4 Reasons Automata Fans Shouldn’t Sleep on NieR Replicant

2017’s NieR: Automata released to critical acclaim from critics, and while it almost certainly is the more polished and enjoyable game to play in the series, fans shouldn’t overlook NieR Replicant ver.1.22.

This version upgrade of the original NieR features major graphical improvements, along with new story content to help tie the plot back to Automata a little. It’s also just as self-assured and features a story that’s just as engaging as its successor. Here are four reasons why you need to play NieR Replicant if you were a fan of Automata.

Updated Combat

While the combat in ver.1.22 isn’t quite as fluid or stylish as what we saw in NieR: Automata, it’s still pretty damn good, especially when you compare it to the original game. This version of NieR Replicant finally gets a proper lock-on feature, which makes it so much easier to fire off your magical bullets with Grimoire Weiss, and movement is also way faster than before.

The protagonist moves around quickly and gracefully, and is able to dodge out of harm’s way in one quick fluid movement. Action combos also look way cooler now, and with the increased frame rate in ver.1.22, the action almost feels just as smooth and fast-paced as it did in NieR: Automata.

The Characters are Better

This isn’t a knock against 2B, A2, and 9S, but when you take a look at the cast of NieR Replicant, there’s no question that Automata’s main characters are just weaker overall. Of course, Automata’s protagonists are all androids, which explains why they’re forced to engage in sometimes nonchalant or emotionless behavior, but Replicant’s protagonists are just so much more vibrant and expressive in contrast, and it doesn’t take long at all for players to get attached to them.

Grimoire Weiss and Kaine are the highlights here, especially as the two are always butting heads with each other all throughout the journey. Weiss is delightfully smarmy and arrogant at times, but Kaine and the protagonist himself never fail to knock him down a peg when he gets too overconfident.

Emil rounds out the cast by being the sweet voice of reason that you can’t help but love, despite his deformed appearance. The cast of misfits is simply endearing, and they all come with rich backstories and are way more relatable than Automata’s characters ever were.

There are More Side Activities to Engage In

This could be a boon or a detriment to the game, depending on how you feel about side activities, but there’s more to do in Replicant aside from just the main story quests.

While they are completely optional, Replicant features a whole farming and flower cultivating mini-game you can check out, as well as a fishing mini-game that’s required for one of the longest side quest chains in the game. It’s worth noting that both fishing and farming can be very slow and time-consuming, so it might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but they certainly do help to contribute to the overall chill vibe of Replicant.

Unlike Automata, where it can feel like you’re always rushing off somewhere to accomplish a very important mission, Replicant feels a little slower-paced and even encourages you to slow down and smell the roses every once in a while. You can still speed through the missions if you just want more of the story, but that side stuff is always there for you.

New Content Helps to Link Both Games

Nier Replicant ver.1.22 features quite a bit of new story content, and some of it even serves as a better link between the plots of Replicant and Automata. Without spoiling too much, it’s definitely worth noting that once you’ve beaten NieR Replicant, there’s a lot more story content to get through, including some new stuff that wasn’t present in the original release, which will help to offer more closure to the story over all, and also offer some cool references and small story beats that lead to the events of Automata.

Not only that, there are also a handful of new short scenes that are sprinkled throughout subsequent playthroughs of the game that help to flesh out important plot points, such as the motivations of some particularly important NPCs you encounter in the story. There’s also a brand new story dungeon baked into ver.1.22, and it fits in so well with the story that it almost feels like it was in there all along.

And those are just a few reasons why you should check out NieR Replicant if you enjoyed NieR: Automata. Will you be picking the game up? Let us know in the comments down below, and feel free to sound off with your thoughts so far if you’re jumping into the game for the first time.