Nier Video Game Series

The first production in the series was created in 2010, with Cavia studio responsible for its creation, while Square Enix became the publisher. The title was originally developed in two variants: aimed at the Western market NieR Gestalt, often referred to simply as NieR (released on April 23, 2010 for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3) and premiered only in Japan NieR Replicant (debuted on 22.04.2010 and hit only on PS3). Both games are almost identical, and their biggest difference is the age and kind of affinity of the main characters. Well, the Japanese version presents the story of a brother and sister, while in the version aimed at a Western audience it is a father and daughter. As a result, the appearance of the protagonists has also changed slightly. Such a procedure was to ensure better reception of the game in the target markets. Localization NieR Gestalt was handled by the company 8-4. A decade later, the Japanese version of the production was refreshed and released on PC, PS4 and XONE under the title NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139..., hitting the Western market for the first time. The game introduced a number of innovations: better graphics, changes in the soundtrack, as well as expansion of the story layer (including new characters). The title was developed by Toylogic studio in cooperation with PlatinumGames.

After part one, fans of the world of NieR had to wait a long time for the next game in the series, as this one was developed only in 2017. - It was then that PlatinumGames released NieR: Automata. The title hit on 23.02.2017 on PS4, 17.03.2017 on PC and 26.06.2018 on XONE. The production boasts that it has 26 different endings. The series also lived to see a mobile installment, with the title NieR Re[in]carnation, created by the Applibot studio. This title departs from the arcade combat to which the series has accustomed us, and presents us with a skirmish model similar to those known from traditional jRPG games.

Story NieR Gestalt/Replicant begins with a Prologue taking place around 2050 in a world devastated by an environmental disaster. We meet a father/brother and a seriously ill daughter/sister. The protagonist is tempted by a talking book, which promises him that it can help his charge. The man is then attacked by mysterious shadows. After this event, the game's action moves more than 1,000 years into the future. We take on the role of the titular NieRa. The protagonist lives in a small village and takes care of his sick daughter/sister Yonah; her illness is related to the mysterious shadows plaguing the area. The protagonist sets out on a journey to save his charge. During the expedition we are not alone. We are accompanied by: Weiss, a talking book that allows the protagonist to use magic; Kainé, a female warrior who is half human and half shadow; and Emil, a quiet boy who can turn stone with his gaze. NieR offers heavily arcade combat, in which we use mainly white weapons and try to combine our blows into combos. Additionally, we are aided in our struggles by magic.

NieR: Automata is a sequel to the game NieR, taking the fourth ending of its predecessor as canonical. The production takes us thousands of years into the future. Earth was attacked by robots created by extraterrestrials. Humans were forced to flee the planet, and the survivors of civilization took up residence in bases on the moon. To fight the threat, androids were created with only one task - to reclaim Earth from the hands of the invaders. In the course of the game we follow the actions of 3 fighting machines: YoRHa No. 2 Type B (2B), YoRHa No. 9 Type S (9S) and YoRHa Type A No. 2 (A2). Combat in NieR: Automata largely relies on mechanics known from hack and slash, but this is not a rule, as depending on the character you control at the moment, the rules of skirmishes may differ. For example, 9S's strongest attack is hacking, which takes the form of a separate mini-game. It also happens that we sit at the helm of combat mechs, which completely change the rules of clashes.

NieR Re[in]carnation is the first mobile installment of the series. It takes us to an unspecified time in a place full of ruins of towers and dungeons. In such a setting wakes up the protagonist, who suffers from amnesia and wants to find out something about her past. The girl is accompanied by a ghost-like being, calling herself Mama, and who seems to know a lot about the world around them. The game has moved away from the arcade model of combat known from the series, and focused on a model reminiscent of the one known from jRPGs, involving the selection of the appropriate skillet from the menu. A characteristic feature of the title is a very strong distinction between the exploration part of the gameplay and the one where combat awaits players.