| NieR: Syren | |
| Developer(s) | The Drakengard Team, Astralitz Games |
| Distributor(s) | Square Enix |
| Director(s) | Yoko Taro |
| Producer(s) | Yosuke Saito |
| Platform(s) | PS4, Xbox One, Switch, Steam, RazerPocket, AstralOracle |
| Series | NieR |
| Engine | Morandal Engine |
| Predecessor | NieR:Automata |
| Successor | NieR:Ultima |
| Release Date(s) | November 21, 2020 |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, side-stories |
| Age Rating(s) | ESRB: M (Blood, Violence, Strong Language, Sexual Themes, Nudity)
PEGI: 18 (Extreme violence, Strong language) CERO: D |
| Storage Needed | 58GB |
"The World is Bound to Change"
NieR: Syren, codenamed NieR: New Project 2 is an action-adventure/role-playing game released in November 2020. It is a prequel to the original NieR, taking place before the Watcher attack and the Black Scrawl pandemic. This time, as Automata focuses more on machines and the meaning of existence, Syren will focus on mythological beasts and evolution; the evolution and struggle of man's soul.
The main logo is "NieR: Syren" except the "dot" in "i" is replaced with an Egyptian "ra" symbol.
Yoko Taro, founding the Drakengard Team in November 2017, later adapted the Morandal Engine for work on their game to ensure that the game can have improved action and gameplay.
The game got a positive reception, focusing more on the combat improvements and continuation of new ideas into the NieR franchise.
Plot[]
"It's not the same sight we see every day. Every day I wake up, something is waiting for us to do. There's not a whole lot around us to see, but I do already know, the world is bound to change..."
In the study of ancient magic, Daras, a champion sorcerer plans to learn more about ancient magic and its way of evolution. Daras will fight against the mythological beasts including imps, lamias, golems, demons, etc. during his search. Teaming up with a human Devola and Popola, he begins his journey across the land to search for the rituals and the way of the world.
Prologue[]
"The world is bound to change. Every so often, I go on this task every day, but there's something I feel about it. It's not the same as we do every day, but as we look around us, there's something I want to talk about."
Daras, a champion sorcerer, is sent to go on a mission to hunt down a target, a wilderness beast known as the Asmodian, in the forest of Sina. Upon investigating, he notices that the predators seem to be evolving. Wielding only a sword and a cube he was gifted with known as the Magi, he uses its blaster to fight against the predators.
Upon reaching the target, known as the Asmodian, he notices that the beast has evolved from demons, which they have never fought before. After Daras executes the Asmodian, it vanishes by smoke as it faints to the ground, as if it's actually a demon trap. Seeing this, Daras is then surrounded by various demons he has never seen before. Taking advantage of that, he was teleported back to the Magi Realm thanks to the Goddess's carings on the Magi, as they weren't ready to face that new evil yet.
Magi Realm[]
"The world has gone under a dark sector. We are ultimately working to take care of the demons and destroy all of the Dark Sectors. This is why you, the Magi forces, exist."
Daras had returned to the Magi Realm, the Magi, codenamed Magi Faust. Daras is ordered on his next mission; to challenge the demons and cleanse the world of all evil, so they can put an end to the so-called Dark Sectors. Daras returns to the earth with another sorcerer named Rahab, with another Magi codenamed "Noel" to meet up with the town known as the Light Sector to recon.
Eye on the Magi[]
Daras and Rahab are ordered another mission by the Commander to search for the missing Asmodian. However, returning to where the Asmodian was during Dara's solo mission, the Asmodian was missing. Magi Faust says that there might be some sort of demon energy that is trying to take advantage of Daras's new powers. Noel sees this as their "new threat to be aware of" meaning even though Daras and Rahab are powerful sorcerers, the enemy would try and rebuild their own powers as well.
A mysterious humanoid demon codenamed the Stygian engravings jumps down, and then challenges the two to a fight. Daras and Rahab defeat the warrior, but he then explodes into black smoke. Daras and Rahab leave the area and tell the Commander about their report.
Lulu and Rin[]
Daras is sent alone on another mission; to meet up with two soldiers named Lulu and Rin. In the caverns down below, Daras, with his lantern searches around, and hears talking that is supposed to be Lulu and Rin. However, after going there he sees that the Lulu and Rin, are decoys created by the demons.
Another humanoid demon codenamed the Seeker, jumps down and engages Daras in a fight. She tells Daras what their role is; warriors who have a purpose to serve for and fight for, and the demons' purpose is to change the world and shuffle them around; giving them a fight.
The Seeker explodes into black smoke, similar to how the Stygian did. However, the Seeker left the ring behind, which is going to be meaningful for the Magi spirits later.
Teaming with Joshua[]
Daras is sent on another mission, this time he has to team up with an agent named Joshua. On his search for the Asmodians' power, he comes across what resembles to be one of the Magi soldiers, however, after coming closer it appears to be a trap by one of the demon forces as well. Daras and Joshua fight them off and find some clues relating to the Demons there.
The Demons[]
Daras aims to fight off the demon forces that are approaching the Magi forces.
Emil Revisited[]
Daras is sent on another mission with Rahab, but a masked man awaits him on the other side...
The Great Escape[]
Daras and Rahab escape the explosion that blew up the shrine, but they are on the run from the Asmodians.
Confrontation[]
Daras and Rahab get into a showdown with one of the major Asmodians, but this is only the beginning of things...
The Turnaround[]
Daras and Rahab, after making a blow against the Asmodians, decide to launch an attack against the remaining army of Asmodians, but...
The Standoff[]
Daras is killed by a traitor Magi named Garrel, who believes that Daras intended to evolve toward power within the Asmodians...
Dazzled and Dazed[]
Rahab is blown away by a runaway Asmodian. After seeing that Daras was killed, Rahab later evolves her emotions to be more agitated.
Lost in Valhalla[]
Another soldier fighting against the Asmodians, named Desdemona stops Rahab in her footsteps in trying to kill the Magi forces.
Out of the Shadows[]
Desdemona, Garrel, and Rahab get into a fight. Eventually, they start to evolve towards grudges against each other, but someone mysterious is tracking them...
Magi at the Gates of Hell[]
The three end up at the dark purgatories created by the Asmodian forces. However, they confront what they could make out to be a re-formed Daras...
Order Up![]
The three are later joined up by Devola and Popola for Magi repairs. However, they have to hunt down the new parasites; new weapons that the Asmodians have been creating...
Last Light[]
Night falls, and the blood moon casts over the lands. The three have to hurry to survive a new onslaught of Asmodian forces.
Apocalyptic Storm[]
A red thunderstorm casts, and the reformed body of Daras awakens under the name of Zotac, born from thousands of souls that were released from the monsters. In the meantime, Rahab and the others have to race to Solace Mountain to resolve this issue.
The Drift[]
An earthquake occurs which causes others to separate from each other. While racing through the area, Devola and Popola reach their limits and are unable to continue on.
The Chasm[]
The three reach the chasm and see Solace Mountain, where the red thunderstorms are ringing. While at it, a gigantic phoenix Asmodian is lately re-used as a way of transportation.
Sky Scraper[]
The three race to the top of the mountain while fighting against Asmodians, while in the meantime Zotac is also doing the same thing as well.
Epilogue[]
After nearly killing Zotac, Rahab uses her Magi to re-incarnate him, Zotac changes his mind and instead will go after the last Asmodian via another Asmodian dragon that has evolved as well.
The End[]
After the explosion against the Asmodian, the Magi forces disband because they do not need protection against the evils anymore...
Characters[]
The game stars a new hero named Daras, along with a weapon known as a Magi which is a magic cube. Daras is a champion sorcerer who seeks to find out the truth behind himself and his pact with the Magi. There are five playable characters, each with their own abilities and only playable in certain chapters.
Playable Characters[]
| Character Name | Description | Abilities | L3+R3 Skill |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daras | A sorcerer sent to hunt down targets. Unknowingly, he does not know that he is part of others instead of just himself. |
|
War Cry |
| Rahab | An agent sent to assist Daras. She undertakes the major goals in her own solitary fashion. |
|
None |
| Garrel | An elder sorcerer. He wants to seek out the major evolutions behind the monsters. |
|
Panic Strike (60 mana) |
| Desdemona | An amazon warrior that survived an outcast attack. As the only survivor, she seeks revenge on the monsters as well. |
|
Berserk Mode (250 mana, 30 seconds) |
| Zotac | An bloodless reincarnation of the monsters' souls that were killed. Brandishing a reincarnation of Daras's deceased body, he seeks to finish the job. |
|
Bloodlust (a buff that requires you to keep fighting to survive) |
Gameplay[]
The game plays more like the NieR games, as Gestalt/Replicant uses a Grimoire, Automata uses a Pod, Syren will have Daras (the main character) use a tool known as the Magi, a magic cube that serves and protects as the owner's support.
The combat is the same as Automata, with the following enhancements:
- Elements: Water, fire, earth, thunder. Each element has its own stylish effects. For example, fire lets you summon flaming slashes. Water lets you cast freezing particles, Earth lets you summon heavy strikes, and Thunder casts thunderbolts on your enemies if you strike at them. Each enemy in the late game has elements, so use the right element! Fire has damage over time, ice allows you to delay your enemy's attacks, thunder has you stun the enemies and disarm them, and Earth allows you to break heavy defenses.
- Magi: The Magi is an upgraded version of the Pod with custom jewels known as Crests. Crests are special mods for your Magi weapons, either to apply elements, increase damage, or are specific to the weapon itself.
- Combinations: Magi special attacks are known as Miracles, where you can call upon giant magic blasts to damage your enemy. You can also customize them to be fluid to your combat style. One new system is combinations, where if you combine both Miracles, you get a Nexus. Nexuses cost more magic but are much stronger.
- Customization: You can now paint the Magi Cube through a hexagram-like color palette, giving them a much more dynamic fashion. You can customize your sorcerer uniforms through various paint jobs and badges that you can obtain. You can also get certain paint jobs that have patterns instead of colors.
- Weapons: Aside from swords, spears, and punches, there are chakram, hammers, and glaives. Chakrams are throwable ranged weapons. Hammers are slower and do blunt damage which is best on solid/rock enemies. Glaives are like spears but have blades on both sides.
- Skill Trees: There's now a skill tree where you can upgrade your stats, combos, your Magi. You can unlock time-distorting dodges and parries as well in the combat tree.
- Customization: Daras can equip 1 armor, 5 rings, 1 necklace, 2 relics, and 2 weapon sets with 2 weapons each. Rings boost various stats, Necklaces boost all stats greatly, while relics give special enhancements to Daras.
- Critical Strikes: Daras can hold breath, and scan the enemy for any critical points. Time stops, and if there are critical points, Daras can make a precise critical strike for 2.5x the normal damage which is effective against armored enemies.
- Ship: You can travel around in a ship later on in a full-on open-world style.
- HUD: HUD can be customized to suit your needs. You can adjust the map alignment, turn the HUD off for blind runs, and remove the text indicating your level.
- Difficulties: Aside from the four main difficulties, there's an option where you can now play without any experience gain, meaning the enemy level is fixed to level 1 and neither of your enemies/player has any level. A fifth difficulty called "Spartan" can be unlocked, which unlike the other difficulties is always bound to a save file instead of the options, where it renders the game at the same "Hard" curve, but the player and the enemy's stats are fixed, and the enemies are much more aggressive, meaning the only thing you unlock when leveling up is skill points.
- R3+L3 Skill: Each character has an independent skill, whether it be using special moves that cost mana such as panic attacks or speed-up buffs.
The body system from Automata returns as you can revive dead sorcerers or retrieve them to gain some gold and a temporary buff.
Save points are represented by idols of the Goddess that the Magi use as their usurper.
Magi[]
| Weapon Name | Description | Firerate (b for shots) | How to Unlock | Compatible Mods (only 2 can be installed) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Magic Missile | Shoots magic missiles | 9b/s | Starting weapon |
|
| Bouncer | Shoots earth diamonds that bounce off enemies | 7b/s | Buy it from the Wiseman |
|
| Seeker | Shoots a pack of missiles (4 to 10) to seek the enemy | 1b/s | Defeat the Air Champion. |
|
| Laser | Shoots an laser that pierces enemies | Constant fire | Dig up a buried cube |
|
| Charge Rifle | Shoots a chargeable thunderbolt at enemies | Charge-up to 5/2.5 seconds | Get it from a rogue sorcerer |
|
| Spread Shot | Shoots spread shots (3 to 15). Faster than the Seeker, but has no homing capabilities. | 5b/s | Dig up a buried cube |
|
| Mag Launcher | Shoots homing grenades that explode over time | 4b/s | Complete the quest "Cubic Bomber" |
|
| Tesla Cairos | Shoots lightning-fast lightning bolts | 14b/s | Defeat Zeus, the Dark Lord. |
|
Miracles[]
These cost 100 to 300 mana. You can only hold a maximum of 300 mana.
| Miracle Name | Description | Cost | Damage Formula |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starfall | Shoots starfall missiles at your enemies | 100 mana | 250%x5 |
| Meteor Shower | Summon magical meteors | 300 mana | 150%x15 |
| Evil Eddy | Shoot a slow-moving orb that pierces and then explodes. | 300 mana | 111%x22 |
| Paladin's Hammer | Mark an area, and then summon a giant golden hammer to damage your enemies within the area | 200 mana | 780% |
| Power Bomb | Shoots out geysers of earth to destroy your enemies | 250 mana | 330%x4 |
| Magical Force | Shoots a minigun of magic arrows. (Hold down the button to keep firing) | 100+ mana | 100%xy |
| Lunatic Force | Shoots a giant magic orb to explode ice upon its victims | 200 mana | 350%x3 |
| Glory | Casts a shield that doubles armor and regenerates over time. | 200 | D*2 |
| Super Sword | Summons a giant weapon clone to upgrade your range. | 300 | R*2 |
| Athena's Sword | Increases attack power by 50%. Can be stacked up to 3 times. | 150 | A*1.5 |
| Holy Beam | Shoots a holy beam of light (beam goes forward, not from top down) | 100 | 70%x12 |
| Poison Blast | Unleashes a bomb that casts poison on the enemies. | 100 | 300% (75%x10 for poison) |
| Flame Blast | Unleashes a bomb that casts flame on the enemies | 100 | 770% |
| Ice Blast | Unleashes a bomb that casts ice on the enemies | 100 | 680% |
| Thunder Blast | Unleashes a bomb that casts thunder on the enemies | 100 | 980% |
Nexuses[]
| Nexus Name | Description | Cost | Combination | Damage Formula |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paladin's Fury | Summon a giant hammer that pulls the enemies in, and crushes them with a holy slam. | 300 | Starfall+Paladin | |
| Icicle Shower | Summon a swarm of homing icicles to damage your enemy | 300 | Meteor+Lunatic | |
| Chain Lightning | Summon electric spheres that chain-link into enemies | 300+ | Magical+Starfall | |
| Star's Wrath | Shoots several starfall lasers that hit the enemy. | 250 | Starfall+Meteor | |
| Thorn Shield | Summon a regenerating shield that starfalls the enemies that combos you for double damage. | 300 | Starfall+Glory | |
| Genesis | Summon the goddess Cygnus to beam down 12 holy lasers to destroy your enemies. (Lasers always lock-on enemies) | 300 | Holy+Meteor | |
| Magi Climax | Summon the Magi Blade to double your damage and increase your range as well as add more hits. | 300 | Super+Athena | |
| Judgment Day | Summon a hexagram which executes enemies around you | 300 | Holy+Paladin | |
| Blast Bomb | Throw a cluster bomb that unleashes large-scale explosions | 250 | Flame+Ice | |
| Radioactive Bomb | Throw a cluster bomb that unleashes radioactive waves | 250 | Flame+Thunder | |
| Corrosive Bomb | Throw a cluster bomb that unleashes corrosive fear | 250 | Thunder+Poison | |
| Magnetic Bomb | Throw a cluster bomb that unleashes death upon machines | 250 | Thunder+Ice | |
| Homing Cluster | Throw a cluster bomb that shoots homing clusters at the enemies | 200 | Flame+Starfall | |
| Holy Cutter | Shoot a piercing laser to destroy your enemies. | 300 | Holy+Eddy | |
| Kaiser Striker | Shoot down dark plasma meteors. | 300 | Meteor+Eddy |
Weapons[]
(TBA)
Elite Weapons[]
Those are more powerful weapons then the regular weapons (higher stats, and a bonus skill in each of them) Note that sealed crests are a blacklist of crests that can be used on those weapons.
| Weapon Name | Type | Attack | Description | Special Ability | Sealed Crests |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revengeance Rapier | Small Sword | 1200 - 1575 | A rapier once used by a warrior who wanted to conquer their goals back. | Shoots a magic rapier, and if that rapier strikes it aftershocks back. (Shockwaves not affected) | n/a |
| Faerie Zweihander | Large Sword | 1400 - 1755 | An legendary sword found in an ancient faerie's pond. The owner tried to defend a village of faeries with it from the Titans. | The large sword sucks magic from enemies, and summons spirit fairies to shield you. | n/a |
| Daybreak Lance | Spear | 1330 - 1600 | An lance that was said to be shined during the solar eclipse that changed everything. | Spear will zap enemies with golden thunder. Thunder can chain-link enemies and bounce back. | Any element crest. |
| Kaiser Gauntlets | Combat Bracers | 1100 - 1450 | They say that a warrior used this to master his fighting skill. | Always Fire element. Double speed and splash explosions the enemy | Any element crest or speed crest |
| Cygnus Glaive | Glaive | 1430-1950 | The Glaive from Cygnus, the Goddess. Said to have sealed demons. | Charge-up heavy attacks summon a phantom Cygnus which slashes everything in its way. | n/a |
| Aernasis Hammer | Hammer | 1550-2100 | An hammer once belonged to a beautiful crusader who was killed during an ambitious stand-off. | Hammer strikes 50% faster. Heavy attacks have a holy hexagram that throws enemies in the air and damages them | n/a |
| Soul Metamorpher | Chakram | 1110-1500 | An chakram forged by an anonymous blacksmith that is said to steal the soul from its victim. | Chakram damage absorbs mana and health from enemies. | n/a |
| Naamah | Small Sword | 1400 - 1900 | An sword that was said to be forged from the souls of the deceased monsters. | Sword has the capability to transform into a "Zotac Blade" which is a giant sword extension. | Zotac-only weapon. |
Relics[]
| Relic Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Speed talisman | Doubles your speed |
| Winged Boots | Lets you double jump |
| Hades's Hook | Lets you climb on rock walls |
| Gravity Boots | Let's you walk on metal walls |
| Jet Boots | Let's you rocket dash toward enemies |
| Hover Boots | Lets you hover over pitfalls for a limited time. Best used in low-gravity areas. |
| Ankou Shield | Let's you block against lasers and bullets |
| Gold Scarab | Must be used to pick locks to open certain doors. |
| Time Transistor | Reverse time to what the place was |
| Iron Boots | Must be used to plunge down underwater. |
Crests[]
The crests exclusive to all weapons including the Magi boost mana gain efficiency, drop rate, or add elements to it. Only one elemental crest can be added to a weapon. A * means this is elemental. A + means this can be leveled up to 5.
| Crest Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Mana Booster+ | Increases mana gain efficency by 10%-50% |
| Critical Up+ | Increases critical rate by 5%-25% |
| Stun Up+ | Chance of stunning enemies 5%-25% |
| Endurance Up+ | Increases armor by 10%-50% |
| EXP Up+ | Increases EXP gain by 6%-30% |
| Drop Up+ | Increases item drop rate by 20%-100% |
| Auto-Collect | Automatically pick up items. |
| Fire Jewel* | Adds fire element |
| Water Jewel* | Adds water element |
| Earth Jewel* | Adds earth element |
| Thunder Jewel* | Adds thunder element |
Weapon-Specific Crests[]
| Crest Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Shockwave | Shoots a sonic shockwave when attacking |
| Bullet Absorb | Striking bullets regenerates your health |
| Phantom Blast | Attacks additional shadow strikes |
| Range Up | Increases melee range by 50% |
| Attack Speed Up | Increases attack speed by 50%. |
Magi-Specific Crests[]
These are crests exclusive to the Magi weapons. A * means all Magi weapons can take it. The "Compatible Mods" was for crests that affect the weapon through its combat style, not its stats. Only Mastery affects the Nexuses and Miracles. A Magi can take 2 weapon mods, 1 stat booster, and 1 elemental crest.
| Crest Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Ricochet | Allows attacks to bounce off walls and enemies |
| Piercing | Allows attacks to pierce enemies. Ricochet would still bounce. |
| Homing | Allows attacks to seek the enemy. |
| Double | Allows attacks to come in two shots. |
| Thunderbolt | Allows attacks to aftershock with the power of thunder. |
| Shrapnel | Allows attacks to explode with fragments. Spread Shot also gets a tightened spread so it's more like a battle shotgun. |
| Cluster | Allows attacks to unleash clusters after being shot. |
| Magi Speed | Increases firerate by 50%. (maximum is double speed with rings or other equips) |
| Magi Mastery* | Increases damage by 50%. (maximum additional damage is 150% with items) |
Endings[]
There will be 50 endings from I to L indicated in Roman numerals. I to VII being the true endings, and the latter being the "joke" endings.
Upon getting ending VII, the ending allows you to add your message to the players, and have the option of sacrificing your save data to help out another player and be added to the high scores list and leaderboards for all of the other players on the game to see.
Achievements[]
| Achievement Name | Description | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| The End | Thank you for playing. | Platinum |
| Ending Service | Find an ending for the first time. | Bronze |
| First Deal | Clear an sidequest for the first time | Bronze |
| Weapon Master | Find all weapons | Silver |
| Magi Master | Find all Magi weapons | Silver |
| Ending Master | Find all endings | Gold |
| Loremaster | Upgrade all weapons | Silver |
| Service Agent | Clear all sidequests | Silver |
| Rad Gunner | Kill 1 boss using only Magi fire | Bronze |
| Geared Up | Equip a full set of equipment | Bronze |
| Explorer | Explore the entire map of the world. | Silver |
| Journal Master | Collect all archives, readables and novels. | Silver |
| Blade Master | Learn all secret Blade moves. | Silver |
| Nexus Master | Learn all the Nexuses. | Silver |
| Gotta Go Fast | Reach maximum speed. | Bronze |
| Fish Master | Find all the fishes. | Silver |
| Boss Master | Clear the Boss Rush. | Gold |
| Spartan Warrior | Clear the game on Spartan Mode. | Gold |
| Super Sorcerer | Find the strongest armor in the game. | Bronze |
| Journey's End | Get the true ending, and destroy the credits with your cube fire | Gold |
Reception[]
NieR Syren has gotten a positive reception so far, while praise for its customization and combat improvements. It got 80s on Metacritic and an 8/10 on IGN and GameSpot.
On Miiverse, popular posts include:
- Fanart of the NieR series (crossover between series)
- Weapon reviews and Magi reviews
- Secrets and endings
- Sacrificing their data to be added to the high scores (which later led to an unbreakable record where a hardcore American player got the high score for beating the game straight on Very Hard and then sacrificing their data, with a total playtime of 5:42:35 in one sitting)
- Weapon lore and theories
- "We interrupt NieR to bring you Drakengard!" (The final boss is where you have to ride on a dragon that uses the Magi weapons)
NieR Ultima[]
Yoko Taro plans to add another sequel to NieR to end it all; NieR Ultima, meaning the ultimate sacrifice to restart all life.
NieR Ultima takes place in 100,666 AD, where meteors had been crushing the earth's atmosphere, leaving nothing but craters and a dead wasteland. However, what forms from the meteor is a new angelic lifeform known as Helion, meaning the being of the sun. One Helion unit, known as Isaiah, must roam the land to find out why he exists, and his purpose to serve in the dead Earth.
Trivia[]
- The Super Sword effects are inspired by Bayonetta's Wicked Weaves.
- The Magi Climax is based on Bayonetta's Umbran Climax.
- Although NieR is set in the future, NieR Syren instead goes in reverse to tie in with historical myths.
Sub-pages[]
Nier: Syren/Weapons
Nier: Syren/World