First released on the PS3 as NieR Replicant and NieR Gestalt on the Xbox 360, NieR launched an entire cult following. Directed by Yoko Taro, the original NieR was set in a bizarre post-apocalyptic world with fascinating characters who are faced with moral challenges. It’s a tragic tale that requires multiple playthroughs to fully appreciate as each subsequent cycle new things are unraveled. There are no real heroes and villains here. And the game will ask you to sympathize with your enemies. It’s all about survival, compassion or the lack of thereof, without stepping into gratuitous, graphic violence.
With NieR: Automata, released in 2017, propelled the NieR title to mainstream with its intense, high-octane action RPG developed by Square Enix and PlatinumGames. The game featured smoother and stronger gameplay, without sacrificing what made the first Nier game amazing: Giving people feels.
So in an era where remakes and remasters in movies and video games are happening more frequently these days, it only makes sense for Square Enix to work on a newer version of the original Nier, to let the new fans from Automata experience where it all began, and for the old fans to find nostalgia.
The new version of Nier, which has recently been released and reviewed by our tech columnist Adlai Rosh (give it a read if you haven’t yet!) is called “NieR Replicant ver. 122474487139...”. Yes, that’s really it’s name, double checked twice to be sure. It was developed by Toylogic and directed by Saki Ito. It is neither a remake nor a remaster of the original NieR game, because it still follows the same exact story, characters, and even the original voice actors, only with a fresher coat of paint with modern graphics, music, and improved gameplay as seen from NieR: Automata. It’s considered an “upgrade” as it enhances the experience from those replaying it from the original NieR and those coming from Automata.
The Manila Bulletin TechNews got the opportunity to speak with Square Enix’s Representative Managing Officer and Executive Producer, Yosuke Saito, and director, Saki Ito of Toylogic, to learn more about the story behind “Nier: Replicant ver. 122474487139...”
Congratulations on the release considering how hectic the previous year has been. It must have proven extra challenging to complete the game. How was the team able to pull it off and still release it on time?
Ito: Thank you very much. I think that Toylogic was able to cope with this situation relatively smoothly, because the company's information system quickly set up a teleworking system. From that point on, most of the staff (except for the upper sections) were able to work from home and continue development until the end of the project. But above all, the most difficult and unresolved until the end was that we couldn't go out for drinks. Of course, this is partly because I like to drink, but I think it's difficult in this day and age to build a relationship where team members can open up to each other and say anything.
Saito: Actually, we wanted to release the game a little earlier at the timing of the 10th anniversary but it turned out to be the first day of the 11th year. However I’m glad the anniversary date is 22th-April because it is a simple day for us to remember and celebrate. It was hard work developing this game during the pandemic, but I think it was the result of the hard work of all the staff, including Yoko-san and Director Ito, that we managed to launch the game.
More than 10 years after the release of the original NieR, how did you feel about developing NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139...?
Saito: After all, the success of NieR:Automata was a very big catalyst for us. On top of that, there were many users who got to know the world of NieR through NieR:Automata and never had a chance to play NieR Replicant, so we wanted to release the first game in the series, to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the series.
Modernizing a classic is not an easy job. How did Toylogic approach this? Does the team feel they need to somehow protect the feel of the original series or were they trying to improve more on its gameplay?
Ito: As a large part of the game was written directly in the program, the amount of code that had to be analysed and understood was just enormous. Fortunately, one of the original programmers who had worked on the original game 11 years ago is now at Toylogic, so I was able to ask him questions or ask him to research anything I didn't understand, but I still had to do some research, and this lasted until the end of the development process.
In terms of the gameplay, I tried to fill in the gaps with my own "beautified memory of the original version." In other words, I would play the game during development and try to find out what I felt was missing by asking myself, “Is this what it felt like when I first played the game?”
When you're working on a game for a long time, you forget what the latest games feel like, so we'd play the latest games from time to time, then go back to development, and then play NieR:Automata from time to time and keep comparing.
What are the defining differences between the original NieR Replicant and NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139... and how did the name come about?
Saito: I think it's an upgrade from the original in every way, from the NieR:Automata, level controls and graphics, to the additional scenario elements, full voice acting, and arranged and newly recorded music. As for the subtitle, I requested Yoko-san to come up with something that would prevent users from confusing the upgraded version with the original, and this is what he came up with. Personally, I consider this game more of a “ver. 3.1419526535...” (considering the amount of upgrade the title received). At least that's how I feel about it.
Are there any elements of the original that have been removed because they were deemed unnecessary?
Ito: In order to recreate the charm of the original version in a modern way, we did not remove any elements. Even if it seems unnecessary, we have reworked it to make it as meaningful as possible. Although, the only thing we did remove was the "wall kicking" action, as we couldn't find a specific use for it. Sorry to all the wall-kicking fans in the world.
If you could make a new game with the current team without any restrictions, what would you like to make?
Ito: It would be a shame if we didn't make use of our expertise in action and background art, so we would like to create either a marine action adventure set in an ancient underwater city, where you strike up a friendship with a great white shark, or a nostalgic adventure set in the vast natural beauty of the Japanese countryside, where you can immerse yourself in the process of befriending a student girl with realistic character behaviour like in “Detroit”. Since it's in the countryside, there will also be cute cats. Yes, we like girls, cats and sharks.
Music has been an integral part of the NieR experience for many fans. What do they have to look forward to in this remake?
Saito: The original sound track was so well received that we have adopted all of them and even re-recorded the tracks anew. There are also some new tracks that have been written and recorded for NieR Replicant ver.1.22, so we hope you enjoy!
(Square Enix has sent a copy of “NieR Replicant ver. 122...” to music producer and YouTuber, Alex Moukala, who talks about the music behind the game. It is worth checking out to dive deeper into NieR.)
Which game do you think is more difficult? NieR Replicant ver.1.22 or NieR:Automata?
Ito: Definitely NieR Replicant ver.1.22. Of course, we've adjusted the game to be more satisfying, but we've also kept the essence of the game from eleven years ago, so you'll still feel the crunch of the old game. This time, however, we've added auto-battle, just like in NieR:Automata, so even if you're not a fan of action, you can still enjoy the game.
The NieR series has been running for 10 years, and we think it's a strong IP in the JRPG genre that has maintained its popularity regardless of new releases and changes in user tastes. What are the strengths of the NieR series that have allowed it to remain so popular?
Saito: I think it’s all because of Yoko-san’s amazing talent!
As a parting to end the interview, Ito and Saito have messages to both old and new players for NieR Replicant ver. 122...
Saito: We've made it so that both players can play it in a both nostalgic and new way. Either way, we hope you enjoy the brand new release! We are very much looking forward to hearing your feedback.
Ito: The aim of this game is to "make the beautified memories of the past real and even exceed them.” For those of you who have played the original (myself included), this is a reunion with your best friends, where you can fully enjoy the "fresh nostalgia." For those of you who have played the game for the first time, I think we've managed to bring the fun of the "original" game to the most enjoyable "current" version. Again, I think the game will give the modern user the same or even better experience than the one they had eleven years ago.