It's the Small Things That Count (NieR)

Of all the things that Nier has grown to be known for since its release in 2010, there are many things that go unnoticed, even by those who have played the game numerous times.  Little details can be found around the game that are quite intriguing, and truly proves that the game stands out from the rest.  Hit the jump to learn about things you'll likely never see in any other game on the market.



Nier's Movement Speed

Throughout the game, Nier's movement speed is adjusted based on the urgency of what's currently going on in the story.  For instance, whenever something happens to Yonah (like when she ends up at the Lost Shrine in the beginning of the game), Nier is able to run extra quick, as if the player should feel his necessity to save his daughter through the controller.  At the game's start, Nier moves at a slower pace, since he's busy running errands for people around town.  In the second half of the game, Nier runs his quickest.  This makes sense, as his daughter has been taken away from him by the Shadowlord, and he is doing everything he can to find his way to her.

The First Group of Shades

I'm willing to bet that less that 10% of the people who have played this game noticed this one.  Do you remember when you first encounter the shades in the Northern Planes?  Those shades don't attack you.  At least, not until you attack them.  Why is this an interesting little detail?  Because it proves just how violent you, the player, are, and goes perfectly along with the game's theme.  You attacked an enemy that you were told and warned about up until this point without thinking otherwise.  You took the idea of "kill anything that appears threatening" from any other game, and when you saw the shades appear and Nier establish them as a threat, you killed them without question.  A majority of the early shades in the Lost Shrine won't attack you either.  It isn't until after you fight Hansel and Gretel and obtain Grimoire Weiss when the shades actually begin to attack you as relapsed shades.

PSN Status Messages

"Found a boy with a blindfold playing piano.  Uh, yeah."

For those who have friends who play Nier, you may have noticed these.  As you play the game, your status, next to the game you are currently playing, will contain a little message from Nier about where he is on his adventure and how he feels about his situation.  All of the messages have been posted on Hardcore Gaming 101, so check them out for a laugh or two.  It certainly throws in a nice amount of playfulness to such a serious game.  Hopefully, none of your friends will go out and buy Nier thinking it's actually comedic, thanks to these misleading statuses...  This itself may be a hilarious little detail thrown in by Cavia.  Anyway, the statuses are quite enjoyable to read through.  I personally don't have a 360 to test the game on, so I am unsure if this is in the 360 version of the game.

The Symbols

You ready for this one?  NeoGaf user Dunan discovered that the symbols that show up frequently throughout the game and all over the game's box aren't meaningless at all.  In fact, they can be used to reveal more information about the black scrawl and more about the story, if you haven't reached the big reveal yet.  I don't want to take away from what Dunan has found, so check out the link and see for yourself how such a little detail can go such a far way.

Music Skipping

Here's a little detail I'm still not quite sure about.  After clearing the game once and starting a second play through in that same file, loading screens as a result of anything from any of the game's plain areas (or with the tracks The Lost Forest and Hills of Radiant Winds) will sometimes go off tempo.  The vocals will noticeably separate from the background of the song.  The music remains like this in both playthough 3 and playthrough 4.  It isn't all the time and honestly, I'm not all that sure what causes it.  I've tested the game on two PS3's, each with the same result.  If anyone has any more information on this one, either leave me a comment or send me an email.  Maybe it's a psychological thing?

The Languages of Ashes of Dreams

Ashes of Dreams is a great song.  But aside from its greatness, there's something interesting I noticed about it.  The song plays at the end credits, in a different real world language depending on which ending you got.  What's intriguing is that all of the songs in the game beforehand were sung in a fictional language, from the lost civilization of the past.  Once you learn the truth about the new world from Devola and Popola and defeat the Shadowlord, you hear a vocal track in a real world language.  You hear a song from the game's past, recognizing its connection to us human beings, or the relapsed shades.

That's quite a lot of little details for one game.  All of these little things add up to make the game have a great charm to it.  I'm sure there are other details in the game that have yet to have gone noticed.