(No spoilers)

This game may well go down in history as a groundbreaker - a success story of an eccentric Japanese auteur saving a development studio from the brink, by bringing narrative and emotional depth usually only seen in the greatest of indie games, supercharging it with a AA budget and proving that the industry has nothing to fear from setting out to make art first and money second. Yoko Taro has never enjoyed huge critical success from his past games, but possibly by ceding a little ground to mainstream player sensibilities, has found a formula that works incredibly well and is beloved by its fans. As mostly a player of indies I don't know what impact this is having on the mainstream gaming industry, but I'm sure this will have inspired many to put their own crazy ideas forward, and I can't wait to see the results of that down the line. Another interesting result will be its effect on the upcoming remake of its prequel (not necessary to play the game) - hopefully applying some lessons learned here can let the original NieR enjoy this level of success too.

Over a few playthroughs (the first playthrough almost qualifies as an extended trailer for the full depth of the game), skilfully revealed details and utterly left-field plot twists force you to re-evaluate your view of the whole game world, investing you further and further into the game. This is just in time for the game to end and you to get stuck into the supplementary material (spanning multiple types of media including blu-ray, unfortunately), which reinforce certain themes, character details etc. ... but mostly the emotions you feel by the end. This is an emotional and often cruel game which successfully put a lasting damper on my generally happy-go-lucky, contented mood - maybe have two boxes of tissues nearby for this one.

It does this despite a tendency to push a little too heavily on the emotional scales - many sidequests end in such abject despair that by the fifth miserable denouement you feel your eyes beginning to roll, and meanwhile, the idealism of one ending threatened to undermine everything that came before it. Going just a bit too far might be one of the themes of the game - it has a tendency to make you wander around its large (but very beautiful) open environments, withholding a fast travel option longer than necessary, until they come close to outstaying their welcome. Taro is keen to tell you the Western philosophical concepts that inspired the story - but by the time a character called Pascal is quoting Nietzche practically to camera, you might wonder if that could have been done as subtly and smartly as the main story was.

Graphically the game is for the most part stunning. Character and object designs are cleverly thought out and complement their environments perfectly. The first time I encountered each bizarre set piece will stick with me for a long time. Each area has a strong, distinctive identity. This is let down by the awkward quality of the PC port; noticeable clipping can be seen and huge buildings can pop in and out for no particular reason. Just to get your resolution past 1080p you'll need a third-party mod known as FAR - which has its own problems - and if you don't like jarring 30fps cutscenes mixed with otherwise smooth gameplay you have even more work to do. Before buying on Steam, consider getting the console version instead.

The orchestral soundtrack is outstanding, with a multi-layered track for each environment sung in a reconstituted, untranslatable conlang - a very smart move that delivers a haunting, otherworldly atmosphere without discernible lyrics to distract you or get annoying. Each track suits its area or scene down to the ground the same way that the visual aspects of the environment fit together so cohesively.

Core gameplay is practically flawless. Movement and platforming abilities are serviceable enough but the close-range combat is a joy, turning my mundane button mashing into an expert-level balletic display - fittingly enough considering the protagonist's dress sense. There are four types of weapon which combine in all kinds of ways, each with its own effects, plus different ranged combat options, *plus* a bevy of powerful cooldown abilities, **plus** an inventory of passive abilities, for you to create any combat style you can think up. You later gain access to an alternate combat style which is unfortunately so powerful that you feel silly for not using it, and could have used more variation in the everyday gameplay. Enemies level up in ways that induce panic at first, but the game knows how to challenge you in a way that brings out your best.

To sum up, this is an excellent game with a powerful main storyline, detailed, immersive world, plenty of recommended reading, strong graphics and sound and even stronger gameplay. If you don't play this, and then keep playing it, you are missing out on some gaming history in the making.

(No spoilers) This game may well go down in history as a groundbreaker - a success story of an eccentric Japanese auteur saving a development studio from the brink, by bringing narrative and emotional depth usually only seen in the greatest of indie games, supercharging it with a AA budget and proving that the industry has nothing to fear from setting out to make art first and money second. Yoko Taro has never enjoyed huge critical success from his past games, but possibly by ceding a little ground to mainstream player sensibilities, has found a formula that works incredibly well and is beloved by its fans. As mostly a player of indies I don't know what impact this is having on the mainstream gaming industry, but I'm sure this will have inspired many to put their own crazy ideas forward, and I can't wait to see the results of that down the line. Another interesting result will be its effect on the upcoming remake of its prequel (not necessary to play the game) - hopefully applying some lessons learned here can let the original NieR enjoy this level of success too. Over a few playthroughs (the first playthrough almost qualifies as an extended trailer for the full depth of the game), skilfully revealed details and utterly left-field plot twists force you to re-evaluate your view of the whole game world, investing you further and further into the game. This is just in time for the game to end and you to get stuck into the supplementary material (spanning multiple types of media including blu-ray, unfortunately), which reinforce certain themes, character details etc. ... but mostly the emotions you feel by the end. This is an emotional and often cruel game which successfully put a lasting damper on my generally happy-go-lucky, contented mood - maybe have two boxes of tissues nearby for this one. It does this despite a tendency to push a little too heavily on the emotional scales - many sidequests end in such abject despair that by the fifth miserable denouement you feel your eyes beginning to roll, and meanwhile, the idealism of one ending threatened to undermine everything that came before it. Going just a bit too far might be one of the themes of the game - it has a tendency to make you wander around its large (but very beautiful) open environments, withholding a fast travel option longer than necessary, until they come close to outstaying their welcome. Taro is keen to tell you the Western philosophical concepts that inspired the story - but by the time a character called Pascal is quoting Nietzche practically to camera, you might wonder if that could have been done as subtly and smartly as the main story was. Graphically the game is for the most part stunning. Character and object designs are cleverly thought out and complement their environments perfectly. The first time I encountered each bizarre set piece will stick with me for a long time. Each area has a strong, distinctive identity. This is let down by the awkward quality of the PC port; noticeable clipping can be seen and huge buildings can pop in and out for no particular reason. Just to get your resolution past 1080p you'll need a third-party mod known as FAR - which has its own problems - and if you don't like jarring 30fps cutscenes mixed with otherwise smooth gameplay you have even more work to do. Before buying on Steam, consider getting the console version instead. The orchestral soundtrack is outstanding, with a multi-layered track for each environment sung in a reconstituted, untranslatable conlang - a very smart move that delivers a haunting, otherworldly atmosphere without discernible lyrics to distract you or get annoying. Each track suits its area or scene down to the ground the same way that the visual aspects of the environment fit together so cohesively. Core gameplay is practically flawless. Movement and platforming abilities are serviceable enough but the close-range combat is a joy, turning my mundane button mashing into an expert-level balletic display - fittingly enough considering the protagonist's dress sense. There are four types of weapon which combine in all kinds of ways, each with its own effects, plus different ranged combat options, *plus* a bevy of powerful cooldown abilities, **plus** an inventory of passive abilities, for you to create any combat style you can think up. You later gain access to an alternate combat style which is unfortunately so powerful that you feel silly for not using it, and could have used more variation in the everyday gameplay. Enemies level up in ways that induce panic at first, but the game knows how to challenge you in a way that brings out your best. To sum up, this is an excellent game with a powerful main storyline, detailed, immersive world, plenty of recommended reading, strong graphics and sound and even stronger gameplay. If you don't play this, and then keep playing it, you are missing out on some gaming history in the making.