Finished the A Ending playthrough over the weekend and had a blast. I did start playing Gestalt around early last year and dropped off of it after the Replicant announcement, choosing to watch someone play through it instead.
The combat and movement actually feels fun now. I love quickly zipping around behind an enemy, lock on is a godsend, and the little extra burst of speed when you run for a bit, or just roll, is very satisfying. I wish word editing was less of a pain in the ass, however. It’s still pretty clunky, and while I can kind of understand the granular nature of it, I just wish it would automatically update the words I have equipped to the “best” ones when I get them.
Also, while I really enjoyed Dad Nier, and agree with a lot of what that Vice article mentioned about him, the change to Brother Nier really shifts the vibe of a lot of story points, character relationships, and motivations in a way I honestly like way more. It also makes one specific part of the game significantly more impactful.
Glad the english voice cast is back for the important characters, and their performances are spectacular. I wish I had Grimoire Weiss as a floating book friend, I could listen to his voice and make impressions of it all day. Kaine has a bit of a rasp to her voice now, and it feels appropriate.
The music update is good, though the shift from instrumental to vocal feels different. I recall hearing more vocals in the music on the original, now– especially in the northern and southern plains– it kinda depends on if you’re in combat, or I guess how overcast-y the sky is? I don’t seem to remember it being that particular.
Can’t wait to get through the other endings!