Recent reviews by 中佐サイドクエスト

I've only otherwise played Automata. If your new to DOD/NieR then I'd recommend you start with Automata.

Replicant is inferior to Automata in every way. The story is worse, the map is smaller the quests are more boring. So if you want an easy, but grindy, perfect game then pick Replicant first. However I'd recommend since after playing Automata I can see the story trying to be portrayed and appreciate the unique style which was being attempted.

I completed the route A (which is basically the entire game) in ~8 hours (for the achievement) which included ~2.5h of grinding for the weapons I liked to use. The other ~200 hours I have are actually engaging with the story, doing route B, C, D and E, the side quests and perfecting the achievements. The gameplay is what I'd expect from a game from 2000-2010, and is very grindy. The 'DLC' (which isn't a DLC in ver 1.22...) makes the grind easier, so the developers know the game has flaws and didn't fix the flaws in the remake. So arguably keeps the asthetic of the original game.

The combat is pretty fun and feels fluid. However I find myself spamming 4 buttons with the DLC heavy weapon. Which isn't as in-depth as Automata.

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The biggest problem with Replicant is the stories between the B, C, D and E endings are basically the same as A, but with _slight_ changes which mean you have to digest the story 4-6 times. The story being not much different between each ending made me want to engage in a Runescape level grind for 50-100 hours (for the grindy achivements) just to be interested in the story for each consecutive rewatch.

NieR: Automata is better and I would recommend you play first. But afterwards you likely will appreciate the game.