The original Nier was already full of secrets to uncover, something its 2021 remake has only capitalized on. Nier Replicant builds not just off Gestalt's foundation, but Nier: Automata, resulting in a game that interprets a cult classic without stripping away any of its identity. Nier Replicant also adds a fair bit of new content to the experience that most players still haven’t found.
The hidden secrets in Nier Replicant range from extra weapons, to brand new scenes, and even old side quests that were hard to find the first time around. Nier Replicant is a gold standard not just for remakes everywhere, but video games that know how to hold their value. Fans who play for secrets will find themselves coming back to Nier Replicant time and time again. Spoilers for Nier Replicant and Nier: Automata from Entry 5 on.
10 The Magical Stone Side Quest
The Magical Stone is a very easy Side Quest to miss, but it’s one of the standouts in Nier Replicant and offers some great rewards. The Magical Stone can be triggered in the Forest of Myth after obtaining all five Key Fragments. You’ll be tasked with finding a magical stone in the Lost Shrine which allows you to revisit the Prologue whenever you want. The Shades there have a chance of dropping any Word and completing the Side Quest nets you the Iron Pipe.
9 World Of The Recycled Vessel
World of the Recycled Vessel was the original Nier’s only DLC, letting western players take control of Brother Nier while fleshing out the game’s lore. Nier Replicant brings back World of the Recycled Vessel, but as an unlockable now. Completing Route A will spawn a diary on the first floor of Nier’s home. When read, players will be teleported to the World of the Recycled Vessel and will be in control of Father Nier.
8 The White Moonflower
Farming is the best way to make money in Nier Replicant, but it’s also tied to the Legendary Gardener Trophy which requires cultivating a Lunar Tear – the single rarest flower in the game. Simply having the chance of growing a White Moonflower is a days long process (without manipulating the internal clock) with extremely low RNG.
First, players need to create Indigo Moonflower Seeds by splicing Blue and Gold Moonflowers together before letting them wither. Then, you need to create Peach Moonflower Seeds by splicing Red and Gold Moonflowers together. After you have enough Indigo and Peach Seeds, splice them together for as many Pink Seeds as you can. Grow some more Peach Seeds, then splice the Pink and Peach Seeds together and pray a Lunar Tear grows.
7 The Fist Bump
Nier Replicant includes a new little Easter Egg between Nier and Grimoire Weiss that pays tribute to a similar Nier: Automata Easter Egg. By rubbing the DualShock/DualSense’s touchpad, Nier will fist bump Grimoire Weiss the same way 2B pats her Pod in Automata. PC players can spin their mouse for a similar effect while Xbox One players can click their right analog stick and then spin the left to trigger the fist bump.
6 Yonah’s New Diary Entries
Although they don’t appear for every loading screen, Yonah has several diary entries that show up to fill in Nier Replicant’s timeline (while also fleshing out her character off screen). Befitting a remake, Replicant sports a bunch of new diary entries for Yonah. Not only do these new entries flesh out her character (along with her relationship with Nier), one in particular even references Drakengard 3.
5 New Route B Scenes
Upon completing the game once, New Game Plus (also called Route B) triggers several new cutscenes for players. This was true of the original Nier as well, but the remake actually includes even more new scenes. Route B is now rounded out by cutscenes fleshing out Kaine’s relationship with Emil while spotting new dialogue in places unique to Nier Replicant. Just completing the game once isn’t enough.
4 New Devola & Popola Cutscenes
In the original Nier, the only new cutscenes after Route B were seen at the very end of the game and led to their respective endings. Anyone familiar with the original might think it’s safe to skip cutscenes on Route C as a result, but Nier Replicant actually features a fair amount of new cutscenes for the third playthrough.
The most noticeable are three new cutscenes between Devola and Popola. These cutscenes not only state their motivations in clear terms, they clarify their relationship to the Shadowlord while adding yet another layer of tragedy to their betrayals seen at the end of the story. More importantly, these new cutscenes do a better job linking this iteration of Devola & Popola to their Automata counterparts.
3 Emil’s New Memory
Kaine’s Memories are a huge part of Route B and Emil even gets in on the fun at one point. Playing through Route C includes yet another Memory for Emil, albeit this one is far more emotional. Set after his seeming sacrifice before the final boss, Emil’s final Memory is an emotionally charged exploration of his relationship with Halua that sets the stage for his characterization in Nier: Automata. It’s debatable whether this really needed to be tucked away to Route C, though.
2 Early Louise Kill
Louis is a new boss who wasn’t present in the original NIer, but was always intended to be included. Taking inspiration from the Little Mermaid fairy tale, Louis might very well be the strongest Shade alive. On your first two playthroughs, you’re more or less guaranteed to fail in the fight against Louise – leading to a scripted victory for the heroes.
On Route C onwards, Nier should be strong enough where Dark Lance can actually net you an early kill. Instead of the Postman intervening to break Louise’s heart, Nier will down Louise and the party will need to scale her body for the final battle. It’s not as emotional, but killing Louise early is far more epic.
1 Ending E
The original Nier only had four endings, with Ending D permanently erasing your data. Nier Replicant remakes actually includes a fifth ending that’s tied directly to Ending D. After erasing your data, your next playthrough will proceed as intended until Nier helps Kaine defeat the giant Shade in The Aerie. From here, control will switch to a different character and the story will shift radically – including several references to Nier: Automata in the process.