Nier is a hard game to characterize. On the surface it may look like a simple hack ‘n’ slash game with poor graphics, its use of varying dungeon styles and camera angles make it unusual and unlike any game I have played in recent memory. Strangely enough though, the game succeeds where many have failed but simultaneously fails where games are expected to succeed.

Some people have wrongly classified the game as a RPG which once you play the game you will realize that it is far from it. When the protagonist levels up, all of the attacks are automatically upgraded. There are no spec options or any sort of point allocation system. The only choice you make is to decide which weapon to yield and which enchantments to use on your magic and melee items.

The Good:

The beauty in the game lies in its variety of dungeon styles and its colorful companions. The dialogue is stellar and is supported by a strong voice cast, two of the last things you would expect from a non-MGS Japanese game.

Players take on the role of a father that is searching for a cure for his daughter's mystical disease. Simultaneously, mysterious shade like creatures appear over the land leading the father to believe that there may be a link between them and his daughters’ disease.

Although the father is your usual goodie-two shoes type of character, it is the companions that steal the show. Grimoire Weiss is a talking book that is the source of the player's magical powers. Weiss is a very prideful character and along with his sarcastic comments is a source of great comedy. He is at his best when he criticizes the player's situation and choices which includes questioning the purpose of taking on trivial secondary quests at a time where a much larger threat looms.

The other major supporting character is Kaine, a half demon half human, whose character is more serious. The characters are a colorful bunch and their regular bickering makes it fun just to hang around with them. That being said, Kaine's lingerie attire is highly inappropriate and is even made fun of by Weiss.

The storyline progresses steadily and there is a really good twist at the end. The final mission also nicely brings together most of the important characters in the game. One of the things that separates Nier from others is that it isn't afraid of including disturbing subplots into its tale.

The main adventure will lead players into four dungeons each with its own unique style that keeps the game refreshing. One of the dungeons pays homage to early Resident Evil games with a similar color tone and camera. Other areas will lead players to a top down view reminiscent of Diablo. There is even a dungeon that is text based and requires you to solve some relatively easy riddles. The downside is that players are forced to travel to the destination by foot and will encounter shades along the way that further prolong the traveling.

Once the game has been completed, there three other endings that become accessible and offer more light into Kaine's character and her struggle against her demon half. I personally watched the cut scenes on youtube and did not feel like playing the game a second time, but I did not regret my first adventure with it.

The Bad:

The melee combat is basic if not highly repetitive. There is only one melee combo in addition to holding down the attack button to unleash a powerful blow. The latter of which is useless as you will be fighting multiple foes that can interrupt the charge.

The melee combat is supplemented by much needed magic attacks. These consist of defensive, ranged and area of effect spells. Despite the large number of magic powers, I only found three of them to be useful. However they do add a much needed variety and flexibility.

The graphics are subpar and the animation sequences are blocky. The game does feature a great sound score but they are short and end up repeating far too often by the end of the game.

If you only do the primary missions, the game can be completed in about 15 hours. There are tons of secondary quests but a lot of them are mundane and none of them have any subplots or any relevance to the ending.

Conclusion

I end the review where I began; Nier is a hard game to describe. Its dungeons styles are diverse and its cast of companions is great. However the simplistic combat and outdated graphics make this a game that can be quite difficult to get into, therefore it certainly will not appeal to everyone.

It’s a type of game that you would want to play if you don't have anything else to do on a weekend. Stick through it to the end though and it will be an adventure that will be hard to forget.

Genre: Action / Adventure

Platforms: PS3, Xbox 360

Developed by: Cavia Inc.

Published by: Square Enix