Nier is not a long-running series. It’s not a big “franchise,” either. Instead, it’s a self-contained two-part story that comes through outstanding RPG games.
Final Fantasycreators Square Enix are Nier publishers. We could say both share similarities, as both series belong to the JRPG genre.
However, Nier is a semi-linear action RPG. There’s no turn-based combat, as gameplay instead comes through hack & slash mechanics.
Either way, Nier, just as much as most of Square Enix’s IPs, has a strong focus on storytelling and characters.
Nier games can be confusing. The name follows storytelling reasons, so if you’re not familiar with the series, you may get lost.
See, the first game debuted in 2010. The name is simply “Nier,” but it’s known as “Nier Gestalt” in Japan.
Square Enix released an alternative version for Japan a few months later, “Nier Replicant.” In Replicant, the titular character is younger. The year in which the story takes place is also different and the relationship between the titular duo.
Then comes an indirect sequel,Nier: Automata. It debuted worldwide in 2017 and achieved critical and commercial acclaim.
Then, there’s a remake Nier: Replicant (the alternative version):Nier Replicant ver.1.22474487139. Lastly, there’s a mobile game,NieR Re[in]carnation.
That means there’refour NieR games. We’re not including the original NieR: Replicant, as it was a Japan-only title we can now enjoy as a remaster.
Either way, series creator Yoko Taro imagined Nier as aspin-off or a spiritual successor of the Drakengard series. Yoko Taro and Caia games are also behind Drakengard. So, Nier follows the fifth ending of the older RPG. The setting starts with the Earth in decay, a thousand years after the previous story.
Overall, fans praise these games because of the amazing storytelling, mesmerizing music, and engaging gameplay, in that order.
Every NieR Game in Order
NieRdebuted in 2010 for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. The developers are Cavia, and the publisher is Square Enix.
The title follows a protagonist duo trying to find a cure for the Black Scrawl illness. The protagonist has no name, but it’s a middle-aged man on the NieR international version (Gestalt). He’s Yonah’s father, and Yonah has succumbed to the plague.
