Four In One

‘Here you go, it’s one of those stabby stabby games, you’ll like it.’

What’s this being placed in my tiny hand? A free game, with complementary friend endorsement? Excellent!

I slide it into the Xbox 360 and bingo, it is indeed a bit of stabby stabby action. My dying child hides in the back of a dilapidated shop while I, the almighty Nier, fight off the Shades. They are creepy and sort of spectral, but I am strong and have a wicked crotch jump at my disposal. With my power and that of a mouthy book combined, I manage to clear all the Shades and take my daughter to safety. Lucky she found that cookie….

Why are the Shades made of roof tiles?
Why are the Shades made of roof tiles?

Oh but what’s this? The screen has changed and suddenly I’m in a side scrolling wonderland. It seems to be some sort of room, and there is a staircase… ahh yes it is my house. There is my daughter, coughing in the upstairs room, there is my medicinal herb, and there is my front door. This is pretty good, a bit of side scrolling action can liven up anyone’s day and I think that I could really ease into this, but then I step outside…

What is this? A green and leafy town centre, scattered buildings, and friendly looking townsfolk to chat to. I seem to find myself in the world of the RPG. Now this is a step in the wrong direction as far as I am concerned, I talk to a passing guard and he is boring, I go to the library and talk to Popola who gives me a rubbish mission and I complete it. This is not the stabby stabby dream I had in mind, nor is it the intriguing side scrolling action that I had momentarily been temped with, but just as I was about to give up on it, it became something else…

NeirAnd finally – what’s this?? That’s right this game had one last trick up its sleeve, it throws me the top down action. That’s right, the joy of walking into small rooms, with boxes to navigate around and some stuff to stab, all in top down fighting glory. I mince through the Shades to work my way to the top of the tower and rescue my straying daughter, how did she even get here when she is so afflicted by the black scrawl (see what they did there, no black plague in the magical game world, just a badly designed tattoo. Oh the horror!).

So Nier tries to give a lot, but is it enough? Initially I wasn’t drawn in but its simplicity makes it a fun ‘pass round the controller’ game if you have a few friends (and a few beers) in your flat. The dominant theme here is RPG, and for my tastes that’s a killer. Nier may never see the light of my Xbox 360 again, but it was fun while it lasted!


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3 responses to “Four In One”

  1. Kirsten avatar
    Kirsten

    My Mum really loved it.

  2. The Rook avatar
    The Rook

    I didn’t know too much about this when it came out, but have been recommended it by a friend too. Maybe I will try it out someday.

  3. Simon avatar
    Simon

    Definitely looks interesting.

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