TheNieRandDrakengardfranchise has always been known for having multiple endings in each game, giving fans much more content than what it may seem upon watching the credits roll. In the originalNieR: Replicant, there were four endings, withthe new versionof the installment including Ending E, an original story that serves as the final conclusion of the game.
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However, the other endings were already great, with each of them being meaningful and impactful. But which is the worst and which is the best? Here are all five endings that gamers can unlock inNieR: Replicant ver.1.22474487139…ranked.
5Ending A
The first ending of the game was also the worst, but only because it didn’t feel like a proper ending. It shows the result of Nier defeating the Shadowlord from the replicants' perspective. Upon Nier reuniting with Yonah, Kainé began to walk away from one of her closest friends, though players didn’t understand why at the time as she simply told him that she had something personal to take care of. As she left, Yonah and Nier looked outside at the beautiful light beforea flashback of himgiving her a flower was shown. While this was a good part of the story as Nier achieved his main goal, there were also a lot of questions left unanswered that caused this ending to feel incomplete compared to the others.
4Ending E
Ending E is a brand new ending that can only be found in the improved version of the game. It also connects this installment toNieR: Automata, which is great for fans of that game while confusing for those that haven’t played it. Taking place after Ending D, players now control Kainé on an adventure that leads her to saving Nier. After getting inside of the tree in the Forest of Myth, she reunites with Emil and Grimoire Weiss, and the three work together so they can get Nier back as well, fighting against the administrators in the process.
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Once defeating them, Kainé reveals how she feels about the sacrifice Nier made for her and what she thinks of him. She is willing to do anything to bring him back and finally achieves this, rescuing Nier, who has the appearance he did in the beginning of the game. A giant flower blooms at the Forest of Myth, with the three main protagonists finally getting to be by each other’s sides again after all hope seemed lost. Unfortunately, this causes the sacrifice that players made in Ending D to feel pointless. It was also strange for the last ending to be happy when the others were either bittersweet or tragic, but the game is better with Ending E than without it, despite its flaws.
3Ending C
Like the endings players experienced before this one, Ending C takes place immediately after Nier defeats the Shadowlord and saves the replicant version of Yonah. Now from Kainé’s perspective, fans learn that the reason she was about to leave Nier behind was because the Black Scrawl was about to take control of her. Players get to battle against one of the most beloved characters in the game and are given a choice after defeating her. Tyrann, the shade inside of Kainé, tells Nier that he can either kill her so she can be free of the pain she felt for years or sacrifice himself to save her from the burden she carried of being half shade. Choosing to kill her is the decision made to see Ending C. Upon her defeat, she fades away in Nier’s arms, leaving him to have a final conversation with Tyrann before picking up her Lunar Tear and saying that they’ll always be together.
2Ending B
The second ending of the game revealed the Shadowlord’s perspective of his replicant defeating him. All on his own, he felt regret and sadness for not being able to save his sister, knowing that he lost everything he wanted. Like with Ending A, a flashback showed Nier and Yonah when they were children, only this time it is the real versions of them, the same ones that fans were introduced to in the verybeginning of the game. The young Yonah offered her brother a cookie, to which he accepted half of.
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Back in the present day, the same Yonah appears before the Shadowlord, and his appearance changes to how it used to be. Yonah sits down next to him and thanks him for being there for her while giving him his half of the cookie. After seeing this ending, the beginning of the game becomes more beautiful and tragic at the same time. In order to make players happy after seeing such a painful ending, there is a post-credits scene where they learn that Emil is still alive and only lost his body, which ends up connecting toNieR: Automata, making this one of the best endings for fans of that game as well.
1Ending D
Players get to see Ending D if they choose to sacrifice Nier in order to save Kainé, which comes at a price. All of their save data that they worked so hard for and spent hours on is deleted, making it so they’ll have to play the game all over again if they want to continue their adventure. Players are asked multiple times if this is a sacrifice that they’re willing to make in case if they change their mind. Upon making this choice, Tyrann tells Nier that he will disappear, along with everyone’s memory of him, as if he was never born. Players the get to watch their maps, items, quests, weapons, word edit, notes, fragments, and save file(s) get erased, which is one of the most brutal things that could happen in a video game. After that, Kainé wakes up and talks to Yonah, who thanks her for saving her. Unfortunately, Kainé still isn’t happy, despite being able to take the credit for defeating the Shadowlord and seemingly saving the world. Yonah picks up Kainé’s Lunar Tear after it falls down and gives it back to her savior, noticing that she is crying. The two look outside and Kainé says that she found something special, making this a bittersweet ending. Due to three of the main character’s arcs having a great conclusion and the sacrifice that the player made, Ending D is not only the best ending inNieR: Replicant, but one of the most impactful endings in any video game ever made.
NEXT:NieR Replicant Vs NieR Automata: Which Is The Better Game In The Series
