Yoko Taro’s Drakengard (2003) is an extremely contentious game, a love it or hate it ordeal in which some are swayed by its abrasive and transgressive nature, while others will vehemently cast it aside, claiming it was simply a terrible experience. My own opinions aside, what Drakengard tells us is that Yoko Taro is a video game creator with the propensity to sacrifice enjoyment at times, pushing players into frustrating and mindless scenarios, all in order to prioritise the point he’s trying to get across, and NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139... (2021) is no exception. ver.1.22 is a remaster of NieR RepliCant (2010), a game I have never played, but what I do know is that the original Replicant, and therefore the modern one, is heavily inspired by Yoko Taro’s post 9/11 commentary, an event that changed much of his thinking. With this inspiration, Replicant tells a story about the importance of acknowledging different perspectives and encouraging communication, tightly knitted together through its unconventional structural approach in regards to storytelling.

Much of NieR Replicant is designed to play with players’ preconceived notions of the JRPG genre, deliberately conforming to long-standing genre tropes only to later subvert them down the line for great effect. Everything about the entire game just screams RPG from top to bottom, from the setting, to the level and item progression, down to much of the story itself. Our protagonist, Brother Nier, lives in a quaint, grassy and reclusive village with his sick little sister, Yonah, and in the pursuit of her medicine, and resources required to live day-to-day, he garners a reputation amongst his community as someone who will accept any task, no matter how mundane or trivial. The game begins with no direction in regards to the overarching plot, we start by going on standard fetch quests for the townsfolk, both to help them out and also earn some money for our troubles, all while the game uses it to introduce and ease players into its mechanics. It’s all very run-of-the-mill, and yet it was never meant to be anything but. The narrative leans into these ideas even further, guising the much bleaker true nature of the story under the framework of a tired and stereotypical hero’s journey with a clear cut antagonistic force and plainly defined sides of good and evil, pretty simple right?

While Route A very much operates wholly embracing this thinly veneered exterior, that's all it is, an exterior, telling a story of found family learning to love themselves and finding hope in a world on the verge of dying out, but that's just on the surface. Within the context of NieR Replicant, Route A is ultimately a test, a test to see how far we are willing to believe in what is merely shown in front of us, under the confines of a singular perspective, all told in a way only a video game could. The transition from Route A to Route B in which the proverbial rug is swept from under our feet is therefore what truly defines Replicant, and where its themes that stem from Yoko Taro's post 9/11 commentary come to fruition.

“You have your own motives. Your own desires. And we have ours. I fear it really is just that simple.”

Replicants' philosophy can be summed up by a quote from Yoko Taro himself, in which he says: “You don’t have to be insane to kill someone. You just have to think that you’re right”. Perspective is consequently at the heart of NieR Replicant, a theme so seamlessly integrated into every facet of the game born out of its unique use of its New Game+ structure. To chalk up any characters actions in this game into a black and white judgement of good or evil would be fallacious, for each character is driven by their own personal beliefs and motivations that have been shaped by years of hardship - what one party sees as an imperative good another party sees as an irrefutable evil. This amalgamation of varying perspectives and viewpoints reaches a boiling point in which nobody can claim to have the moral high ground, nobody is willing to budge, and the addition of miscommunication blends everything into an unrecognisable situation in which nobody has any idea what truly transpired in the first place to lead to this, everyone just believes that they are right. It may seem like a fairly basic commentary on moral relativity, one in which there are no rights and wrongs, but simply just people doing what they themselves believe is right, and while that may be true, what really drives this point home is the cohesive and concise execution through the use of its unorthodox structure, the undoing of the tropes Replicant pretends to conform to, how all of the main plot beats feed into this central idea, it all comes together in such a well-crafted way that punches you in the gut and leaves you crying on the floor afterwards.

Not content with just subverting extremely common JRPG tropes, Replicant also attempts to take shots at other elements of the genre, such as sidequests, although these jests come across as nothing more than tasteless. Frequently criticised and described as tedious, Replicant's sidequests are self-aware in their seemingly intentional mundanity, with Weiss often musing, in his typical dramatic style, about how he “would enjoy receiving a quest that can be solved in the general vicinity of the asker…”. This is criticism directed towards video game quests that force you to cover long distances, going back and forth monotonously in order to fully complete them, which can be a fair point to make; the issue is that Replicant only succeeds in poking fun at this flaw. It’s self-indulgent in its humour, failing to follow through on its satire, the game carrying on as if this joke never happened, as every sidequest after it is still designed similarly: you fetch items and backtrack between locales for information in order to proceed. With no resolution to its intent, it fails to convey anything meaningful. Some people also interpret sidequests as laborious as a means for the game to ridicule you for not concentrating on the main story, which should be seen as the utmost priority, although this view of them falls flat once you realise that the main story itself has moments that serve as detractors from our central objective, moments the cast willingly participate in. The shortcomings of sidequests is saddening, as there are a handful of genuinely solid ones that lend themselves to the games themes, but they’re so few and far between that they aren’t able to offset the rest.

Looping back around the aforementioned Drakengard, one avenue that it explores is that of the glorification of video game violence, an idea that also takes root deep within Replicant, best illustrated by the final route of the game. By this point, for most, the gameplay has worn thin, we’ve memorised enemy attack patterns and mentally mapped out the quickest route to the final boss, enemies don’t scale between successive routes so the combat is at its most mindless, story beats see themselves recycled yet again with far less difference than Route B to Route A. With this in mind, in my opinion the perpetual open question of this route is: should you be having fun? Replicants routes are designed so that any one of them can serve as the endpoint of the story; if someone is satisfied with Ending A, they can simply let the story rest there. However for most of us, we keep going, not satiated until we’ve seen every ending in the hopes we’ll land on a better one. Fully aware of the destruction that lies in our wake and its consequences, do we deserve to enjoy ourselves?

It’s certainly a bold move, one that’s often confused with the idea that this is an “intentionally bad” stylistic choice, but I don’t personally believe a game pushing itself into such territory is an automatic hallmark of bad game design, there’s an intention behind it to foster discussion and appeal to the player. These choices are what make Yoko Taro's works so divisive, fundamentally some people will not be able to enjoy the 3rd playthrough no matter what, while other people like me are fascinated by it. I understand you could apply this to any element of any game, but in the case of Replicant which is so renowned for its unique game and storytelling choices, I think it’s a bit more prevalent here.

NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139… is an experience able to be viewed and picked apart from so many different perspectives, and not all the ideas will land for everyone, making it a hard game to recommend without some caveats, but in spite of that I still think it comes out on top. My review doesn’t even cover all the games bases, such as its commitment to varying camera angles mixed with genre-switching gameplay, its fantastic main cast dynamic between Nier, Kaine and Emil, or how it succeeds in adding texture to all of its side characters. Despite the flaws I found, it’s a game that resonated with me so much along with its ideas, that I can look past them all and say I love it, and that even if you don’t like aspects of it, coming to understand the intention and purpose behind them might change your outlook a little.

An utterly staggering experience from top to bottom that is equal parts unnerving as it is comforting, erratic as it is deliberate, and heart-warming as it is emotionally devastating, Tsukihime -A piece of blue glass moon- (2021) is a retelling of TYPE-MOONs debut doujin visual novel Tsukihime (2000) that sincerely strives to retain its thematic core and identity, redefined by sweeping scenario changes, new characters and a high production value but ultimately a more experienced Kinoko Nasu through his ambition to tell the story on a grander scale. With this, Tsukihime Remake adapts the entire Near Side segment of the original that only accounts for 2/5 of the routes, which may be surprising but results in a much more dilated and refined experience, one that successfully fills its extended playtime with additional, expanded and rewritten content while also picking up where its predecessor often stumbled, removing its gratuitous adult scenes along with a more tactful handling of its sexual themes. Thoroughly entertaining due to its hyperactive narrative, exciting scenes that utilise its presentation to the fullest, and strong emotional payoffs that all left me craving more by the end.

Right out of the gate one of the most defining aspects of Tsukihime Remake is its remarkable presentation, which oozes quality as every facet of the writing is complemented by both stunning art and animation. For a medium often viewed negatively by those who believe it to be static and unengaging, the remake really pushes the envelope of what it can offer through its commitment to infusing movement into every scene, very rarely sitting still, often utilising varying camera angles between dialogue or slow panning across backgrounds, while additionally shifting through the plentiful amount of character sprites featuring multiple pose variations that greatly enhance character expression and manage to capture a sense of motion unlike most visual novels I’ve played. Perspective is another avenue in which it excels; it’s a genre staple for visual novels to have their characters all lined up together on screen, but instead Tsukihime remake fervently dedicates itself to consistently depicting character distances and positions scene by scene, mapping out their locations in every environment. All this leads to a visually engaging and dynamic experience that never feels overwhelming, as the remake has a confident grasp on how exactly to make the most of its visuals in each scene.

“It’s showtime, vampire.”

Where I think the presentation is at its pinnacle though is during the thrilling action sequences. I swear only TYPE-MOON can captivate me to the point where I’m filled with such childlike glee, twiddling my thumbs on the edge of my seat like a kid again, completely awe-struck with my blood pumping trying to anticipate what happens next as an ominous chanting choir kicks in coupled with Shiki’s hard-edge internal monologuing going off at the same time. I don't agree with the sentiment that the visuals at any point make the game feel like an "anime" as I believe that comparison is neglectful to the importance of the text, the remake manages to strike a solid balance between maintaining the writings importance while featuring fights that bombard you with special effects and animations that ebb and flow seamlessly into the next. The visuals never steal primacy away from the writing, supplementing it to the highest degree which I think is a feat in and of itself. Going further, the sound effects are sharp, the visuals are weighty and unflinching which don't shy away from the innate brutality of Tsukihime, and every action scene is crafted with such a meticulous hand to make them as unpredictable and intense as possible - simply magical.

This more action-oriented approach to an already fantastical narrative manages to remain grounded and down-to-earth in no small part due to the revamped framework it takes place in, Souya city. The dense, quaint atmosphere of Misaki is exchanged in favour of an imposing, bustling and modern Souya city as the narrative scope of Tsukihime is ramped up to go beyond just interpersonal conflicts by now seeping into society as well. Veils of both intrigue and mystery are still blanketed across the setting, an ongoing serial killer case along with talk of suspicious locations in the city churned out by the society rumour mill and yet these happenings don't even begin to shake the daily routines of anybody… life simply has to go on. These everyday moments remain so significant, and where Tsukihime covers a lot of ground with its themes on a smaller but more personal and poignant scale, often through intimate spoken interactions and clashing of worldviews between two closely-knit characters in passive settings such as the local food court or park. Comforting moments like these highlight the fleeting yet precious nature of the story’s two-week timeframe, as to many of its cast they will hold onto these memories forever, memories that are given meaning through the realisation that everything must eventually come to an end.

“Really? I like what-ifs. You might not know where you’re gonna end up, but in the moment you always feel like there's some kind of salvation out there.”

One unambiguous strength of dilating the original is the breadth of characterisation that comes with it; every single character is an infinitely more compelling agent of the story that strengthens not just their individual or interconnected arcs but also the themes of the game, while also staying largely true to their origins - with some slight alterations.

Arcueid remains an absolute joy to watch anytime her vibrant presence is on the screen, such a captivating character who brings life to every single scene she is in, aided by an outstanding performance from her voice actor who perfectly captures her essence. Her character design and behaviour now align more closely with someone of Shiki's age, resulting in a stronger blend of maturity and youth in her character coupled with added depth to her and Shiki’s relationship. Although her route remains very faithful to the original, keeping its identity and greatly enhancing its impact by drawing out scenes and dialogue, it comes at the cost of suffering identically to the original by regularly falling into repetitious heavy-exposition scenes. Shiki is not privy to the world he has unexpectedly been thrown into and the scenario doesn't lend him any agency to uncover its truths on his own, everything is told to him through the actually knowledgeable characters. This reliance on exposition leads to her route occasionally feeling very rhythmic at times, as it also sometimes retreads prior knowledge too. The final days of her route are also completely derailed by incredibly fast pacing that contrasts far too heavily with the previously slow and drawn out approach to the narrative - an issue very much mirrored and made worse from the original, Nasu spends far too much time dilating the middle of her route compared to the end and it shows. However despite these flaws, and believing that this is where the remake is at its lowest, Arcueid’s charm and chemistry with Shiki shines through brightly, compensating heavily for me not just during these narrative shortcomings but acting as a major strength throughout the entire route. Overall, thanks to a more evocative prose and an improvement in almost every other element of Arcueid’s story, I still left it with several scenes leaving a big impression on me.

“I was taught that ‘atonement’ isn’t a destination, but a way of being that is born out of the journey itself. A heart that can punish itself without being forced to by others.”

It's not controversial to say that Ciel's original route was mediocre, failing to differentiate itself sufficiently from its Near Side counterpart and inadvertently placing Arcueid on a higher pedestal due to Ciel’s own route being written in a way that worked against her. In a miraculous turnaround, Ciel’s remake route delivers on a liberal reconstruction that taps into the latent potential its predecessor held, introducing a plethora of changes that are shaped around the retained core ideas of her route, redefining how her story is expressed while maintaining thematic coherence. The result? A complete slam dunk. Nothing short of hyperactive, her route is densely packed, juggling 4 unique plot lines simultaneously as the remake’s willingness to narrate the story from outside Shiki’s perspective really shines here, helping to layer the narrative and provide clarity for when these storylines begin to converge. As a character Ciel is both deep and multi-faceted as the narrative puts her under the magnifying glass and deeply explores every aspect of her character to such a profound level; her connection with Shiki is also the foundation upon which the games most emotional moments are built. The natural evolution of their relationship is very touching, Ciel acts as an anchor to Shiki, the support system he desperately requires, so when their dynamic unravels to the point where it's mirrored, their arcs both reach their crux, culminating in a succession of incredibly moving scenes and dialogue. Aside from just being a very well-written and compelling duo, they are both put forward as the centrepieces for the route's display of its main theme of sin and atonement.

An important distinction to make when discussing Ciel’s route is the 2 different endings it can branch into. Arcueid is given the short end of the stick, her route is not only shorter than Ciel’s but it also only has a singular possible ending compared to Ciel’s normal and true end. Having 2 endings may be concerning for returning fans, since the normal/good ends of the original were very hit or miss, often contradicting the messaging of the true ends by undoing any semblance of tragedy that befell the cast, but in the case of the remake, it separates itself from this prior misstep as the endings are worlds apart in terms of content. In my opinion, Ciel’s normal ending is the crowning point of not just the remake but Tsukihime as a whole, it’s perfect and I wouldn’t even want to give an idea of what transpires in it. The true end is where things begin to derail as I can’t help but think Nasu got overly ambitious, it's so foreign from anything seen before in Tsukihime, willingly removing itself from many of the games established strengths to try and deliver on an unforgettable spectacle that ends up falling just short. I believe it serves as a solid conclusion for the entire visual novel, I absolutely adore the epilogue, but evaluating the rest in isolation, it simply overstays its welcome and Nasu gets a bit too carried away with his idea of an Evangelion type rebuild.

Most of the new characters are far better integrated into Ciel’s route, with a handful of them taking on major roles that serve to highlight the expanded scope of the story in tandem with its raised stakes, as characters constantly teeter on the borderline between life and death. Going into the remake with the expectation that the new is going to be the brunt of the story will likely leave you disappointed, as while the remake does succeed in adding texture to some of its new side characters, the original cast remains central. Limited character development of some of the new cast stems from the fact that this is a partial release, with certain characters barely having any semblance of characterisation; it's clear a lot is being withheld for the Far Side.

Speaking of the Far Side, the setup for it looks like it's going to be a sweep for Tsukihime -The other side of red garden- (TBD), although this was inevitable since it features the Kohaku route. The foreshadowing runs much deeper, for both old fans and new fans to pick up on, as certain details that the original Near Side clued us in on are omitted or explored differently. Bad ends are a prime example of this, used to great effect to pose interesting scenarios, but also cleverly serve as vital scenes for information that hints at what’s to come. Much of the foreshadowing for the new can be extremely subtle, with certain things I wouldn’t have picked up in a million years because of how skilfully embedded they are. Either way, the fascinating hints and intriguing theories that have emerged from the remake, in conjunction with the vast improvements of the entire Near Side, all point to very promising ideas for the Red Garden.

“No matter how much despair I feel, I’m content simply existing. This is not something that needs to be taught. Just being here like this is enough to give human existence meaning.”

For all the brutality, all the flashy fight scenes, the jokes and quips, the love and tragedy, the growth and self-discovery, Tsukihime is a deeply human story that masks itself behind these ideas, using them to convey its simple but emotive message: despite life's inherently fragile nature, and how meaningless everything might seem - just being here is enough to give existence purpose. The dialect between Arcueid and Shiki at the school, as a soothing canopy of gold paints over the vast canvas of the sky, is one of my favourite scenes in the entire visual novel, as it’s where Tsukihime lays out its philosophy through Shiki. It's here where we understand that Shiki is fundamentally an absurdist, someone who acknowledges the inherent meaninglessness of life and yet revolts against the irresolvable emptiness that often comes from such a realisation, who is able to wake up every day with a positive outlook, content at just being alive, despite his fragile existence, knowing that this is the only form of life he can live, and that if he wants something it can only be seized in this form. Just as he revolts, he lives with passion through wholly embracing the present, not chasing eternity or the divine, nor clinging onto nostalgia and the past. To say life is meaningless is from the perspective of the universe, and as such does not disqualify us from finding our own subjective meaning for certain things in life, as seen by Shiki as he still pursues experiences, fully alive to the present, taking an active role in the narrative by finding fun and purpose in the journey without focusing solely on the destination.

I find Shiki to be a very underappreciated and unique protagonist, he doesn’t go through scathing character development that turns his worldview upside down, rather he maintains a lot of his core beliefs from start to finish, for example how he frequently finds himself returning to the words of Aoko all those many years ago. He’s positioned as the catalyst for the heroines of each route to undergo their arcs, and see them through. The aforementioned conversation he and Arcueid share is beautiful in how it establishes so much about his and her character, and the music that encompasses it is equally as powerful. As someone who often finds themselves stuck in musings about their worth and existence, Shiki’s easy-going attitude and philosophy really spoke to me, however cliché some may believe it to be, but I don’t mind as there is not a stronger or more potent message than one that affirms life.

Ultimately, Tsukihime -A piece of blue glass moon- for all of its flaws was an experience that really landed with me. It’s a remake that is true to its predecessor, maintaining respect for it while understanding things change with the times and making the necessary adjustments without ever straying from its path to remain faithful, and by tapping into the underused potential of the Near Side, it brings missing life to it that also helps to separate it more from the Far Side. Everything just resonated with me so much and I haven’t been able to get Tsukihime out of my head since finishing it.

Buried underneath layers of erraticness and occasionally messy storytelling, Shadow Hearts: Covenant (2004) has an underlying core of conviction and passion that extends to every facet of the game, from the sometimes cheesy but incredibly endearing dialogue and interactions between its lovable characters, to the intense gameplay backed by a fantastic soundtrack, this game simply pulls no punches and delivers one of the most charming and entertaining games I've had the pleasure of playing. As a sequel Covenant aims to carve out its own identity by foregoing the horror and heavy gothic atmospheres that its predecessors, both Koudelka (1999) and Shadow Hearts (2001), thrived on in favour of a grander, yet more light-hearted story that continues the blend between cosmic horror and alternate history.

First and foremost, the Judgment Ring maintains itself as one of the most engaging and inventive ideas for a combat system to revolve around, and one that I had a blast using again. It acts as an anchor to the games combat, with its presence extending into almost every other mechanic the game has to offer, and the way the new features in Covenant complement the ring just works so well. Extensive ring customisation is available for each party member, altering risk and reward, a combo system is introduced that allows you to chain attacks to deal more damage at the risk of losing your characters turns and crests store a variety of spells that characters gain access to by equipping them. In addition, the grid system has been changed to now encompass the entire stage fights play out on, with positioning taking a dynamic approach as almost every attack and hit taken will shift you or your opponent's position, keeping the fights constantly moving and fast-paced. With all of these changes, every fight in the game is exciting, intense and hectic aided by the soundtrack in battles designed to evoke those same feelings, it all just comes together so well and the only thing I could wish for is the game having a higher difficulty.

In parallel to its predecessor, the story of Covenant once again takes place in the continental area of Eurasia, as you'll be tasked with navigating through many towns and cities across the story. Where Shadow Hearts began with the entities operating in its world shrouded in mystery and our cast progressing one step at a time, slowly unravelling the truths behind it all, Covenant establishes clear villains and ideals in its opening hours, and raises the stakes to otherworldly levels much faster throughout its narrative. Antagonists are better explored with stronger motivations, both Europe and Asia are given equal focus with story elements centered around their unique culture that is mixed with the overarching plot, the addition of consistent voice acting in the in-game and FMV cutscenes, that are of much greater quantity, and a more meaningful approach to the games themes really raises the story.

The continued interweaving of history with Covenants own lore and topics allows for unique What Ifs? to be proposed and explored, providing some really interesting story concepts to be executed with villains and party members that are so distinctive that you simply will not find anything like them anywhere else. Covenant also continues to explore topics that Koudelka and Shadow Hearts brought to the table, such as the pervasive unjust cruelty of the Vatican found in every corner of the story, execution, torture, lies and deceit that underpin several major events throughout the games and imperialism is also touched upon on again in a far more impactful way. Many themes from the beginning of the series are also present, such as self-sacrifice, overcoming trauma, and not stagnating by moving on from the past.

"The future I want is the one that I create for myself. Even if it costs me my own soul.”

Where I think the narrative is at its apex though is in the more personal, grounded and poignant scenes that delve into the characters, particularly Yuri and Karin, which allow for the game to put its aforementioned themes on full display. What sets the cast of Covenant apart from other games for me is how they’re able to bring together a group of characters with such rich individuality while simultaneously creating an incredibly charming group dynamic, and it was really surprising how much I ended up liking all of them. Yuri remains a standout character who embraces many of the games themes, his transition from stagnation through fixation on the past shifting towards looking to the future through the support system Karin provides is simply really pleasent to watch, and the continued use of the graveyard and usage of monsters souls for his fusion to do good juxtaposes nicely with the games cruel world. The individuality of each character extends beyond personality and into gameplay as Covenant has some of the most diverse and varied gimmicks between its characters, all of which are well thought out and make switching between party members both super worthwhile and fun, as they are all so unique to begin with.

Shadow Hearts: Covenant has no right being as good as it is, and yet it exceeds expectations and genuinely has one of the biggest leaps in both technical and visual quality I’ve ever seen from a sequel. I feel like I haven’t even scratched the surface of the game, the music is utterly divine (shout out to Ladder to Heaven, The 3 Karma and Deep in Coma), dungeons can range from utilizing intuitive puzzles to just being borderline mazes, various towns and cities bathe in warm colours and lighting that when intertwined with the peaceful music create such a very soothing vibe in these downtime moments… it's all just surreal even despite how messy it can get there is still so much heart in this game. Such a rewarding experience in spite of its occasional offensiveness and shortcomings, as Covenant is much more than the sum of its parts and something that will stick with me for a long time.