So what if fanboys were busy spreading their own versions-the absolutely insane Steam reviews of NieR:Automata and NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139… on a collage just seemed advertisement material. Who’s keeping track of the replies, really (c’mon, internet, get your game going) – all these curated reviews, somehow or the other, tell one thing: why these games refuse to leave the conversation matter years after.
First up is NieR:Automata, a 2017 masterpiece that left every one of us who wondered about existence wailing over robot love. Words like one such contributory review “life-changing experience” which… Yeah, right. Another goes as far as saying the game has spoiled all others so that nothing compared. Harsh but fair. Existentialism, hack-and-slash combat, and music that pierces your darn soul? Where else do you find that? Years later, Ending E still wrecks the emotions of some people. Guess what? Welcome to the club, newbies.
And then there’s NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139… (good luck saying that five times fast), which is the 2021 remake/update of that cult favorite original NieR. The reviews included in the tweet are all for “perfectly capturing the magic of the original while bringing it to audiences,” which is a huge statement because let’s face it-the original was as janky as hell but oh how we loved it.
Smooth out the combat and wow the graphics and suddenly much more can experience the tragic drama of… well, everything in this game now. “I played multiple times to get all the endings and cried every time,” says one reviewer. Mood.
The wild thing is how these games are still throwing themselves into the embrace of potential future fans, years past their respective release dates. Steam reviews show these as lifetime experiences rather than some occasional binge smokers.
Automata throws in some crazily engaging narrative structures while Replicant nets gut punches for character arcs to forge such an emotionally invested player reaction that I dare say none other games might achieve.
And oh: that versioning for Replicant? The 1.22474487139… refers to the square root of 1.5, and the game is positioned right in between the original and something new. Only Yoko Taro would name a game as though he were writing out a math equation! The man is mad genius and we all live in his wonderfully tear-soaked world.
But like, I’m surprised the replies haven’t been filled yet. You would think, though, that fans of NieR would flood the thread with their essays and reviews or maybe even get a pretty hot take. Maybe they’re too busy with their fifteenth play-through of the series to tweet about it? Or maybe the emotional whiplash from the last ending just cut too close to home.
Either way, for those of you who still haven’t gotten around to playing these games…what in the world are you waiting for? Just have those tissues handy. And maybe ask yourself all over again why you’re alive and forming attachments to androids. In other words, consider yourselves warned.
