Here's 9 minutes of new Nier: Replicant gameplay footage

From 2D platforming and bosses made of crates to a clan of strangers who speak in windings, today's new extended gameplay trailer for Nier Replicant ver.1.22474487139 is one hell of a ride.

Ahead of the Nier remake's release on April 23rd, Square Enix today showed off a 9-minute gameplay segment from The Barren Temple. This is the second proper look we've seen following an action-packed trailer at The Game Awards last December—but while that gave us a whirlwind tour of Nier's hack 'n' slash combat, today's slows down to show off the game's weirder moments.

For someone who has a passing knowledge of the franchise at best, it's an eclectic mix—jumping from some RPG exploration to a light side-scrolling segment, ending with a bullet-hell boss fight against a cube-man with glowing red weak spots. The trailer also ends with a lass saying "I'm gonna kill the shit out of you!" to said cube-man, which gets two thumbs up on my end. 

Announced last September, Nier Replicant is a remake of the 2010 precursor to Nier: Automata. The game came in two flavours when it launched on Xbox 360 and PS3 last year—the Japan-exclusive PS3 Replicant version sporting a younger protagonist while Xbox and international players got Gestalt's affectionately-named "Papa Nier". 

This remaster is building itself off the former (sorry, pops), featuring a total visual update and full voice-acting from the game's original cast. The combat has been tweaked to be more in-line with Automata's—though both already shared a fair few similarities, including a floating companion who blasts lasers at baddies.

Natalie Clayton
Features Producer

20 years ago, Nat played Jet Set Radio Future for the first time, and she's not stopped thinking about games since. Joining PC Gamer in 2020, she comes from three years of freelance reporting at Rock Paper Shotgun, Waypoint, VG247 and more. Embedded in the European indie scene and a part-time game developer herself, Nat is always looking for a new curiosity to scream about—whether it's the next best indie darling, or simply someone modding a Scotmid into Black Mesa. She also unofficially appears in Apex Legends under the pseudonym Horizon.