NieR Re[in]carnation

While the story can take a while to fully develop, the imagery more than makes up for its slow pacing. NieR Re[in]carnation's visuals and other effects are stunning, such as a sunset-like glow that pours out from behind building walls or atmospheric music that swells in the background. The 3-D perspective makes you feel like you're part of the adventure. You can choose to move forward manually by sliding your finger across the screen or using the app's automated option.

The story unfolds gradually as you explore -- to access certain game elements, you'll need to keep going, even if, at times, it feels a little aimless. Players view stories and earn materials during quests. Main quests relate to the central story, where new characters may be introduced and items earned needed to enhance characters or weapons, but other quests can nab you weapon and other enhancements. You also participate in battles, with only so much freedom to fight how you want -- many aspects are automatically executed, though periodically you use weapon, character, or companion skills. Some might find the lack of mobility in fights frustrating. The Mama Menu serves as a helpful tool to navigate app elements such as story elements you've already seen, which are housed in the library section. Some aspects of the game, though, aren't fully explained -- players can find out more about them in a support section that's accessible from the Mama Menu, but items aren't covered at the beginning, and players may not always have a full understanding of what they're doing or working toward as a result. They'll likely need to do some guesswork to figure out how to navigate certain portions of the app. If you're up for making a long-term investment in playing, the pace isn't necessarily fast -- but with plenty to check out, NieR Re[in]carnation can offer an intricate, graphically lush gaming experience.