Overview
NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139... is the reworked version of NieR Replicant, released in 2010. This new version, developed by Toylogic and published by Square Enix, came out in 2021. It modernises the graphics and the combat, re-records the music and adds new content.
Story and world
You play a young man trying to save his little sister, Yonah, who is afflicted with a deadly illness called the Black Scrawl. He sets out in search of a cure, accompanied by Grimoire Weiss, a talking book.
The game takes place in the same universe as NieR: Automata, many centuries earlier, and it is essential to properly understanding that world.
Gameplay
The gameplay remains more rudimentary than Automata's: you fight with melee weapons while relying on Grimoire Weiss's spells. There is a lot of backtracking between the same areas, especially in the second half of the game.
Graphics and music
The writing and the music, composed by Keiichi Okabe, more than make up for these flaws.
Verdict
Despite more rudimentary gameplay and plenty of backtracking, NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139... is carried by its writing and its music, and remains essential to understanding the world of NieR: Automata.