Nier Automata’s success brought the idiosyncratic JRPG franchise back into the spotlight, and it’s not going away any time soon. Not only did we get a remaster of Nier Replicant this year, but a brand-new smartphone game is coming too: Nier Reincarnation.
With the game’s release coming up fast, here’s what you need to know.
When is the Nier Reincarnation release date?
Square Enix has confirmed that Nier Reincarnation will launch worldwide on 28 July.
Players that register for the game early will receive bonus Gems (the game’s currency), with the number of free Gems growing with every 100,000 players that pre-register ahead of launch.
Will it be on both iOS and Android?
Yup. Nier Reincarnation is set to come to smartphones that run either operating system, so any modern phone should be able to run the game. The only thing we don’t know is the system requirements, so we don’t know how old a phone you’ll be able to get away with using.
Will it be free-to-play?
Yup. The game will be free-to-play with gatcha-style chances to unlock in-game items, and an in-game currency called Gems.
Watch the trailer
There’s no gameplay footage in it, but NieR Reincarnation’s announcement trailer at least gives a sense of the game’s melancholic tone:
To watch proper gameplay footage you’ll want this short clip, released by Square in April:
There’s more gameplay footage in the glitchy Tokyo Game Show 2020 trailer, but it’s still far from a clear look at how the game will work in practice:
For a better look, you want the game’s launch trailer:
What is the gameplay like?
This remains the big mystery! Publisher Square Enix hasn’t given away much of what to expect from Reincarnation in terms of actual gameplay.
From the gameplay footage above you can see that you’ll get to explore a full 3D world using touchscreen controls, seemingly working through a ruined city. It will have RPG combat, with an auto-play option.
We learned a little more from the Tokyo Game Show stream, when director Daichi Matsukawa explained that players will be led by a sort of ghost called Mama, and will navigate a space called The Cage to collect “weapon’s memory.”
“The Cage is depicted in 3D, while weapon’s memory is in 2D,” Matsukawa said (translated from Japanese), “and as you go back and forth between these two realms, the main scenario moves forward.
“Those weapon’s memory, distorted, and whose fate was changed, need to be restored and the players will need to engage in battle in certain areas. But as for what exactly is The Cage and who is Mama, cannot be revealed here just yet, I’m afraid. This will be revealed little by little within the game.”
NieR: Reincarnation is being developed by Applibot, a Japanese smartphone game dev with titles including Blade XLord and Gangroad Joker. Character design comes from CyDesignation.
