[UPDATE] I didn’t expect to see more until Tokyo Game Show but Square Enix has released a second trailer featuring the entire diva robot boss battle and a longer cut of the accompanying track. Check it out on their YouTube channel.
Another year, another mysterious trailer for NieR: Automata. When we last caught a glimpse of the android 2B and the new world of NieR it was at Paris Games Week last November. The silent heroine is now joined by fellow androids 9S and A2 on a mission to stop the invading machine army that forced humanity to flee the planet to take refuge on the moon.
The new trailer shows a boss battle in a theater against a twisted diva robot intercut with new glimpses of overgrown cityscapes and a desert area reminiscent of NieR’s Façade locale. Of course, we’re posting about it because it’s a chance to hear another snippet of music from Keiichi Okabe, composer of the fan favorite soundtrack from the original game. Take a look and a listen above and continue waiting for the game’s slightly-more-concrete release date of “Early 2017”.
Square Enix finally loosened the wraps on the previously announced NieR: New Project at Paris Games Week by revealing its official title and the gameplay teaser above. NieR: Automata is the name and if you couldn’t immediately tell from the footage, PlatinumGames is working on the combat.
“NIER struck a chord with many passionate gamers. It was something so special that we felt compelled to heed the fans’ call for a follow-up,” said producer Yosuke Saito. “To create the ultimate action-RPG, it dawned on me that a collaboration between PlatinumGames and SQUARE ENIX would be a dream come true.”
Of course, the other big reveal from the trailer is a new piece of NieR music from returning composer Keiichi Okabe. The sound effects are graciously minimal so you can really focus on the otherworldly vocals and that fantastic percussion. NieR: Automata is coming exclusively to PlayStation 4 but one thing Square Enix hasn’t announced yet is a release date. Check out a few more details on the starring heroine, 2B, and the story of Automata from the press release after the cut.
There’s never a bad day to listen to NieR! With the recent unveiling of NieR: New Project at E3 it seems extra appropriate today to check out a new music video created and performed by vocalist Jillian Aversa and percussionist Doug Perry. The duo have performed “Song of the Ancients” on the international stages of Video Games Live but now, with the help of director Lando Donoho, they have created their own moody and atmospheric music video to go along with it.
“Song of the Ancients” is an incredible piece no matter how you perform it but the arrangement here is made even more soulful by the accompaniment of Perry’s vibraphone and layered percussion. The video and song are made available today by OverClocked Records and marks their first foray into the official licensing of video game music singles.
“I’m very excited to see OverClocked Records taking a big step towards focusing on licensed VGM arrangements,” comments OverClocked ReMix founder David Lloyd. “Jill and Doug have done a fantastic job capturing the magic of NieR with this transporting and beautiful arrangement and video. As the first arranged VGM single on the OverClocked Records label, the bar has certainly been set high!”
The video was fittingly filmed at the National Harbor during MAGFest, Maryland’s annual game music convention. The sculpture The Awakening serves as a simple and brooding backdrop that draws viewers into the mysterious world of NieR.
“We decided to shoot the music video in front of an enormous statue of a man ‘drowning’ in the sand nearby,” reflects Aversa. “Doug wore all black (including a mask painted on his face) and I created my own ghostly white ensemble.”
“We thought the statue was very reminiscent of NieR,” adds Doug Perry. “Like a relic of this once-great civilization that had fallen victim to the passage of time. Wheeling my vibraphone down the streets of National Harbor in the freezing cold made for quite an amusing scene, though!”
You can watch the video embedded above or over on Jillian Aversa’s YouTube channel and download the single directly from OverClocked Records. If all this has sparked your interest in NieR, or rekindled your old passion, be sure to check out our extensive coverage of the game and its stellar soundtrack.
Yesterday I presented you with a list of the first five of my top ten anticipated soundtracks now that E3 2015 has come and gone. Today I share my thoughts on what I think are my remaining most anticipated soundtracks. The top five were selected based on my impressions of not what will be the best games, but will give us some of the best new video game music – so keep that in mind.
Come on and read about what future soundtracks made the top of my list!
