Nier Reincarnation

Nier Reincarnation was a role-playing video game set in the same universe as Nier and its sequel Nier: Automata, taking place within an infinite area of towers dubbed the Cage. The game covered multiple story arcs of varying length following people within the Cage. The player, controlling different characters in each arc, navigated different areas of the Cage in the company of ghost-like companions, entering statues called Scarecrows and reliving memories which play out as storybook-like narratives.

The gameplay was split into three modes. The first followed the current protagonist exploring different areas of the Cage with their companion. Barricades and Scarecrows which trigger battles block their path; completing the Scarecrows grants and upgrades weapons related to new characters. In these memories, dubbed Weapon Stories, players experienced the memories of a weapon from a side-scrolling painting-like perspective, and enter battles to correct errors.

The Girl and the Monster

The first story arc follows the exploits of two characters exploring the Cage; Fio, a young girl who endures great suffering in the real world and finds solace in the Cage, and the dream-eating monster Levania. The story initially shows Levania in Fio's body after a body swap orchestrated by a ghost-like being dubbed "Carrier", with a similar being called "Mama" guiding Leviania to gain the power needed to reverse the body swap. Fio and Levania reverse the swap and confirm their friendship. Both are revealed to be weapons whose stories were being corrupted, with Mama saying more stories must be found.

After the success of Nier: Automata, the concept of a mobile title based on the Nier universe was pitched by series owner Square Enix to external developers, with the aim of creating a game that would bring in new casual players. Nier Reincarnation was developed by Applibot, a studio dedicated to mobile games. Series creator Yoko Taro acted as creative director. Applibot's Daichi Matsukawa acted as co-producer and co-director, while Yuki Yokoyama was the second co-producer.

The team's aim was to make an ambitious title with 3D graphics comparable to a cross-platform title. This approach was partially intended to carry stronger appeal to Western players. It was also designed to carry over the established aesthetic and musical style of Nier. A development challenge was getting the game to work within different phone specifications.

On its day of release in Japan, Nier Reincarnation ranked as the fourth top-grossing app in the region, becoming the first within a few days. It passed ten million downloads in Japan by March 2021. When pre-registration opened for the Western release, it exceeded 300,000 applications. Following its Western release, Nier Reincarnation achieved fifteen million downloads worldwide by September 2021.

The narrative was positively received. net praised how the Weapon Stories expanded upon the narrative. RPGFan's Alana Henge enjoyed the contemplative nature of the game's story and its focus on memories, praising the weapon stories above the main narrative. Jason Guisao of Game Informer, while noting the use of complex terminology, praised the narrative's overarching theme of grief and atonement.