While it isn't my absolute favorite game of all time, Nier Replicant is without a doubt one of the best examples of games as art I've ever played. The atmosphere is incredible, the voice acting is perfect, and the story and characters are sublime. Most importantly, this is the kind of story that can quite literally only be told in a game, and I think that is really worth something. This game has its flaws for sure; I don't think route B really needed to be separated from C/D since the third run doesn't add much new stuff, the first half of route A can be a little bit boring at times, and the gameplay itself is serviceable but not amazing by any stretch of the imagination. Still, I feel like all that is easy enough to overlook because Nier Replicant is the kind of game that really comes together in such a way that most of the flaws are necessary for the experience to hit as hard as it does (the exception being the combat's relative simplicity). It feels really original too, which is always good. It clearly is taking from some of the classics, but it never feels like a Zelda clone or another random action RPG. If it at all piques your curiousity, I highly recommend giving it a shot.

Score: 91/100