Summary:
Nier Replicant is a chameleon, as its slow start serves as a siren song that leads to explosive emotional crescendos and satisfying narrative payoffs.
My first hours with
Nier Replicant were dull. I knew they would be dull, because I was told they were dull. I soldiered on at a brisk but not unreasonable pace, aching for the other shoe to drop hour after hour. When it did, Yoko Taro’s vision came into focus, as I knew it would, and recontextualized everything I had experienced in a way that made the tedium worth it.
Nier Replicant is a lopsided game. Many reviewers have already said that the experience is uneven, that the beginning “half” is rough and bland, seemingly on purpose. But I love media that transforms itself, as is the case with some of my favorite shows like