10 Recent Failed Video Games That Became Cult Classics

As a spin-off title based on the fifth possible ending of the original Drakengard title, Nier was always in danger of being a cult classic. The game was released in April 2010, with the Japanese market getting two alternative releases featuring a different protagonist.

Set in a post-apocalyptic world set 1,000 years after the ending of Drakengard, Nier has some impressive acting and received some praise for its storyline and soundtrack, but overall it failed to win the majority of fans and critics over.

The bulk of the criticism for the game came aimed at its visuals, with the majority of reviews believing they just weren't up to standard for some of the grandiose sights players would be treated to. Commercial sales also weren't much to write home about either, with director Yoko Taro claiming: "we weren't really in the red, but it wasn't exactly a success either".

Nevertheless, for Drakengard veterans especially, the game proved to be a hit with enough fans to justify an updated version that sold over a million units and a full-blown sequel Nier: Automata in 2017.