8 Awesome Twists That Saved Terrible Video Games

The Nier remake, Replicant, may have received a lot of praise, but the original garnered anything but. For all its positive qualities, this SquareEnix title had just as many negative attributes to cancel them out.

Although the soundtrack, voice acting, and variety in gameplay were applauded, the violent RPG was hampered by the monotonous combat, tedious side-quests, and primitive graphics.

But above all else, Nier is remembered and revered for its storyline, which culminates in a mind-blowing finale. In the game, our titular hero ventures into the post-apocalyptic world to cure his daughter, Yonah, who suffers from The Black Scrawl. In the past, humanity attempted to cure this malignancy by creating clones called Replicants, who were resistant to illness. However, the Replicants' Gestalts (souls) were corrupted, turning them into shadowy creatures called Shades.

Upon Nier's journey, he discovers the most powerful Shade, The Shadowlord, possesses the cure to the Black Scrawl. But upon their encounter, Nier learns the Shadowlord is his own Gestalt, and the protagonist is actually the first Replicant. Although the Shadowlord's defeat allows Nier to save Yonah, its death seemingly spells doom for the remaining Gestalts and Replicants.

Even though this was a beautifully touching moment, gamers were annoyed this plot development didn't occur in a better game, which may have been a partial incentive to have Nier remade.