• 360

by TheDCD on 08.22.10

Kudos to Square Enix for trying something new every now and then.  This company could easily ride the cash cow until it’s got no milk left in its udders, but instead it ventures out and occasionally tries a new project, along with its tried and true line-up of role-playing best-sellers.  After the release of Final Fantasy XIII, they decided to venture forward with Nier, a grown-up adventure with plenty of blood and unique combat.  Unfortunately, with the good comes the bad – it takes too damn long to get started.

In the game, you play a sword-wielding hero who’s desperate when it comes to keeping your daughter alive.  It turns out that she’s developed a bad case of the black scrawl, a devastatingly powerful disease that’s slowly but surely digging through her body and killing her.  As the most powerful swordsman in your village, you venture forth on a series of quests to help her out, and along the way, you’ll pick up a smart-ass book known as Grimoire Weiss (and if you forget his name, he’ll remind you very distinctly).  He’ll be able to shoot a few spells your way, should you need assistance in combat.  And with the weird enemies awaiting you throughout the game, you will.

The in-game combat is satisfying enough, and there’s plenty of sheep killing to do should you want to burn off a little steam, but the game takes way too long getting to where it needs to go.  You’ll endure hours of quick combat, tiresome puzzle solving, and worst of all, fetch quests, as you go back and forth between your homeland to get things accomplished while everyone, you guessed it, stays put.  Gotta love fetch quests.  They give you something to do, but all the while you’re doing them wishing you were someplace else.  Even dwelling back in the village.

The story does pick up over the second half of the game, but by then you’ll have either endured the hours put into the game, or pushed it aside for something meatier.  If you stick with it, there are rewarding factors, and Grimoire (sorry, Grimoire Weiss) becomes an unmatched power in battle, something that should be seen.  In this case, the destination definitely outshines the journey, so keep that in mind as you pound away in battle.  If you can do it, you may like what’s on the other side.

Nier looks pretty good.  There’s plenty of on-screen carnage to take in, along with fascinating stage designs and unique enemy animations that you’re not likely to find in any other RPG (unless it’s a really strange Japanese one).  We’re also big fans of the in-game dialogue, as Grimoire (again, Grimoire Weiss) sounds like he should have his own game.  He’s that awesome.  The other voicework is good too, and the in-game music and sound effects service accordingly.

No, Nier won’t blow your doors off, and the pacing leaves something to be desired.  Still, for a new Square Enix property, it could’ve been a hell of a lot worse, and venturesome role-playing action fans should definitely give it a go.  Grimoire insists so.  (Sigh, we mean Grimoire Weiss.)

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