As you may have already imagined by yourself taking our restyling as a basis, even our legendary columns come back to life! First of all he comes back GameScope, dedicated to those decidedly noteworthy titles that unfortunately, willy-nilly, have not had much luck. And so, once we reach March 7, there are only 3 days left until the European release of Never: Automata, and we propose the analysis of the first chapter in an improved form, also bringing the new users closer to this videogame pearl that many have probably lost. Not recommended years ago by critics, NieR, spin off of Drakengard it comes in the last months as "sanctified", returning to a real second life. But what did this title look like? Let's turn on our GameScope, and take a look!
After a long prologue, in the game we will be catapulted into a rural style civilization, where the population has been decimated by a mysterious disease called Black Scrawl. Our protagonist lives off jobs commissioned by the villagers, while at the same time taking care of the house and his daughter Yonah, who is also affected by the dark plague. Our hero will then find himself fighting with something much bigger than him, embarking on a journey across the territory, accompanied by his companions: Grimoire Weiss, the legendary book that will provide us with incredible magical power, Kainée, a decidedly out of the ordinary girl, and further on the little Emil (whose master Yoko Taro always wears the mask). Crossing our path with hundreds of "Shades", we will come to discover that the person responsible for the plague is none other than the Shadowlord, flanked by the dark counterpart of our candid book, that is Grimoire Noir. It goes without saying that our task will be arduous and desperate: to find him and defeat him, while helping all the people who need him.
Gameplay and technical sector
NieR certainly did not shine as a technical masterpiece, and even if released for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, from that point of view it seemed a title dedicated to the previous generation. However, it takes nothing away from the fact that its peculiarity was in the gameplay itself, merging characteristics of various genres in a single title. The skeleton mirrors that of a action RPG simplistic mixed with a classic Hack N 'Slash as regards the fighting, and can be pleasant and dispersive as regards the exploration of the world (even if actually the number of reachable locations is not very high). other for a good part of the game we will be forced to do it on foot, or riding a boar, while in the second part of the title we will also unlock fast travel using a boat. The amount of secondary missions is very high, and they are divided into several levels of difficulty: in addition to being very useful for our profits, we will often find ourselves in front of interesting quests with intrinsic mini plots, and that you will often like to experience firsthand . During our wanderings, in addition to meeting and killing the creatures of the shadows, we will be able to try our hand at other game-related tests, such as hunting or fishing. Among the biggest peculiarities which however have become a symbol of NieR, are some sections to be played in 2D scrolling with side camera, while in some small rooms this will be positioned at the top, allowing us to dodge the numerous magical bullets or solve the proposed environmental puzzles. Unfortunately, a not very high budget and a realization like this and so made the gameplay very woody, and certainly not easy to master ... so much to discourage many.
The RPG component is innovative in many respects, and classic enough to appeal to traditionalists. The weapons will be upgradeable through objects dropped by the enemies, in addition of course to a paid amount of money. Both the weapons and the magical powers that we will acquire thanks to Weiss (you dumbass!) Can be equipped to our liking, and reinforced by means of "words" that some shadows will release, able to give us numerous abilities! The variables are practically infinite, and it would probably be easier to do than to explain. Obviously it does not end here: our magical powers are far more numerous than the available keys, and therefore we will have to change them and reassign them often, based on our strategy and the abominations that we will face. It is not over, not even for an idea: we can give orders to our companions, via menus, always to create our strategies. I do not deny it, the title is not at all simple, and especially on a difficult level it will make you swear not a little, especially due to the unhealthy management of checkpoints and rescues, as well as the excessive consumption of objects.
Artistic and Soundtrack
Certainly the artistic qualities are those that most make Nier an attractive title for players. Evocative landscapes and locations of various kinds make travel indispensable but pleasant, and all accompanied by an exceptional soundtrack, among the best ever seen in history: in some cases, my word, you will find yourself wandering around for minutes in the same place just to absorb its essence like a sponge. From start to finish it will be practically impossible not to find a track that does not enter your mind ... or to listen to them again out-of-game. Here above we offer you a tasty taste, the historical one Song of the Ancients. However, alongside it, there is a graphic rendering that to define limping is a compliment: it is a game that does not have frame drops, but that in terms of texture and polygons lends itself as a much "older" game of the year it was released (2010). Of course, if graphics are the only aspect of a game that interests you, you should definitely look elsewhere.
Conclusions
So let's get to the core: Nier is certainly not a masterpiece of technique and graphics, but it certainly does not deserve to be mistreated by critics as it happened shortly after its release. The game's charisma and script are diligently crafted, and the title's engaging interweaving certainly can't be boring.. Much more innovative than other titles in its category, perhaps it was rediscovered too late, and playing it today may not have the same effect on those who at first avoided it. The advice is in any case to recover it at all costs, because it is a game that will involve you and on which you will spend hours and hours without realizing it (between a saint and another). Will you be able to play it in the three days that divide us from the release of its successor? The challenge is launched.
