Part of fully appreciating Nier Replicant is understanding that the game is equal parts a subversion of video games and a love letter to the medium on a whole. Nier Replicant resonates best the more video games you’ve played, as the whole experience is littered with Easter eggs and references that touch upon all of gaming.Â
Few visionaries in gaming are as well read as Yoko Taro, something Nier Replicant isn’t shy to flex. The nature of Nier’s story also means that there are several in-narrative Easter eggs audiences won’t catch unless they’re very observant or are on a repeat playthrough. It takes a true fan of gaming to appreciate everything Nier Replicant has to offer. Spoilers for Nier Replicant, Nier: Automata, and Drakengard.
10 The Forest Of Myth’s Forgotten Memory
An exclusively text based dungeon, the Forest of Myth is one of the best set pieces in Nier Replicant. It’s also home to a very quiet reference to Drakengard, one of the first games Yoko Taro worked on and Nier’s direct prequel. When revisiting the Forest of Myth during Part 2, the Divine Tree will start remembering a red dragon falling from the Heavens only to realize they’ve forgotten this self-described “favorite” memory. This is actually a reference to Drakengard’s Ending E where Caim and Angelus are shot down above Tokyo.Â
9 The Drakengard ConnectionsÂ
The Forest of Myth isn’t home to the only Drakengard reference in Nier Replicant. As a distant sequel, Nier features several subtle references to the first Drakengard – the most significant of which being Caim’s weapons. Just to name a few, the Lily-Leaf Sword, Moonrise, Nirvana Dagger, and Rebirth are all swords Caim used in the first Drakengard. Caim’s weapons were presumably scattered across the Earth after he and Angelus were killed during Ending E.Â
8 The Legend Of Zelda’s Item Get
The Legend of Zelda’s influence can be seen all throughout Nier Replicant. Nier’s arc is essentially a perversion of the Hero of Time’s from Ocarina of Time (complete with a life changing time skip), and the game follows the Zelda formula codified by A Link to the Past to a T.Â
The first half sees you searching for Sealed Verses while the second has you hunting down Key Fragments. It should come as no surprise that the Barren Temple is one giant Zelda reference, from its combat puzzles down to the boss fight. As if to make the reference painfully clear, the King of Facade even does Link’s Item Get animation when he reclaims his Mask.Â
7 Emil’s Mansion Is A Resident Evil Reference
Anyone who’s played the original Resident Evil on PlayStation will immediately find Emil’s Mansion familiar. While the black and white tint is a quirk unique to Nier, Emil’s Mansion is modeled after the Spencer Mansion from the first Resident Evil. Not only does the game slow down your movement to play up the survival horror elements, Emil’s Mansion features several fixed cameras that actually line up with RE1’s angles. The Main Hall of the Mansion feels like it was ripped right out of the PS1 classic.Â
6 Emil’s Basement Is A Final Fantasy VII Reference
In the same way Emil’s Mansion is a reference to Resident Evil, Emil’s Basement is a reference to Resident Evil VII. The camera angles in RE7 are very reminiscent of both the Mako Reactor and the Nibelheim Library. In regards to the latter, both Emil’s Basement and the Nibelheim Library involve key characters making monstrous revelations about themselves that fundamentally change how they live the rest of their lives. In this sense, Emil’s Basement being a Final Fantasy VII reference feels very deliberate.Â
5 Resident Evil 4 Merchant Reference
The Merchant from Resident Evil 4 has become an ingrained part of video game pop culture. Virtually everyone knows his classic catch phrase, “What are ya’ buying?” The line was recently referenced in Resident Evil Village, but it also makes a brief appearance in Nier Replicant when speaking to certain vendors.
4 Ocarina Of Time Navi Reference
Similar to the Merchant from Resident Evil 4, Navi from Ocarina of Time is a very well known part of video game pop culture. She’s best known for irritating players, often shouting “Hey! LIsten!” during gameplay in an attempt to offer Link advice. Funny enough, “Hey, listen!” is one of the common greeting lines for female NPCs in Nier’s Village. Unlike Navi, they aren’t as aggressive in tone.Â
3 Yonah’s Diary Entries About Kaine
After completing Ending D and starting a fresh playthrough, you’ll eventually transition to Route E after defeating Hook for the second time in The Aerie. From there, control will swap over to Kaine and you’ll have about 2-3 hours of post-game content to play through. One easy detail to miss during Route E is the fact that Yonah has new diary entries about Kaine.Â
Since you realistically won’t see as many loading screens as Kaine, it’s very easy to miss all the new diary entries Yonah has. While several entries are rewrites from the main game about Nier, a few are brand new and shine some insight into what Kaine & Yonah have been up to since the end of Ending D.Â
2 Kaine’s Sword
After completing Ending E and restoring your Ending D save file, you’ll load back right before the final dungeon and will be able to keep playing. If you return to Kaine’s Home in The Aerie, you’ll find a harvest point that’ll reward you Kaine’s Sword. A One-Handed Sword, Kaine’s Sword is the single strongest weapon in Nier Replicant and only gets stronger when upgraded.Â
1 Alternate Ending E
Taking a page from Nier: Automata’s false endings, Kaine is poised with a choice at the end of Route E to either bring Nier back to life (her main motivation) or just turn back. Ultimately, this is a choice with only one correct answer, but selecting otherwise triggers a quick credits sequence just like Automata’s joke endings. This is just one of many ways Route E links Replicant to Automata.Â