Former PlayStation bossShuhei Yoshida believes Nier: Automata saved the Japanese games industry. According to Yoshida, the game was so well-received and so unequivocally Japanese that it told other Japanese game developers that they didn’t need to chase Western gaming trends and that they could lean into the things that make them unique.
I’m not going to argue with Yoshida. As the former president of Sony Interactive Entertainment for 11 years, he’s certainly more acquainted with the minute details of the Japanese games industry than I, and he brings up some great points about Automata’s impact on the industry as a whole.
My one question about his statement is for the rest of the class. IfNier: Automatawas so important, then why hasn’t it gotten a follow-up?
A Gacha Game Is Not A Sequel
Listen, I know about Nier Reincarnation, and I’ve played it enough to know it wasn’t the fully-fledged sequel I was hoping for.
The Nier series has two mainline console entries: Nier (remastered in 2021 asNier Replicant ver.1.22474487139…, yes, that’s its real name) and Nier: Automata. In 2021, a mobile gacha game called Nier Reincarnation was released and, despite a lot of people trying to tell me that it’s a worthy successor to Nier: Automata, the game leaves much to be desired.
I’m not trying to say Nier Reincarnation is bad or not worth playing (if you’re able to even still access it now that the servers have been shut down), but come on. Be so real with me: a mobile gacha game is not a ‘proper’ follow-up tothe absolute masterpiece that is Nier: Automata.
I’m On My Hands And Knees Begging
Nier Replicant and Nier: Automata have some of the best writing this medium has ever seen. They’re as deep as the ocean without hitting you over the head with their philosophical themes, and feature incredibly flawed characters that have something to say with their personal journeys you cannot help but resonate with. They both play really well too, not to mention both games have some ofthe best soundtracks ever.
I will absolutely die on this hill.
Nier really is the whole package. I can’t think of a series that’s as fun to play and as well-written while alsodoing somethingwith games as a medium in the same way that Nier does. These games can be a little obtuse with their storytelling and often require several different playthroughs to fully understand (I mean full playthroughs, not just the multiple campaigns that start after the credits roll each time.)
They’re games that tend to go over the heads of people who aren’t looking to engage with their messaging and meaning, and we’re in sore need of more experiences nowadays that ask players to look beyond the surface.
Creative director Yoko Taro (also the mastermind behind prequel series Drakengard) took a break from Nier in 2021 after Replicant and Reincarnation launched to focus on a series called Voice of Cards and has been cryptic about what he’s been working on since, as per his usual self, saying thatwhat he’s working on now “might be Nier, might not be Nier.”
Yoko Taro, please, I’m begging you for more. I understandhow risky the Nier series is for publisherssince the games are weird and contrived and not easily digestible in the same way that other mainstream RPGs often are. I know that games aren’t made by Square Enix on their artistic merit alone, but luckily,Nier has sold well.
If everyone thinks Nier is great, that it’s financially lucrative, and that it even saved the Japanese games industry, then it’s time for a sequel that doesn’t require me to enter my credit card numbers into a menu to get to the end of it. Please, I’m begging, I need a sequel.
