Tour the stories hidden in weapons and regain what you have lost. Play impressions of "NieR Re[in]carnation," the first "Nia" title for smartphones!

A girl runs around in a cage to get back what she lost

The story takes place in a huge structure called a "cage. When the girl wakes up in the cage, she has lost her voice and many other things that are essential for human beings. The protagonist, in cooperation with a being who calls herself "Mama," explores the cage and recovers what she has lost.

The cage is basically a single path, and as you progress, you will find statues called "Black Scarecrows" placed here and there. By touching the weapon held by the Black Scarecrow, the girl can dive into the world of the story contained in it. The story of the weapon held by the statue has been distorted, and according to Mama, the girl's task is to defeat the original "black enemy" and restore the story to its correct development. Furthermore, these elements seem to be deeply involved not only in the system but also in the narrative, since for every story restored, the girl also regains one thing she has lost.

The story world of the weapon is clearly shaded like a shadow play, and everything from the characters to the landscape and architecture is deformed like a picture book. This is in contrast to the photo-realistic depiction when exploring the cages. In the story world, the player moves the characters in the story as he or she follows the sound and text on the screen, much like a sound novel. The story is full of profound and sad tales, as is typical of Taro Yokoo, the creator of the "Drag-On Dragoon" series and past "NieR" titles. The story of the Black Scarecrow's weapon is independent of each main quest, and each chapter tells a different story. I have now advanced to the fifth chapter, and it takes me only a few dozen minutes at most to finish each chapter. You can read the chapters all at once in a short period of time, or you can find some free time to read the chapters little by little. By tapping the icon in the lower right corner of the screen and selecting the Library item, you can look back at the stories you have viewed in the past.

(The direction of reading the text was also seen in "NieR Replicant/Gestalt" and "NieR Automata")

In the gacha, players can join characters who appeared in the story of the main quest weapon. Quests dedicated to them are also available to complement the story and worldview.

Battles are basically automatic. Activate skills by yourself.

In the main quest story, you fight black enemies. Battles are based on the so-called "wave system," and victory is achieved when all the enemies that appear in each wave are eliminated. The player can basically just watch over the enemy as it attacks automatically. However, players must activate their own skills. There are two types of skills: weapon skills and character skills. Weapon skills are unique to each character and can be used to attack enemies in succession or to increase the defenses of allies.

The icon to the left of AUTO is a double-speed button. The icon to the left of AUTO is a double-speed button, which greatly increases battle speed, making it ideal for circumnavigating quests.

Skills are activated in the order in which they are pressed, so it is important to combine skills that increase attack power first, and then use consecutive attack-type skills later to increase their power. Also, when skills are used in succession, they become a combo, increasing the amount of damage inflicted for a certain period of time. The key to victory lies in timing the order of activation of skills and making the most of combinations and combos.

Weapons that characters can equip are divided into main and sub weapons. The main weapon is the one that the character actually uses in battle, and it determines the weapon skills mentioned earlier. Sub-weapons are used to assist the target's status. By simply raising the level of the character and weapon by 10 or so, the various stats are increased by a factor of 2 to 3, making it dramatically easier to defeat the enemy. Once you have the strengthening materials, it is a good idea to strengthen them as much as possible.

Weapons obtained through gacha and other means have a "weapon story. The story will be gradually revealed as you maximize the level or evolve the weapon itself.

After clearing the second chapter of the main quest, you can go to "Mama's Room. Here, in addition to the main quests, you can also take on "guerrilla quests" where you can obtain materials to strengthen your character and weapons, and "day quests" whose content changes each day of the week.

Savor the story and worldview

What lies beyond, who is Mama, and why does the protagonist have the power to restore the story? While many mysteries remain, the girl regains her lost humanity through the story contained in the weapon. The battle system and training system are standard smartphone game fare, but the essence of this title is the story and worldview. Those who value storytelling will love this game. The story is told as the player dutifully advances through the vast cage. The gameplay of this game is as sharp as the "NieR" series, and I can recommend it to those who like Taro Yokowo's works.

A collaboration event with "NieR Automata" is currently being held until March 31, 2021 at 11:59 pm. In addition to the original storyline, a gacha featuring 2B, 9S, and A2 has been implemented.

NieR Automata," the second title in the "NieR" series, has sold more than 5.5 million copies worldwide. With expectations for a sequel growing, fans must be happy, and so am I, that the company has produced an authoritative title without blurring the lines. It has only been available for about a week, but I look forward to seeing how this title will develop in the future.

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Title information

NieR Re[in]carnation

Genre: RPG

Compatibility: iOS/Android

Distribution date: Now on sale

Price: Free to play (with some items charged)

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