TheNieRfranchise certainly seems to be going through a bit of a renaissance ever since the release ofNieR: Automatain 2017. While therecent remaster ofNieR: Replicanthas dominated the headlines and gamers’ attention, mobile spinoffNieR Reincarnationis also making news.
Publisher Square Enix and developer Applibot have just opened up pre-registration on Google Play and the App Store. The studios accompanied the announcement with a new English-language story trailer forNieR Reincarnation.
RELATED:NieR Reincarnation is Almost Ready for a Western Release
The development team forNieR Reincarnationincludes many series veterans who worked onNieR: Gestalt,NieR: Automata, and both versions ofReplicant. This includes director Yoko Taro, producer Yosuke Saito, and composer Keiichi Okabe. Considering thatYoko Taro is also the series creator, it’s more than likely that the mobile spinoff will remain faithful to the melancholy spirit of the main series.
The new trailer, released Tuesday, seems to support that interpretation. The game stars an amnesiac Girl in White who wakes up in a mysterious realm called Cage. Aided by a ghost-like entity called Mama, she explores the strange world in search of her memories. The game also features storybook-inspired segments in addition to its highly atmospheric 3D graphics. These seem to represent the Girl in White’s recovered memories and serve as a framing device for the game’s combat encounters.NieR Reincarnationutilizes a turn-based combat systemsimilar to some installments ofFinal Fantasy. That makes it a substantial departure from the series’ more action-oriented design. However, such a change would be understandable given the limitations imposed by gaming on a mobile device.
NieR Reincarnationis already out in Japanbut is still making its way to North America and Europe. Interested players can pre-register for the iOS version on the App Store or for the Android version through the Google Play Store. Android users also have a chance of being selected forNieR Re[in]carnation’supcoming closed beta. To further incentivize pre-registration, Square Enix and Applibot are offering a special sign-up promotion. If 300,000 people pre-register, all players will receive 3,000 free gems for use on summons.
The mention of gems and summons suggests thatNieR Reincarnationwill likely contain some degree of gacha mechanics. This might be a turn-off for some players, as such systems are often functionally identical to the much-maligned loot boxes. Fans will have to hope the system resembles the relatively benigngacha mechanic inGenshin Impact. Intrusive ads might not mesh well withNieR’s style of atmospheric gameplay and philosophical storytelling.
NieR Reincarnationis in development for Android and iOS.
