Square Enix has released new information on locales and abilities for Nier Replicant Ver. 1.2247…, the remake of the original game. They also elaborated more on the combat and other features in the game.
The first of the new characters shown is the King Of Facade. Facade is the name of one of the game’s locales, plagued by Shade attacks and even water shortages. According to Square Enix, he’s a kind-hearted man, though apparently he may have broken an important law in his law-focused kingdom.
The second character they showed was Fyra, another resident of Facade. The local laws prevent her from speaking, so she’s a lot more quiet. According to Square Enix she’s met Kaine once before, and so is friendly to the protagonist and party.
Aside from the two new characters, they also explained some of the locations such as the Northern Plains. The Village here houses the protagonist and Yonah, his younger sister. The plains themselves are full of wild animals, and the village has plenty of amenities like a bar and a library.
Facade is the home of Fyra and the King, and is a city obsessed with rule of Law. This desert city is near a Forbidden Temple, that the residents are barred from entering.
Finally, they also talked about the systems of the game, many of which might seem familiar to fans who played the follow up Nier Automata.
The first is Magic, which can only be accessed for as long as you have the Grimoire Weiss with you. These can be used in combination with Dark Blood to create constructs such as hands and spears to do big damage. The magic can also be charged, allowing you to use it for different situations.
Similar to Automata, The protagonist can use a variety of weapons, even being able to switch between them mid-combat. These can range from one-handed and two-handed swords, as well as spears. Upgrading these weapons unlocks their Weapon Story, treating you to nice bits of flavor text surrounding each weapon.
There’s also the Word system in the game, which acts as upgrades for the different weapons in the game. They’re a rare drop from enemies, and there’s over 100 of these Words to equip. These can boost parameters like Attack and Defense, or can even add status effects or boost EXP gain.
Nier Replicant Ver. 1.2477… releases on PS4 and Xbox one April 22nd in Japan and Asia, with a global and PC release the next day. You can read more about the game’s special editions in our other coverage for the game.