All games should start like Nier – you’ve barely inserted the disk and already the female voiceover has cursed enough to justify the game’s 15 certificate, her mood rising to a disturbing, frightening crescendo before the traditional Square Enix strings kick in and the emotion makes way for a movie. A stunning start to a brand new IP, no doubt, but how’s the actual game?
Well, Nier came as something of a surprise. I wasn’t expecting quick fire God Of War combat and I wasn’t expecting Legend of Zelda exploration – and I got both – but there was no way I was ready to start running around a snowy exterior firing all manner of devilish, dart-like projectiles from a book floating behind me like some warped version of Space Invaders.
But that’s what I did, and managed to level up to about level 30 in the process of taking down the game’s first boss. In the short period of time between the voice over and the conclusion of Nier’s opening prologue I’d equipped, fired and discarded some bizarre death dealing equipment, watched a couple of cut-scenes and swung a plank of wood into some shambling bad guys.
All in a day’s work, perhaps, but Nier’s first chapter doesn’t tell the whole story – this is a massive action adventure and not something confined to small scale scraps in closed-off battlegrounds. Indeed, the magical arsenal gives the game its own identity, but it’s only one the RPG angle kicks in that Square Enix’s latest game starts to shine. Of course, we’ll save all that for the review.
In the meantime, Nier looks like offering some good old fashioned role playing, plenty of action and, from what I’ve played, a decent story. The visuals aren’t spectacular, and the acting borders on mildly annoying, but Nier might be right up your street if you’re looking for something to get your teeth into – dungeons, monsters and lots of fancy weaonry? Can’t be bad.
An NDA currently prevents further details to ensure the plot remains tightly locked until the game goes on sale this Friday, but I can say there’s some real meat to the story futher down the line. Review soon.
