I don't want to spoil anything so I will keep this brief but this is a must play game.
The world of Nier puts you in the shoes of a lone warrior and single father trying to cure his daughter's illness. The year is 3361 after the fall of man, and your daughter is getting increasingly ill due to a plague known as the "Black Scrawl" which causes cryptic symbols to cover a persons body gradually as they get sicker and die. So being a stand up parent you go to look for a cure and end up at your local abandoned shrine and discover the arcane text Grimoire Weiss, a floating book who will grant you the use of magic in addition to being your rude travel companion. Weiss informs you that unsealing his sealed verses, by destroying the mysterious creatures known as Shades could lead to a cure for the hero's daughter and so begins your journey.
Graphics 8/10 B
I would say graphics have to be this game's weak point. While not bad the graphics seem a bit dated. You can take a look at the pictures and you will see they're pretty good, just not triple-A 2011 graphics. The style of this game is very consistent and convincing in my opinion. I personally loved the unique magic styling. Boss design will make your jaw drop as will their shmup-esque magical attacks. Character designs are good although some are a tad strange.
Sound 10/10 A+ Simply amazing soundtrack, Square-Enix delivers another hit. Map and story music never bored me once throughout the game and I never tired of it even when wasting time on sidequests; it was a true pleasure to listen to. Voices are good, all the characters sound convincing and compelling. Sound effects throughout the game are great sounding and not annoying.
Gameplay 9/10 A This game will require some backtracking; the world is not the biggest but you will re-explore some areas many times. This game features puzzles and riddles but not frustrating ones, so it keeps it a good balance of fun and puzzling. While it never felt chore-ish to me I could see how some people would have a problem with the backtracking. Controls are solid, jumps and combos are easy to perform while magic and martial arts (defend/evade) are customized to your preference with the 4 R/L buttons. There are 3 different kinds of weapon at your disposal: 1 handed swords, for fast combos, 2 handed swords for large chopping swings that can obliterate whole groups, lastly but definitely not least, are spears which only attack forward but are quick and cause massive damage. To make things easier on you all weapons and magic can charge up to do strong attacks. Along with these already good mechanics you also acquire words occasionally that modify your magic and weapons by linking them together.
Nier also has as many side quests as any one person could ever want, so if that's your thing get ready. From fetching Tulip seeds to slaughtering whole herds to get mutton to sell, you really will take any job.
Replayability 9/10 A
The game features new game + as well as 4 endings. And your first replay you can understand the Shades language as well as getting extra cut scenes showing what happens when you are not around, explaining how some things came to be.
Learning Curve 8/10 B Not very difficult to learn, there are many in-game instructions but you should glance at your instructions manual to make sure you don't miss anything obvious.
