*Played on PS5.

I very much enjoyed my time playing NieR Replicant, barring a few quirks.

Combat: good
Music: phenomenal
Art: pretty great character designs (Emil!!), though I still think Kainé's design doesn't fit her character. Though it is unique.

I've become convinced that the boss fights are barely boss fights, and that the game itself is controlling and directing when things happen in the fight. You'll be doing small amounts of damage, and then suddenly the characters will stop their narrative dialogue and then you do massive damage and it progresses the fight.

Pretty much all games direct you in some way. Uncharted bullets "hit" you but don't kill you so that when you escape them it enhances the feeling of the escape, etc. But the way NieR seems to do it just shows the seams holding the game together, and disconnects me from the gameplay.

I really like the story of the game, though having to replay the second half of the game three times to get all of the context feels like too much. Ending B probably doesn't need to exist, it should just be ending C and D.

Overall, good game, but not perfect.