Nier Replicant Trailer Completely Revamps Opening Cinematic

Square Enix has shared the opening cinematic for the Nier Replicant remaster, which is scheduled to arrive in just a few months. The trailer is a shot-for-shot remake of the original opening cinematic, complete with newly recorded music and voice acting, and it also points to a slight change in some of the art direction.

In the cinematic, we're given a cursory overview of some of the game's characters, including fan-favorites Kaine and Emil--the latter also appeared in Nier: Automata, which is a sequel that largely followed new characters. The whole thing is backed by Keiichi Okabe's mesmerizing soundtrack. Okabe is a longtime collaborator with series director Yoko Taro, also composing music for Nier Automata, Drakengard 3, and the mobile Nier Reincarnation.

Slightly muted colors seem to suggest an influence from Automata found its way back into the original game, though it isn't particularly extreme. Automata received much better reviews than its predecessor, but updated combat should lead to some improvements.

Nier Replicant releases for PC, PS4, and Xbox One on April 23. It will be 11 years to the day since the original Nier released in Europe.