Square Enix kicked off the first day of Tokyo Game Show 2020 with a presentation solely focused on the NieR franchise. Though hype and speculation are still abuzz from the recent Final Fantasy XVI reveals, Square Enix decided to focus their main showing at TGS on their other flagship property. Hosted by Hiroki Yasumoto, the voice actor for Grimoire Weiss in NieR Replicant, and series creative director Yoko Taro, the showcase was cheekily dubbed the “We Have a Decent Amount of New Info” Special. Minimal info has been revealed about the NieR Replicant remaster and the NieR Re[in]carnation mobile game that were announced earlier this year so more details were to be expected during the showcase.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdeByqqu6gg
First order of business was the reveal of the NieR Replicant remaster release date and gameplay footage. Officially titled NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139…, the game is a remaster of the first NieR game released on Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 a decade ago. Simply titled NieR in the West, the game featured an older, gruff male protagonist to align with Western tastes whereas the Japanese version featured a more traditionally anime-looking youth protagonist. The remaster for all regions with feature the original Japanese design and the original voice cast from the first game reprising their roles. The gameplay has been revamped and updated to be more in line with 2017’s NieR: Automata making the combat much smoother and streamlined — one of the biggest points of criticisms of the original release.
NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139… releases April 22, 2021 in Japan and one day later on the 23rd in the West for Playstation 4, Xbox One, and PC. A limited collectors edition is also available for preorder on the Square Enix online store called the White Snow Edition and features unique cases, a copy of the game’s script, a soundtrack and metal pins in the form of the Grimoires.
Next on the stream was information about NieR Re[in]carnation mobile game presented by director Daichi Matsukawa. The first mobile game in the franchise, Re[in]carnation involves players traversing a 3D space called “The Cage” collecting “weapon’s memories” which play out in 2D cutscenes similar to a picture book. As players explore The Cage, battles and decisions will go toward progressing through the stories of the weapon’s memories. Not many details were revealed about the combat but it appears from the teaser trailer and glimpses of gameplay that the game will instead be a turn-based RPG rather than the action-oriented gameplay in the other games in the franchise. Preregistration for the Japanese version of NieR Re[in]carnation has begun and the game will also come to Europe and the US at a later time.
The final segment brought out the senior game designer of NieR: Automata, Takahisa Taura, to discuss the success and future of the game. Since the last Tokyo Game Show, the total sales of Automata have more than double from 2 million units to 4,850,000 total units sold. Despite the massive success of the title, Taura jokingly said he was disappointed that sales did not reach the 5 million benchmark. During Tokyo Game Show, the digital version of NieR: Automata on all available systems will go on sale for 50% off as a way to reach the coveted 5 million units sold benchmark and as an incentive for potential players who have not played the game yet.
Also announced was the production of a high-end statue from Prime 1 Studio. The statue is 1/4th scale and features all three protagonists of NieR: Automata — 2B, 9S, and A2. No details about pricing or a release date were announced but Taura joked that due to the detail and quality of the figure, its price point is sure to be quite high.
