NieR Re[in]carnation

 iOS
User Score
5.9

Mixed or average reviews- based on 17 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 17
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 17
  3. Negative: 6 out of 17
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  1. preter
    Sep 23, 2021
    7
    Weapon stories so adored by fans of earlier entries in the franchise have been expanded into a collection of playable narratives. You roam around an environment, collecting a litany of these weapons. However, in order to do so, you must experience the tragic back story associated with them. It's a fun slice of NieR one can take on the go, but no substitute for the mainline console games.Weapon stories so adored by fans of earlier entries in the franchise have been expanded into a collection of playable narratives. You roam around an environment, collecting a litany of these weapons. However, in order to do so, you must experience the tragic back story associated with them. It's a fun slice of NieR one can take on the go, but no substitute for the mainline console games.

    Record: Pure Hills, the NieR Replicant crossover, offers a quaint, yet powerful side story. A young girl is constantly reprimanded by her parents for walking about with her birthmark in full view. It's quite large, covering around half of the girl's left leg. She's frustrated with her parents' demand as she equates their order to conceal her birthmark to concealing her very identity. She's proud, lacking in any and al insecurity, so she pays them no mind and runs outside, visible birthmark and all. She comes upon the peak of a grassy hill where Kaine is resting after a long-fought battle. The girl, unaware of this female warrior's identity, notices bandages covering her leg, yet no other clothing meant to conceal it. She admires this and expresses how she'd love to be just like her. Kaine turns to her and dismisses the girl, stating that "There's no good in life such as mine." Taken aback, the girl ventures home, confounded. Once she returns, she overhears her parents worrying about her safety, recounting the fact that years ago, a girl much like their own daughter had large black mark covering her leg, indicating that she was partially possessed by a shade. She was bullied relentlessly in this very village. The parents believed the same cruel treatment would find their daughter if the villagers mistook her birthmark for the black scrawl disease. Overhearing this, she realizes the tortured girl they speak of is the female warrior from the hill. With this bit of wisdom finally imparted onto her(albeit indirectly), the daughter finally comes to terms with her parent's pleas and goes on to wrap her birthmark in bandages, not only for the sake of symbolizing the love her parents have for her, but as recognition for the admiration she holds for Kaine. Those bandage won't be with her for long, as she resolves to remove them once she's capable of defending herself from the ignorance of others.

    NieR Automata's crossover however... was pathetic. 2B & 92 are on a mission to clear out a group of enemy machine lifeforms. 9S, distracted from his fiending after 2B, fails to notice that machine lifeforms are cloacking themselves, inadvertently leading himself and his partner into a trap! As 2B engages the enemy, she's hit with a logic virus, scrambling her senses. In a desperate bid to save her, 9S hacks into 2B's mind. As he must traverse her mind in order to track down the virus and kill it, 9S happens upon his death, not once, but dozens of times, all by the object of affection. 9S finally realizes what the audience of NieR Automata had known for the past 4 years, that 2B has been trapped in a repetitious cycle of meeting, fighting alongside, and ultimately executing him for years. An amazing writing opportunity is presented here. 9S is presented with knowledge he shouldn't have access to, just as he did in the original campaign. What will he do with this new info? What choices will he make? Will this event warp his perspective on the world and his place in it to the point he loses mind? Or will he confront this with resilience and resolution in hand? Neither. He just accepts his fate. He doesn't ask 2B why she had to do it, why he's been reset so many times, why they continue living out the same tragic act. No. He's fine with it, just so long as 2B holds him in her memories. What a pathetic fanfiction.    … Expand
  2. Rixam
    Aug 16, 2021
    9
    This is a gacha-based mobile game so if you don't like those this game is not for you.

    I'm rating the game based on gacha games in general. I've played multiple gacha-based character collector games in the past. The device I'm using is iPhone XR and I started around the launch (currently on day 16 or so) and I have cleared all of the story and am currently farming endgame content. My    This is a gacha-based mobile game so if you don't like those this game is not for you.

    I'm rating the game based on gacha games in general. I've played multiple gacha-based character collector games in the past. The device I'm using is iPhone XR and I started around the launch (currently on day 16 or so) and I have cleared all of the story and am currently farming endgame content. My player level is currently 83. The only crash issues I've had are after 3 hours of straight up farming.

    NieR Re[in]carnation is a fascinating game. It does some unusual things for a mobile game and can be very captivating. It excels in so many aspects. Then on the other hand the combat can be quite rewarding and at the same time one of the most boring ones out there. So let's break it down.

    STORYLINES and the way they are told is super fascinating. The interactive storybook-like cutscenes are pretty and the narration by each character is good. Stories are also present in weapon details, equipment items, character pages, tidbits from little ghost next to you as you explore the world, and so forth. The tone is very NieR style dark and if you like that this game offers a lot of greatness.

    MUSIC is phenomenal so believe the game when it says to keep the sound on as you play.

    Core gameplay (BATTLE) is a bit boring at first. It is a straightup auto-battle where your characters attack on their own and you control just their weapon abilities and super attacks. You can also walk around with your main character in the battle but it serves no real purpose other than better placement for screenshots. However, the more you play the more you learn to understand what matters in the battles. Finding those perfect combos and timing for them can be rewarding. Especially when you manage to take down an opponent way above your power levels. But that could have been done also in a more engaging battle system.

    The CHARACTER collecting is focused on a few characters compared to how most gachas do it. Each story chapter brings a new character that you get by playing. They are the lowest rarity but from the gachas you can find variations of them that are higher rarities (=higher potential). You are really focused on the stories of these few characters and they are more meaningful than just OP powerhouse you got from gacha. The most interesting thing is that the most powerful versions of the characters are not obtained from the gacha but instead are farmed little by little through EX Quests. Granted you need solid team from gachas to efficiently beat those stages but in the long run active playing gives the best rewards.

    The GACHAS are ok but nothing spectacular. The same gacha pool features both characters and weapons. At the time of writing this the rates are:
    - 4* Character + their Weapon, 2%
    - 4* Weapon, 3%
    - 3* Character + their Weapon, 5%
    - 3* Weapon, 10%
    - 2* Weapon, 80%
    Bit steep when you need 4 duplicates to fully upgrade your character. There is a pity system that lets you get the featured character you want from the banner after you have pulled from the gacha 20 times of 10x pulls. The game has so far been generous on the premium currency and I've used the pity system twice without spending in the game so far.

    There are MISCELLANEOUS fun small things that have been delightful atleast to me. There are little black birds to find as you travel that give you rewards. There are hidden achievements that give solid rewards. If you are up to date in the story you get free 5x daily summon of the premium gacha which can give you max rarity characters as well.

    The game has a PVP SYSTEM but so far it has been in the maintenance and hasn't been available to players.

    ALL IN ALL the game has really captured at least me. If you are into dark stories with awesome music and minmaxing characters little by little this game is super good. If not, the game could still entertain you but you are likely going to be dissapointed. But definitely one of the most fascinating mobile games out there and worth checking out.    … Expand
  3. Halomugen
    Jul 30, 2021
    0
    This game does not function on my phone. I played the beta, and it worked on my garbage $80 LG phone, but lagged a lot. I bought a $300 phone just to play this game and I couldn't be more disappointed. I have a Samsung Galaxy S10+ which is by no means a weak phone. Yet the frame rate at low graphics is abysmal. This is assuming the game doesn't crash, which is does 9/10 times.
  4. Izzytehpwnr
    Oct 12, 2021
    0
    cash grabs should not exist, therefore must be punished.
    Please make a real, original full feature length game instead of trying to rob people of their money with this insult.
  5. Dom20
    Oct 25, 2021
    3
    What a dissapointment. I've been looking Forward for this because of Automata and Replicant. But the Story and The Gameplay is absolutely boring.
  6. KairiQT
    Sep 4, 2023
    9
    I think for the story, the game is really fun. I do also like the gacha characters. The gameplay itself is really barebones and mediocre, and the game is lacking A LOT of quality of life features. They're finally, slowly, coming, but there's still SO much unnecessary clicking that it can get annoying and tedious. Still, if you just play the main story and the side events for their stories,I think for the story, the game is really fun. I do also like the gacha characters. The gameplay itself is really barebones and mediocre, and the game is lacking A LOT of quality of life features. They're finally, slowly, coming, but there's still SO much unnecessary clicking that it can get annoying and tedious. Still, if you just play the main story and the side events for their stories, I think the game has a lot of fun to be had.… Expand

Awards & Rankings

24
#24 Best iOS Game of 2021
8
#8 Most Discussed iOS Game of 2021

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
58

Mixed or average reviews - based on 8 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 8
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 8
  3. Negative: 1 out of 8
  1. Siliconera
    Sep 13, 2021
    60
    It’s strange to say that I will more than likely continue to play NieR Re[in]carnation, despite already understanding that I could potentially cultivate an unhealthy relationship with the game. The story has drawn me in, in a way that no other mobile game, or even console title, has in a very long time. I love learning about these characters and I love this world, even if I’m barred from progression. However, there is no doubt in my mind that this game will become exceedingly difficult for new players to get into once the double rate up banners and experience point boosts disappear. If you’re looking into playing NieR Re[in]carnation, for better or for worse, now is your time.
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  2. RPG Fan
    Aug 20, 2021
    70
    It’s a bit ironic to me that NieR Re[in]carnation is a game about memories, about being trapped, and about trying to break free, but that it’s a gacha game. All of those overwhelming, overbearing elements that loop you into a grind are all surrounding a beautiful game that presents a world of isolation and oppression. It’s a package of things I love about NieR, chained to another package of things I really dislike. It feels deliberate, but in a way, that’s more frustrating and overbearing than in Replicant and Automata. Yet it all sounds basically perfect for a Yoko Taro game, doesn’t it? Maybe this is a faultless encapsulation of the NieR experience, and my grievances are exactly what the developers are going for.
    Read full review
  3. Eurogamer Italy
    Aug 17, 2021
    70
    Quotation forthcoming.
    Read full review
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