"Nier is not an action game. It is an experiment. This statement is true of both Nier (2010) (released with this title in the United States, but as two separate titles in Japan — Nier Gestalt and Nier Replicant) and the new “version upgrade,” Nier Replicant ver.1.22474487139... (2021). But it is no more clear in the updated Nier Replicant where the combat of the game has been replaced with shiny new systems by the developer Toylogic. Replicant ver.1.22 remakes Nier in the image of its far more successful younger sibling, sequel Nier: Automata released in 2017. But Automata is thoroughly an action game in a way that Replicant ver.1.22 (and the original Nier) isn’t (aren’t). Director Yoko Taro’s first installment in the series interpellates The Legend of Zelda, Resident Evil, text-based RPGs, top-down shooters, and side-scrolling platformers. Toylogic’s overhaul does nothing to refine these rough edges. Part of the game’s charm, to be sure. But Nier is the game one makes when they think it may be their last. And it may well have been for Taro given its mediocre reception and the immediately subsequent disbanding of the responsible developer, Cavia."

For more of my thoughts on Nier Replicant ver.1.22474487139..., check out my newsletter for the week of May 3 2021 here.

I also recorded a podcast on Nier, available on the web, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.

This is about as good as it gets for gacha games, but these sorts of games probably max out at around three stars in my estimation.

Re;UniverSe is generous with premium currency and has an ingenious progression system that treats different versions like 'skins' with different abilities and stats bonuses modifying the same base character parameters that can be grown using any version of the character.

But you hardly need to worry about pulling the best units. The game allows for a great deal of flexibility even in tackling the most difficult content. Power creep is a given, but Re;UniverSe is rewarding even if you choose not to spend a penny on it.

This might go without saying, but this isn't exactly a game for those who are not fans of the SaGa franchise, but those who like a pixel aesthetic might find themselves checking out the mainline series games because of this mobage rather than the other way around.

The biggest drawback of the game is, despite being grind-heavy, it doesn't offer any auto-repeat functionality nor is it on the roadmaps. But Bluestacks users might find a clever way to turn Re;UniverSe into something of an idle game, how it was meant to be played.