NieR
Platforms
Summary
In Square Enix's newest action adventure title, appearances are deceiving in a decaying world ravaged by plague and twisted, monstrous beings. As NIER, a determined hero, players embark on a relentless journey to find a cure for his daughter, stricken by the deadly Black Scrawl virus. Alongside formidable companions and guided by an enigmatic tome, NIER faces horrors that challenge even the bravest of fighters. Immerse yourself in NIER’s world with fluid in-combat cinematic sequences, traverse eerie yet strangely familiar landscapes, engage in high-octane combat, and witness storytelling that only Square Enix can deliver.
Storyline
The game begins with a prologue set in the summer of 2049 amid a blizzard. Inside a run-down, modern grocery store, Nier (Jamieson Price) battles otherworldly creatures to shield his ailing young daughter, Yonah (Heather Hogan). After fending off the monsters, he checks on Yonah, who is now coughing violently. The story then leaps 1,312 years into the future, where the same two characters are seen living in a village built atop the remains of an ancient town. This low-tech settlement is one of many, surrounded by remnants of a more advanced era—like rusted train tracks and industrial debris. The lands between the villages are overrun by monstrous beings known as Shades that prey on travelers. Since Yonah is suffering from a fatal illness called the Black Scrawl, Nier embarks on a quest to find a cure. Along the way, he discovers a sentient book, Grimoire Weiss (Liam O'Brien), who offers to join forces with Nier and use his magic to help save Yonah. During their journey, they meet Kainé (Laura Bailey), a fiery and sharp-tongued swordsman; and Emil (Julie Ann Taylor), a blindfolded boy whose gaze turns people to stone. After some time, the village is attacked by a massive Shade, and the battle ends with Yonah being taken by a powerful Shade known as the Shadowlord, who carries his own book, Grimoire Noir. The game then fast-forwards five years. Nier and the others are on a mission to gather the pieces of a key they believe will lead them to the Shadowlord and Grimoire Noir. After defeating five Shades and assembling the key, the group confronts the Shadowlord. There, Devola and Popola (both voiced by Eden Riegel), who have been guiding Nier throughout his journey, appear to try and stop them. They reveal that over 1300 years ago, humanity was on the brink of extinction due to a deadly disease. In a desperate attempt to survive, they used Grimoire Noir and Weiss to separate their souls from their bodies. They created clones, known as Replicants, that were resistant to the disease, planning to reunite the souls—called Gestalts—with the Replicant bodies once the disease was gone. Devola and Popola were androids designed to oversee the project. Over time, the Replicants developed their own identities, while the Gestalts became hostile toward them. Nier defeats the pair, with Emil giving his life to help his friends continue. The remaining group then defeats the Shadowlord, and it is revealed that he is the Gestalt version of the original Nier from the prologue. Driven by his desire to protect Yonah, he was the first Gestalt and had merged her soul with the Replicant Yonah. However, the original Yonah tells Gestalt Nier that she can hear the new Yonah within her and that she loves the Replicant Nier and believes he is just as deserving of the body. She steps aside, and Nier and Yonah are reunited. If the player chooses to replay the game, they begin just after the five-year time jump. This time, they uncover more about Kainé’s past, including the fact that she is intersex, which, combined with the loss of her parents, led to her being shunned as a child. It’s also revealed that she is partially possessed by a Shade. The player can now understand the Shades’ speech, including the one inside Kainé, though in-game Nier, Weiss, and Emil remain unaware. Additional cutscenes are shown, offering insight into the Shade bosses and portraying them as conscious beings defending their loved ones from Nier. In the second playthrough’s ending, Emil survives his sacrifice, and Gestalt Nier and Yonah are reunited in the afterlife. A third playthrough gives the player a choice in the ending regarding Kainé, who is shown in agony. Nier can either kill her to end her suffering or sacrifice himself for her. Choosing the latter not only erases all memory of Nier from the other characters’ minds, as shown in a final scene, but also deletes all of the player’s saved progress, as if the game had never been played. Additionally, if the player starts a new game, they will be unable to use the same name they previously chose for the Nier character.
