Games Happy

One factor I admire that Sq. Enix has continued to help, is commemorating their video games and their music by way of concert events. So once we had been provided the prospect to attend the corporate’s newest iteration of the idea in NieR: Orchestra Live performance 12024 [the end of data] I used to be excited to see precisely what that they had in retailer for us. Distant Worlds continues to be an unimaginable celebration of Ultimate Fantasy’s historical past, a lot in the identical means that Eorzean Symphony does for Ultimate Fantasy XIV. Each of these are nice orchestras, and effectively price attending as a fan of these video games; however, man, is [the end of data] a completely completely different expertise, and one thing that any fan of Yoko Taro’s world ought to make an effort to see.

Not like Sq. Enix’s different orchestras, [the end of data] is one thing greater than only a conventional live performance. The much-touted “new situation” penned by Yoko Taro for the orchestra is a brand-new, full blown epilogue for Ending E from Nier: Automata, following 2B and 9S after awaking from the occasions of the sport. The whole present is framed round this narrative, too. Past introducing the orchestra and Keiichi Okabe, not a single phrase was spoken outdoors of both the music, or the pre-recorded narration from Kira Buckland and Kyle McCarley.

In different phrases; the live performance was a set of music from NieR: Replicant and Automata, however the music itself was merely narration for the Visible Novel fashion story being informed by way of the textual content overlayed over visuals. It would not be laborious to think about such a sequence being current in an precise NieR sport, contemplating the VN segments in each. Regardless of not being a sport, it is hanging simply how profitable [the end of data] was at recreating the emotions of these much-beloved sections from the video games.

Clearly, it goes with out saying that these kinds of productions are inherently meant for followers of a franchise – as any live performance can be. But, there’s one thing totally distinctive – totally NieR – with the present that Yoko Taro and Eric Roth have devised. A lot how NieR as a franchise has at all times aimed to be subversive within the medium of videogames, so too is its most up-to-date live performance within the medium of music. 

This all would not have landed almost as effectively if the performances had been subpar, in fact; however the orchestra, the choir and each Emi Evans and J’nique Nicole had been all on their A-game. The preparations of fan-favorite tracks from the collection, as supposed, had been the glue that held the expertise collectively; making this self-described “multimedia manufacturing” what its collaborators clearly envisioned that it might be. 

In some ways, music is the soul of an RPG; and by no means has that felt extra true than seeing the interactive artwork that was NieR: Orchestra Live performance 12024 [the end of data]. With out going into spoilers, the narrative that was weaved – extra instantly tying collectively the occasions of each NieR entries – would’ve by no means landed with out the music of the orchestra backing up these pivotal moments. The sounds reminding us of the occasions which have solidified our love for the collection, and providing a direct throughline to point out how integrally linked these two adventures really had been.

All of that is wrapped collectively in a narrative which really pushes the franchise ahead, and solutions the query of what occurred to the 2 androids following the occasions of NieR: Automata in a respectful method, whereas hinting at a possible follow-up sooner or later. Yoko Taro himself even took the stage on the finish of the present, with a fake-out of an announcement; with the implication that whereas we’d not see a NieR 3 fairly but, it is actually at the back of his thoughts, and 9S and 2B would very seemingly return at any time when one finally occurs.

On the finish of the evening, I felt fulfilled by what I had skilled much more than once I stepped out of my first Distant Worlds; much more than a celebration of NieR’s historical past by way of its music, [the end of data] engages with the collection by itself degree, and ended up a much better expertise for it – elevating it from “merely” a commendable online game live performance, to a notable chapter within the NieR universe in its personal proper.

I am immensely grateful for the chance that I needed to expertise this chapter for myself, and as a longtime fan of the collection it is merely unimaginable to see firsthand simply how far the collection has come. It is the kind of present that makes you notice the facility of each video video games and music alike, and actually recontextualizes the kind of relationship that each of those mediums can have. I can not suggest it sufficient.