Tag: nier

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NieR: Automata’s new footage is all bullet hell and deadly androids

The Drakengard action-RPG spin-off Nier (2010) wasn’t a critical or commercial smash when it was released six years ago. It was just kind of… there. Neither terrible, nor great, its wieldy story was praised, while its lackluster visuals and janky combat left a lot to be desired. Nonetheless, Nier became an unlikely cult classic, which steamrolled players’ desire for a sequel. And now that sequel, the PlatinumGames-helmed NieR: Automata, is nearly here. During E3 2016, a year after the project was first announced, a release window (early 2017) and extensive footage for NieR: Automata was showcased. A boss battle teaser and…
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The director of Drakengard and Nier reveals the impetus behind his nihilistic games

Someone needs to find Drakengard 3 director Toro Yoko and give him a hug. The fine people over at Gamechurch have transcribed a very somber and reflective interview on his views about those violent competitive kill-fests we call games, and it’s a compelling read.  He finds it saddening that there are societal expectations for $60 games to always be about killing things. This gut feeling has loomed in various ways over his previous projects.  The original Drakengard, for example, was created from the mindset that games which gloat about killing are insane, similar to the views we find in nihilistic…
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Drakengard 3 looks like more Nier, and here’s why that’s a great thing

When high-definition gaming had become predictable, Nier was a breath of fresh air. The story of a strongman in search of a cure for his terminally-ill daughter was touching, experimental, and weird, an action game that wasn’t afraid to try things, like interactive fiction. But with the closure of its developer Cavia, it looked like Nier was sadly no more.  The thing that’s occasionally forgotten about Nier is that it was actually a spin-off from the sporadic-but-quietly-beloved series Drakengard, which has its origins way back in the days of the PlayStation 2. And well, well. Look what we have here. The…