10 Massively Underrated Japanese RPGs You Must Play
10. Nier
Nier is not a perfect game by any means if it were, then more people would have played it and it wouldnt be on this list. As it is, it passed a lot of people by which is a bit of a shame, because for all its flaws, its still a very worthwhile experience. Sure its kind of repetitive, and fetch quests are kind of irritating, and the combat system is pretty generic but somewhere in amongst all that are the grains of something much more interesting. Part of that comes from the setting; the post-apocalyptic Future Earth, which makes for a melancholy and oppressive atmosphere that is oddly enticing. The music and the voice acting also contribute to that feeling, and both of those (rarely, for a localised game) are absolutely on point, especially the choral symphonies around the various imposing temples. Theres also a few nice twists and turns along the way. The protagonist, Kaine, has a compelling enough personality to carry some of the games niggles, and the bullet hell segments of the game are a total shift from what youve experienced up until that point, which helps to relieve some of the frustration of the more repetitive parts. Plus, if you ever get bored, you can go and ride a boar. It's brilliant.
