Nier Reincarnation: Everything you need to know

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 has just launched too: Nier Reincarnation.

With the game out now and available to play, here’s what you need to know.

Is Nier: Reincarnation on both iOS and Android?

Yup. Nier Reincarnation is playable smartphones that run either operating system, so any modern phone should be able to run the game.

Is Reincarnation free-to-play?

Yup. The game is free-to-play with gatcha-style chances to unlock in-game items, and an in-game currency called Gems.

Watch the trailers

There’s no gameplay footage in it, but NieR Reincarnation’s announcement trailer 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?

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 was developed by Applibot, a Japanese smartphone game dev with titles including Blade XLord and Gangroad Joker. Character design comes from CyDesignation.