You know it’s good when Charlie speaks his heart out when talking about it instead of using analogies and talking to you directly, but instead showing gameplay

Charlie's Chair has such a beautiful voice

"One of the best soundtracks in gaming" That means a lot and I can't help but agree, the music is simply on a different league

"The dialogue is corny" Oh please, I'm a Kingdom Hearts veteran. We cry and cringe at the same time.

Nier made Cr1tikal so sad, he became a chair for a minute

I think this is the most passionate moist meter episode so far

I’m still heartbroken over the old man who’s dog ran away and then you find the dog dead and then you go back to the man and HE’S dead. Like holy shit

Yoko Taro is by far my favorite storyteller and creator of any fiction. Plus, his personality is just goddamn hilarious.

Didnt know Charlie was a NeiR fan but my respect for him just increased so much

As somebody who’s a die hard fan of this franchise I’m very glad to hear him praise this game.

Charlie being a massive Nier fan is another reason why he's the GOAT

Glad to see Yoko Taro's popularity increasing, He is working on a new IP now. Can't wait to see what he will bless us with next.

Keiichi Okabe getting that respect he deserves

NieR (2010) - Everyone: Nah. Android Booty (2017) - Everyone: Yah. NieR Again (2021) - Everyone: Yah.

Route A: oh man nier is such a cool and selfless character always doing the right thing!!! Route B: Nier is a paranoid psychopath

I actually loved the text sections, they are one of my favourite parts in the game, i feel like im reading a really well written book. It has way better writing than the rest of the game and gets you into character's minds in a way no other game does

I'm so glad the original Nier is finally getting the attention it deserves.

0:30 this chair really likes this game

akihiko yoshida made the character design, yoko taro directed the game and keiichi okabe composed the music. this game is just helmed by geniuses in the industry.

Before Replicant, I had never experienced any of Yoko Taro's works. This game introduced me to a beautiful franchise that will stick with me and will make me look forward to future entries. It crushed my soul, but did it in the most beautiful way possible.

Glad this game is getting more attention. It's one of the best video games ever made.

Hell yeah, the depression simulator gets a moist meter!

Ending E actually separated my body from my soul.

Nier and Nier automata carry so many meanings and lessons you can carry through life that it's absurd, hands down the best franchise.

Any game that inspires reflection is gold.

Yoko Taro is well-versed in Nietzschian philosophy

For some reason Charlie starting the video in silence and just playing the intro of Song of the Ancients hit me real hard...

"i know i'm not exactly known for my height now" well, you are, just not exactly in the way you want

As someone who played this game when they were about 14 I love this game a lot and glad automata got enough attention to get this remastered truly a hidden gem

Route E changed the game in this. My jaw was on the floor during the hour or so it takes place...an OG fan I'm so happy to see everything, the balls on Yoko Taro, its the superior version by far and made me fall in love with it all over again. I could not believe what I got to experience during ending E. Let alone the rest of the game and new parts. 10 outta 10 experience. Cheers Charlie so glad ya gave it justice

I’ve wanted to play this for a long-ass time and now I really have no excuse. My wallet is 60 bucks lighter but tis a small price to pay to hear Laura Bailey swearing incessantly.

I can’t even humor the idea of playing this game after Automata ripped out my heart and ate it. My soul can’t handle another depressing game like that

My favorite dynamic in this game is always Wiess and Kaine. They’re always at each others throats and I always get a kick out of it

Nier is like a game that brings great narratives from literature to game form. Automata did it with philosophy.

The Forest of Myth’s text fills me with dread every time I read through those dreams. I seriously cannot think of another game that has made me feel legitimately uneasy and uncomfortable in the way that Nier does

I hope that more older Yoko Taro games get remade. In terms of story and characters they're pretty great, but the gameplay could use major improvements.

Watching Charlie roll attack for movement speed is so majestic.

Just started route E...I’ll give some thoughts Route A is mostly by the books until the second half, where it gets a little sad and then hits you with an earth shattering plot twist Route B is the second half of route A, but it recontexualizes the game with the plot twist from route A to be the most thoroughly joyless story I’ve ever seen in a game that is so devoid of happiness and hope that by the end, you’re just empty. It’s a masterpiece at playing with your emotions Route C sucks. It’s route B again, but it’s mainly designed to give you time to collect all the weapons for the epilogue. If you’re like me, you did all of this in route A, so right after route B, the game grinds to a halt and just needlessly depresses you, with like 3-4 new cutscenes and you can finally read a letter that was torn up. It spices up the ending dungeon with the ending boss and a new text section. This stuff is good, but it’s impact is severely lessened by the fact that your immersion was most likely shattered by having to play the second half of the game 3 times in a row with the bare minimum changes between the second and third (I ended up speeding through this playthrough and skipping cutscenes after I was sure they hadn’t changed. The route b cutscenes do hit as hard the second time, but it just feels like the game is mocking you with how sad it can be. Route D is you loading up the final dungeon. Hopefully you didn’t save over your file with the game completion file at the end of route C, or you have to play the second half a 4th time with 0 changes from route C as opposed to a couple changes (you’d be wise to do this one last). This ending will emotionally destroy you Route E is where I’m at right now. So far it’s just the beginning of route A up until a certain point where it probably punches you in the gut one last time. Overall, I’ll say this. Route B is the most profound video game section I’ve ever experienced and soars to highs that even Automata couldn’t reach. It is completely devoid of happiness and it works. It’s a perfectly designed tragedy. It takes 5-6 hours to complete. It lies right in the middle of a 40-50 hour game, assuming you engage with side content. The game is extremely uneven and Route C should’ve been combined with route B and given you the weapons disclaimer in route A so that you had ample warning. So so far, of my 40 hours with the game, The second half of route A was great, the final dungeon was worth it in all 3 routes, the letter in route C, and all of route B were amazing. I’ll just say the second half of Route E is amazing, with the first 2-3 hours literally being the same as the generic opening of the first half of the game. Of this 40-50 hour game, roughly 25 hours of my playthrough was meaningful. That meaningful content was the best stuff I may have ever seen, but it’s mixed in with 15-25 hours of grinding boring side quests, grinding the junk heap, playing the generic first half of the game, and wasting your time with the third playthrough. And one other thing, the difficulty doesn’t scale through playthroughs. Sure you might have slight trouble on route A, but route B starts off at the same level as the second half of route A only now you have all the exp from the second half of the game. This is forgivable as the game being so easy actually makes the things you’re doing hurt more in route B, but with the minimal changes between route B and C, it makes it even more tedious because you can’t even lose yourself in the combat. I say this is a must play game that you really should play, even if you think you know how it plays out after route C of Automata, you really don’t. That being said, it’s important that you know what to expect going into it, because if you think every moment of the game is going to be hard hitting, firing on all cylinders stuff, you will quit the game early. It takes a long time for it to start subverting tropes, before that point, it is only those tropes, which makes it familiar and boring. It’s absolutely worth it to tough it out, but just be warned that while, it’s true that some parts hold up across playthroughs, you will find yourself skipping through a lot of stuff in route C wishing you could just get to the part that is different. Play it, but realize that the game is horribly paced. 8/10 game with route B being 12/10

I am SOOOO glad you like NieR Charlie. A ton of people overlook this series and I was really nervous you wouldn't like it haha.

When your recommendations are faster than your notifications

The music slaps hard. In some parts even better than Automata which made me fall in love with gaming as a whole. I was surprised what video games sould achieve. Still one of the osts that you can cry to.

I would argue that the side quests are very important in this game, even though they are fetch quests, thats not the point of them, they show how the world evolves throughout. In one particular quest you notice how for you it might have taken minutes to do two parts of this quest, but in game it actually was 2-3 months. Other quests show how what you thought dumb enemies, seemingly start to show some sort of order to their chaos, without spoiling stuff

I think the text sections are the best part of the game tbh. The writing really shines during them.

I remember being religiously obsessed with the original when it came out. Researching all the lore, reading all the novellas and weapon stories, listening to the soundtrack every day, thinking about the impact of literature and storytelling mediums in general... I'm really glad to see it's getting so much attention thanks to the remaster and the success of Automata.

Yokotaro mastered the art of slapping his meatstick on everyone's face,making us cry while making us want it

yall knowing that charlie loves nier (as someone who played and loved gestalt in 2010, nier changed my life) makes my heart SOAR!!!

Your entire KZfaq channel makes so much more sense now that I know how enthusiastic you are about NieR You just straight up did that teenage angst thing where you adopt an anime character's personality with Kainé's personality. And it stuck

Not to mention having the coolest looking magic in any game

The Ending E and the new boss were supposed to actually be in the original replicant but the budget was too low and they had some problems in the company producing it. Edit : So Yoko Taro wrote those 2 contents in the grimoire nier (kinda of a quick novel) so yeah,it's really great to see they've been added.

Its a really interesting experience playing automata before this, for one I now get a ton of references in it but also seeing how automata carries over the humans vs. shades tragedy with the androids vs. robots.

Glad to hear you talk about something so Nier and dear to your heart?

I thought that nutstack thing was hilarious. And I know exactly what you're talking about with the cheesy blatant anime dialogue thing that makes you cringe and/or roll your eyes into the back of your head. I loved Automata and I feel like this is perfect for those like me who haven't played the original. Great critique of the good and the bad. Once again great content, Charlie.

I never played the original Nier so I went into this blind and I got so attached to the characters and the story so quickly. I genuinely started crying in the ending cuz it was so good and I could tell what happened but didn't wanna do it. and even the 200000 year long text part of the game was really good and I could vivdly picture what was happening almost the whole time I really enjoyed this game and i was really glad to hear you give it the praise it deserves

When the red bag man died I cried bruh

"Never experienced before and never experienced since". The most accurate statement I can say about a Yoko Taro game. I started off with Automata and it left me feeling the same way after I got all endings. Nier Replicant/Gestalt had me feeling the same too

Game seems really interesting and you can tell how much Charlie cares for this game

Lost shrine vocals hands down has to be one of the best osts ive ever heard

I bought Automata out of morbid curiosity, and adored it because it blew me away in a way that no other game has before. I bought Replicant specifically for the existential crisis, and adore it because it blew me away. I was not disappointed at all.

No comment on Grimoire Weiss? Best character ever!

You know its serious business when Charlie pulls out the Moist Meter

Yep, charlie said it all, Nier Automata and Replicant are masterpieces. Also, the soundtracks for both games will bring out legitimate emotions in you. It's one of VERY few game's soundtracks that have done that to me

Getting to and playing through Ending E was one of the most satisfying and rewarding gaming experiences I have had in a long *_ass_* time.

I played this back in 2010 and when I experienced the story I just felt bad becuase so many people passed on it. Glad they got a second chance

Really can't wait to play this. The original and Nier Automata are two of my favorite games of all time.

just got to ending b last night. i dont think i've ever cried to any ending of a game harder

Don’t forget the entire premise of Nier and then Automata is based off a joke ending from Drakengard

Honestly really really loved those text based parts. Added to the story and characters in a way it couldn't have without it

This game has one of the best stories in any videogame

jesus christ that intro. Nier is awesome Im so happy they remade it as I felt it was underrated.

Back in 2010 Nier you play as a ripped father, which made sense to me. The brother feels very anime, which is understandable.

I don't really love how he so easily dismisses the side quests. The actual activities you have to perform are pretty boring, but a lot of them have really neat stories. Several even have very unexpected sad twists.

It makes me so happy that you put some attention on this

You've been my favorite streamer/youtuber for around 5-6 years now and i didn't think i could like you more than i already do but here you are reviewing one of my favorite gaming experiences of all time and it seems like the Nier series has touched you the same way it touched me. Truly masterpieces in gaming, just finished ending E and all I can say is these games are the most unique and memorable gaming experiences you can have. Yoko Taro doesn't make games, he makes experiences

Sometimes I just come back to this video, once every two-three years, something like that. I love Nier and the tragedy that is entailed in the story, the narrative is brilliant and hopelessly sad. Just wanted to say, thank you for the video and the better times

bro Yoko Taro knows people weren't massive fans of the text based adventure gameplay and still put it in Automata lmao

Fuck, now I'm even more hype for this game than ever.

Couldn't agree more. I played the original Nier a few years ago and fell in love with it, then played Automata and loved that, now of course I'm playing this new version and love it too. Absolutely right about the story and the music, its all just so good.

I've been a die hard fan of the Drakenier series since I was a kid. My first time playin' Drakengard when I was at a relative's house on the PS2 and then later on in life owning my own copies of the Drakengard series (yes... even including 2 lol) and then goin' on to own all the NieR games as they released. It makes me very excited and anxious to be gettin' so many people into the franchise 'cause it deserves the recognition that is long overdue-- but I'm also anxious about what newcomers will bring along with them. I will say tho that it's always a massive dose of serotonin when I find out one of my fave streamers/youtubers is a pretty avid fan as well so I wanna say thank you for giving it so much praise and bein' open to the eccentricity that is Yoko Taro's storytelling.

Nier soundtrack to this day is unmatched. When I was younger I used to just walk into the bar that Devola or Popola was in, can't recall exactly which one, and I'd just leave my TV on with her singing while doing something else. Godlike soundtrack. Also anyone saying Replicant's soundtrack is worse than the original is just lying, they took a lot of the songs that were like, 1 minute at most that replayed and were super noticeably replaying and they made them into actual soundtrack length tracks. Just improved completely across the board, haven't been this happy with a remake since Bluepoint's Shadow of the Colossus.

Damn, its like my body knew this was coming

I can’t be the only one who skips to the end of the video to see how he rates it and then watches it fully.

One of my most memorable gaming moment happened while playing Replicant. Just beat the boss in Seafront for the 2nd time. I’m pretty sure I just found a rooftop that got a good view of the lighthouse and just stayed there questioning my existence for a couple for a solid hour or two.

IMO, while the objectives of the side quests tend to be pretty simplistic, I think that the way that many of them build on the world and connect to each other make them worth it. I especially love how in the second half you can see the consequences and aftermaths of a lot of the side quests from the first half.

I shelled out so much money for the original due to it's rare status and I do NOT regret it.

"they wanted me to attend some award show but they weren't gonna let me get drunk so what's the point, I passed" - Yoko Taro Edit: I found it! I was a bit off but it's mostly the same lol kzfaq.info/get/bejne/i72Srbhys9K5mac.html

Nier is such a good series. Definitely my favorite of all time, both Automata and Replicant. The series stole my heart and I'm ok with letting it keep it.

Glad to see Nier had the same effect on you as it did me. Nier was my go to content when I wanted to cry when I got drunk.

Gotta say I completely agree with every point you make here. This was my first time playing the original Nier, and it has easily become one of my favourite games of all time. The characters and the narrative are deeply moving, and the soundtrack has no equivalent in the industry except, as you said, *maybe* Automata. This is a story that will stick with me until the day I die. Also, I actually enjoyed the text segments a lot. I think the detail they add to the world is something that couldn't have been done with normal gameplay, even though they are clearly the result of time or budget constraints. Anyway, just wanted to put that out there. Thank you for making a review, I hope this helps even more people experience this gem of a game.

I've always enjoyed Nintendo and Square Enix soundtracks and have listened to so many incredible vg soundtracks in my time. I haven't had my socks blown off this hard while listening to an ost since playing OMORI last year. Those games are among the greats alongside musical legends like Mario Galaxy, Banjo Tooie, Undertale, Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time, Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Red/Blue Rescue Team, and Pokemon Emerald

Multiple playthroughs aside, this is a beautiful game with a story I believe every RPG fan needs to experience. It's so thought provoking, emotionally moving and it's great to see this game finally be appreciated by a wider audience

I never played the original, love Automata so much. I can't decide if it says more about Yoko Taro or the sad state of the game industry that a game remastered from a 2010 release can be one of the best things I've played in several years. Nice to see you talk, so clearly from the heart, about what this means to you.

I don’t mind the text sections of the game, actually I find them to be some of the most impactful and memorable moments, the complete shift from the gameplay kinda dramatized how important the contents of the section are, and even as a reading segment it’s enough to make you cry

The full title of this game is what I imagine Elon Musk will call his second-born child.

I will always remembered the final quest with the old lady in the lighthouse For me, this is the most saddest quest in a video game to this day

great review, just finished ending E and a few hours you dropped this video lmao everything was spot on

im very glad the famous actor Charles White is a big advocate for Nier games

Nier Replicant is my favorite game of all time.

just finished this masterpiece and fell in love with everything in it. the story is so beautiful and well-written i want to erase my memory to experience it once again. the characters made me fall in love even more the 4 protagonists holds a very special place in my heart (especially kainé). the OST can't be praised enough. I even the text-based gameplay, maybe because its a new thing to me and they made it so good you can imagine the scenery of the texts. I am so happy and at the same time really sad that it has to end :(

That's the thing with this game. You get some hope and then it gets crushed and then you feel sad and despair. It's an emotional rollercoaster, I haven't finished it yet, I finished all Automata endings and it's basically the same feeling.

One of my favorite things is that after hearing all the complaints about the text adventure part, Yoko Taro just doubled down and put it in Automata as well lmao