Nier Replicant Remake Has Gone Gold, Will Bring Existential Dread Soon

Set to release in just a few weeks, Nier Replicant ver.1.22474487139..., which will henceforth be called Nier Replicant, has officially gone gold. This means the material that will be on the disc has been finalized and it is entering physical production. With the prevalence of launch-day updates and quickly-released patches these days, "gone gold" doesn't actually mean all that much, but it's still a milestone every developer looks forward to hitting.

The game's official Twitter account shared the news today along with a poll asking if fans were excited. All four options were "yes." Given the franchise's rabid fanbase--I may have an Emil piggy bank and a homemade Pascal figure in my home--that poll likely isn't that inaccurate.

Nier Replicant isn't a simple remaster of the original 2010 game. That version had been praised for its storytelling and world-building, but its combat received criticism. In contrast, Nier Automata's combat was handled by the team at Platinum Games and was much more acclaimed, so Replicant implemented some of these design choices. GameSpot's Michael Higham was able to play a portion of the remake already and came away pleased with how it polished what didn't work in the original game while retaining its structure and emotion.

"Nier can be dark and depressing, but also uplifting at certain moments and in small ways," he said. That's certainly the case with Automata, as well, so those who have only played the successor should find Nier Replicant familiar.

Nier Replicant releases April 23 for Xbox One, PS4, and PC. You can preorder the standard or collector's editions now.