I cannot possibly give enough praise to this game. You want a short review? Buy it and experience the magnificence. Every component of this beautiful game is blended together so magnificently that it is the definitive interactive experience. No other game comes close. Acquire this game at any cost, and be prepared for the most intense emotional experience you can imagine. You think you know what’s going on? You have no idea until you start the third play through. Even calling them "play throughs" is deceptive, because there's only a single experience on your way to unlocking the major endings. Branching endings and playthroughs all weave together to create a single experience deeper then any other "choice" game. You have to play this game, for the glory of mankind.

Now for the longer review, where I try to make sense of the jumble of thoughts and experiences I had while playing Nier. Where can I even begin? How do you start describing an experience that changed the way you think? When describing something so unique, so insightful, I suppose you can only start by describing what makes Nier stand higher than any other game has dared to stand.

So I begin. No other game brought me sadness so great that I started sobbing uncontrollably. Even the most difficult games do not require you to carry the same burdens and handle the same hardships. While other games have touched on tragedy and loss, Nier handles the subjects so masterfully that even the best classical narrative experiences seem like simple children’s stories. Yet, for all the suffering I experienced while playing Nier, no other game has filled me with so much wonder that tears flowed down my face. Never have I experienced a game that touched me in such a personal way. Never have I experienced a game that helped me handle serious and deep issues I've been struggling with.

For me, Nier is a deeply personal experience, and I cannot think of another game that affected me in such a profound way. You, dear reader, may not have the same experience with Nier, but if you even come close to the experience I had, the value of this experience will be incomparable to any monetary cost.