be able to use the " Charge " function, which allows you to use different abilities than usual by holding down the attack and magic buttons.
Magic becomes especially powerful and is recommended for wiping out enemies.
Defeat the shadows that appear one after another, and you will gain levels and be able to use the magic "Black Execution" with the L1 button. The level goes up and up...
When you are attacked by a large number of shadows, you are vulnerable to attacks, but you can evade them by using the R2 button while moving.
Also, if you keep moving the left stick while evading, you can make a dash, so avoid attacks by combining evasion and dash.
As the battle progresses, shadows that release the series' familiar salmon roe bullets will also appear. The salmon roe bullets in this work have a fresh color.
This makes me feel like I'm playing NieR!
And another level up. It keeps going up and up.
You can use the new magic "Black Spear" by pressing L1 button.
The powerful "Black Spear" is used to create a new layer of shadows.
After finishing defeating the shadows, Yona's condition became worrisome.
When he tries to return to the ruins, a huge shadow blocks his way.
As you might have guessed, it' s the tutorial boss!
Unlike the other enemies, the boss has a strength gauge displayed at the bottom of the screen.
Use all the magic and maneuvers you've learned so far to fight off the boss!
The " Attack Gauge " will be displayed when the boss is reduced to its full strength.
Concentrate your attacks on the Attack Gauge in time to destroy it!
Destroy the boss by destroying the attack gauge! The level has gone all the way up to 30.
Speaking of which, where's Yona?
Back at the ruins, Yona offers a cookie to eat with the boy...
He seems to be feeling even worse than before.
And by his side is that book that I told him never to touch: ・・・・
What really happened to the boy, to Yona, and to the world?
The beginning of the book ends leaving a mystery.
The stage changes and the story begins.
After the message " 1412 years later, " the scene changes.
Instead of the devastated city of 1412, the world changes to an idyllic fantasy world.
A young boy with a gentle expression on his face, who still looks like the boy he was.
A girl called " Yona " just like that girl.
The world is full of nature, which is very different from the devastated world of the first part of the game.
What kind of story will unfold in the future?
To find out, please play "NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139.... to find out what happens next!
Some concerns about playing on PS5
I played the game on PS5 and found the action part to be very comfortable and I immediately got the impression that the action was fun.
I played the game on NORMAL difficulty, but even if you are not good at action, I think you can enjoy the game if you set the difficulty level to EASY.
To be honest, I didn't feel that the loading time between scenes was that fast thanks to the PS5's fast SSD.
I can't say for sure because I haven't compared it to PS4, but it takes a while to load, so I didn't get the impression that it was "blazing fast".
The most interesting thing is the button settings.
By default, the PS5 has a global setting where the X button is for decision making and the ◯ button is for canceling.
This means that depending on the title you play, there may be differences in the decision and cancel button settings in the game, but with "NieR Replicant ver. 1.22474487139.... In "NieR Replicant ver. 1.22474487139...", the system controls, such as the menu screen, are set to PS5 specifications with the decision button set to X and the cancel button set to ◯.
However, during gameplay, the main character jumps with X, and the ◯ button is used to talk to people and check locations.
This operation is similar to that of PS4, where the ◯ button is used to make decisions, so if you open the menu screen while the game is in progress, you will confuse the button operations.
I will check the "Button Configuration" in the options again, since I am talking about the default button settings!
If you can't change these settings, you'll just have to get used to it!
Play the rest of this article for yourself!
This part is really the beginning of the game. This is the introduction and tutorial part of the game.
The story will unfold from now on, and I would like you to play and experience it for yourself to find out what kind of story it will be!
The timing is good, as the Golden Week holidays are just around the corner, giving you a chance to concentrate on playing the game!
We hope you will play " NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139...", the upgraded version of the masterpiece "NieR RepliCant/Gestalt"! Please come and play "NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139..."!
For more information, please visit the official website of "NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139.... official website, or purchase the downloadable version from PlayStation Store for PS4/PS5 users ,Microsoft Store for Xbox users , orSteam for PC users ( available on April 24th)!