The tracks I talked about in this video are all amazing, but I didn't talk about my absolute favorite one yet because I didn't want to make this video 30 minutes long! Maybe one day I'll get the chance to tell you about it...
If I may Alex, I invite you to play further and push to the C ending. It adds context to some of the musics and there are extra tracks too. Keep up the good work, it's always a pleasure to listen to your analyses. 😁
@@MegaIshimura FYI Gestalt was actually not the "original"; Replicant was the original, on PS3 in Japan exclusively, while Gestalt was Xbox 360 Japan and also the one that was internationally released. Replicant ver.(whatever) here is a modern remaster of the original Replicant, to let us experience the original game as Yoko Taro initially intended, with some more modern updates to the gameplay.
Nier Automata and Nier Replicant have shown us how much of an impact a piece of excellent music can have on the game's experience. Easily two of the best OSTs in gaming in my opinion.
Well it is somewhat fair that it takes 10 years and 2B's ass for people to look at the series. Nier is the 'normal' of the siblings but DrakeNier series is a game written with 'insanity' as the main theme. Especially the gameplay. ...... it is hard to recommend game with bad gameplay.
“The reason we went for this mysterious made-up language is because we felt that as game music, having lyrics which you can recognize and understand might distract you from the gameplay,” explained Yoko Taro, the game’s director, ahead of the launch of Nier’s sequel, Nier:Automata. “We wanted something that could truly serve as background music. If you don’t know what these mysterious words mean, you can’t get side-tracked.” Emi Evans: “As it was my first time to create a made-up language, I had no set system in place. So for my first attempt, I just mashed together sounds from all the languages I had ever experienced. The result was the lyrics for ‘Song of the Ancients’. “I was shown a short clip of Devola and Popola and was told that this was to be their theme. This was the very first piece I recorded for Nier and my first attempt at creating a made-up language. There’s German, Hungarian, Welsh, Japanese, French, and Latin, as well as some extra sounds I thought up myself!” “I was pleased with what I had written, but quickly realised that simply mashing up random sounds would give similar sounding results every time. In order to produce different sounding lyrics and character for each song, I would need to come up with a new method. “I shared my concerns and I believe that it was Okabe-san who came up with the wonderful idea to base each song on a real existing language, imagining what it might sound like thousands of years into the future.”
The explanation is thus: Kaine is best girl, Emil is best boy. Therefore, they get the best music. Except Song of the Ancients, but that's because Devola and Popola are combining their powers to get the best song. I could just chill next to Devola and hear her singing all day.
If I recall correctly, the version of the song that plays in the tavern is called Song of the Ancients: Hollow Dreams. While Song of the Ancients: Fate is driven considering the context of when it plays, the Hollow Dreams version is extremely relaxing. 👍
Was just coming to say this as well; it might be my favorite version of the song, actually. It's some very subtle foreshadowing and deception at the same time, I think.
Additional comment now that I'm watching, but the Twins sing the Song of the Ancients in another version separate of Fate. There is an entire side quest dedicated to fixing a drink so that Popola has the courage to sing in the tavern. The version is called Song of the Ancients (Hollow).
Kainé (Salvation) was the moment my brain went "this is an amazing soundtrack." I love how Emi Evans sings this. She pulls back slightly and makes her voice very light even when the sound of the song is a little more direct and stronger. I love the vulnerability that brings
I’ll be honest, when I found that song again in Nier Automata, I had a very emotional moment. I basically just stayed there for 30 minutes, and I still would visit it again.
In my opinion, Nier and Nier Automata are the pinnacle of Video Game Music. The way, they produced the soundtracks plus the way they combined them with the gameplay and story, is insane
Also I love how I came here because I just loved Persona 5 and wanted to just consume as much P5 content as possible and now I’m actually learning music theory on my own and watching videos about music from games I have no intention of ever actually playing
I discovered Nier music before i played the game, and it's been like... one of the main things I listen to on the daily. I just love how complex the songs are, the vocals sounding so beautiful and just everything about them capturing my imagination from high school until now. The Wretched Automatons, Shadowlord, song of the ancients... ugh, so many good songs. Also that funky version of Song of the ancients got me HYPED bro.
That was also my case, it was the soundtrack what pulled me to buy Automata, and it became one of my favorite games ever. It's on my permanent music list now.
The music and the theme of the game togethet are so complete and touching,I don't think I'll see and experience anything like this more than 1 other time in my life. I hope I'll do though.
When you find yourself making game-purchasing decisions based on the soundtrack. Also, I haven't touched a bass in over 10 years. But seeing you get down inspires me to get back in the game.
Casually sees hope rising, as something good happens, and as you keep fighting through all the pain and getting closer and closer to your goal 30 minutes later *4 characters died, the kingdom got invaded, everyone is dying, your entire world is falling apart, your party is having a mental breakdown while you're crying in the corner*
The other genius thing about the invented language is that your brain will translate it to the events of the cutscenes where you hear the music. This has the effect of having you relive all the emotions you felt when playing the game if you hear the music in a different context, say in an unlikely sequel or an MMO.
Spoilers. I mean... poor bastard is the only human left, Gestalt or Replicant, and he has lived for NINE THOUSAND YEARS, 8 thousand of which were spent alone... god... I can’t even imagine...
@@mr.stuffdoer8483 Emil (his sister, and his butler, for good measure) were no longer human after the experimentations were completed. By the time he was called "No. 7" and Halua was called "No. 6", they were not human anymore, but rather, weapons. (You can check all of this in the wiki and short stories). But yes, Yoko Taro really knows how to make tragic stuff.
I really hope people who play through all of Replicant go back and play Automata again. None of my friends had played the original so they didn't understand the kind of emotional gut punch it was to hear the Emil Shop song, they just thought it was annoying. Hit me like a train first time I heard it.
I actually had the revelation of realizing Emil's shop theme was the same leitmotif as his boss theme while still gushing about Automata back when I first played it. And now that I am close to getting all the endings of Replicant I am excited to revisit Automata despite having played hundreds of hours already XD
I loved his shop’s song, it was so goofy. I do want to play it again but god it starts off pretty boring... the Emil side quests will probably make me cry when I get to that point...
@@cal5750 after playing replicant, while not having replayed automata yet, I dont think it hurts me anymore now that I've played replicant. Mainly because they are a different devola and popola. I dont think replicant helped to build on my connection to the 2 because the pair are....a different pair. All that I needed to feel connected to them was what was already contained in automata.
@@trevorveillette8415 i think the point is really that sense of hope you get in automata at finally seeing familiar faces as well as the horror when they point their blades at you, but to defend you. shock to the system
Keiichi Okabe (composer) and Emi (who sings in many of the tracks) are freaking amazing, Nier's OST is one of the few OSTs were every single track is a masterpiece .. it's out of this world.
I agree with everyone except characters. Idk if its just me but I think nier single handedly messed up the world even more without even knowing why and how
Protip: Listen to Emil (Sacrifice), then go back to the Automata soundtrack and listen to the Emil Shop theme back-to-back. It might just blow your mind.
There's something so intensely human and tragic about the new vocal tone for Emil's song. It's slightly lower than the original, but it's just beautiful. The new vocalist sounds similar to Emil's actual in-game voice too, and I love that.
There's a reason why the ost is so good. It actually has heart and meaning behind it. The game itself is also more than just entertainment. It has lessons and meaning, truly the last of it's kind
I wouldn't say the series is the last of it's kind in terms of games that carry meaning intending to push its audience to contemplate, to consume not just for entertainment's sake, but something far deeper; however, nobody that I've seen does complexity in gaming quite like Yoko Taro. I would argue that series, franchises such as the Tales of franchise, specifically highlighting Tales of the Abyss and Tales of Berseria, do a good job at telling a story that has a deeper meaning although not to the level or in the same ways as Nier/Drakengard. I would also argue for Fire Emblem, and more specifically, Fire Emblem: Three Houses. However will we ever get something to the degree that Yoko Taro is able to do it outside himself and the teams behind said works? Probably not.
Automata certainly carried on its legacy and went further beyond, which I can clearly see now that I've played Replicant. It's been an enlightening experience to say the least.
@@SMNtheNight automata, if we were to downplay it and put it into simple terms. Automata is like the philosophical version of replicant. While replicant is the myth version of automata. After playing automata then replicant, replicant really feels like it's from a mythical other worldly time from automata. To think it went from that, to automata, which now challenges the very thoughts we have surrounding existence and life's meanings and values, despite having Nothing in common with our world today or even replicants. Then look at our world today and look at automatas. It's just really damn cathartic to think about.
Nier Gestalt was one of the first ps3 games I played, & Chaos Language will forever be tied with Ar Tonelico's Hymnos for best soundtrack to me. They're such beautiful languages😎
It's also important to mention that in the lore of the game, the languages of the songs are supposed to be what human language could have evolved to thousands of years into the future. It's a futuristic French, English, Gaelic, German, Portuguese and Spanish. Song of the Ancients is a mix of all of them
Emi's vibrato voice hits deep, it's like her voice trembling is directly attached to your heart and forces it to tremble too, but man do I love it as much as it feels like I'm ready to cry the whole time
I'm so glad you brought up the tracks in the Final Fantasy XIV raid. I was reading a book on the psychology of Final Fantasy and a had just read a chapter on the music of the series, part of which specifically talked about the opening fanfare track. The new raid came out a few days later, I started tearing up in the middle of the final boss when i heard it portrayed over the Nier track in such a sad and somber way. It seems like such a simple thing, but it was an absolute master stroke.
Thank you for doing a video on this game’s soundtrack! The NieR games have my favorite music ever and the amount of effort and insight you put into your reactions/analysis of songs is always amazing to watch, so it’s a perfect combination for me. Congratulations on all of the progress you’ve made toward pursuing your dream and thank you for being such an inspiration for all of us!
Fleeting Words / Outsider is easily the best song to come out of this remaster. There's so much power in that song, it's an absolute joy to listen to on a loop
Every aspect of that piece is masterfully composed, each listen you'll discover something new to appreciate. It just shows how much growth the Nier composers have gone through, that they've refined and refined their craft to give us masterwork after masterwork. Fleeting Words is probably my single favorite.
I can't believe you left out the Lost Shrine choir music, and how the it seamlessly transforms by adding a higher-energy electronic layer when combat starts! It's my favorite next to the Hills of the Radiant Winds :)
I've been replaying this series the last few weeks, and coming back to the videos you've done on the music. I really appreciate your insights, all of the music in Replicant and Automata make me so emotional, especially with the in-game context attached to these tracks.
Also worth noting how the restraint in the music gave the voice actors more room for some really vulnerable performances. Like, I haven't hit it in the remake but the "No one stops" scene and the scene after where a certain character whimpers "I don't want to...die" got me FUCKED UP
After you hear "Kaine (Salvation)" a number of times, your brain will explode with emotion upon hearing "Kaine (Escape)" play in a later segment of the game. Props to Keiichi Okabe & Emi Evans for a job well done with the entire soundtrack! Keep up with the great breakdowns, Alex!
Man your videos about video games music make me happy, i hope everyone appreciate how video games music composers handle this medium is very interesting.
Kaine/Salvation will always be my favourite, because of the context of Kaine's grandmother singing her a lullaby, and it even vaguely contains Kaine's name as she sings in the Chaos language. I think Saki sang Emil/Sacrifice, but please correct me if I am mistaken. Great video man!!!!
I will never not cry over Emil. 😭 Best boi. He protecc. I'm so happy that Automata got me into this cult classic years ago. The whole DrakeNier narrative is reminiscing of Japanese writers and philosophers, like Dazai Osamu, who push you to ponder about the complexity and depths of humanity. And, of course, the music does a wonderful job at telling the story, too.
Funky 'Song of the Ancients' was not something I knew I needed until today... also, I love your breakdown of Hills of Radiant Winds! It was one of my favorites from the original version so it was really neat to see you go in-depth on it.
Nier music is some of the best OST ever in gaming, in the same league as Final Fantasy, Warcraft and some other great OST and games ! "Grandma" is a track that I can listen on repeat. And those voices, my god, unreal ! Great work you did there mate !
There’s no one I’d rather listen to break down these tracks! This soundtrack completely left me in awe. And the base that you put over song of the ancients.... amazing.
When you talked about the section in Kaine's theme where it was extremely sad and then transition to being hopeful and then back to sad is actually the perfect metaphor for the Nier games. They are extremely sad and depressing games but there's this sense of hopefulness throughout all the sadness that keeps you going.
I was not expecting that Bass Remix from you. Thank you for making me love a song I love even more now that I thought I could not love as much as I did back then.
Automata's Song of the Ancients Atonement was where the new fans first learned the awesomeness of the twin's duet, and now we got Alex so love with the original versions he just made his own.Nice
Yay! You touched on the Kainé (Final Fantasy Theme)! I kinda requested it on Twitter, and I got a better showcase of not only Kainé/Salvation, but the other amazing songs from NieR Replicant, too. Thank you, Alex! Now I am more excited to play this.
Hills of the radiant wind is actually what sold me on the game. I was unsure of how i felt about the game, but when i stepped into the northern plains and that song played, I was floored. The vocals blew me away. I've never heard anything like it in my life.
Emi Evans is an absolute treasure to Music as a whole, love her work - if you haven't heard it yet, you should definitely check out her work in a videogame called Nostos. Unfortunately the game itself was a bit of a mess... but most of the soundtrack has a vibe very similar to Nier's - if you can check out at least one theme from Nostos; I would highly recommend Varkundi! Emi compliment's Kevin Penkin's (who worked on the Nostos OST) work so well. Highly recommend a listen!
I have been listening to the nier soundtracks since it came out ten years ago. I’ve listened to it throughout my college years, law school, and now while im practicing. I am trying to collect all OST CD’s as much as i possibily can even if i can listen to most via spotify. The Nier soundtrack and the the people behind it especially Ms Emi Evans and Mr Keichi Okabe have changed my life in a significant way. Edit: i am so thankful for your video and the analysis you made. Subbing.
As much as I love every track in Nier Replicant (especially Song of the Ancients), Fleeting Words has to be one of the best boss sounds tracks I've heard in a long time.
I remember Kaine from automata after a specific quest, haven't played the first game yet but I do remember just standing in that room for a while just to take it in
The vocals specifically in the song of the ancients are so good especially because it makes sense in the lore of the game, when you talk to devola after finding Weiss and she tells you about the song of the ancients she says no one understands it because it is in a forgotten language. Excellent attention to detail.
When I was doing Ending Y in Nier Automata, and I heard Emil's theme play as "Emil's Despire" And then the Dialogue hit... I nearly died. Do you know how hard it is to fight through gushing tears?
I played through MW2 and I solo beat Halo 4 first time. Having to watch Cortana slowly die while finishing a brutal series of fights was training enough.
Awesome vid, thank you Alex! More than two years i’m listening both nier’s orchestrated ost, and i just can’t stop doing that. This music is very human.
![[UNCUT] The Loyal Pin ปิ่นภักดิ์ EP.4 (4/4)](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/d3l5rxl5CVo/mqdefault.jpg)
The tracks I talked about in this video are all amazing, but I didn't talk about my absolute favorite one yet because I didn't want to make this video 30 minutes long!
Maybe one day I'll get the chance to tell you about it...
If I may Alex, I invite you to play further and push to the C ending. It adds context to some of the musics and there are extra tracks too. Keep up the good work, it's always a pleasure to listen to your analyses. 😁
Im guessing the Shadowlord's theme or Ashes of Dreams
Really great tracks
Is it Shadowlord? Its one of the most beautiful game music i ever heard
I see there are people of culture out there. 😁😉
Well now we HAVE to come back for that one!
Anyone else just started the game and stood next to Devola for 30 minutes listening to her singing?
EPICO
did it on the original version and i did it again in Replicant
I definitely slow walked whenever I had to walk by her.
@@MegaIshimura FYI Gestalt was actually not the "original"; Replicant was the original, on PS3 in Japan exclusively, while Gestalt was Xbox 360 Japan and also the one that was internationally released. Replicant ver.(whatever) here is a modern remaster of the original Replicant, to let us experience the original game as Yoko Taro initially intended, with some more modern updates to the gameplay.
N... yes
Also did the same in the planes when the lyrics kicked in
Nier Automata and Nier Replicant have shown us how much of an impact a piece of excellent music can have on the game's experience.
Easily two of the best OSTs in gaming in my opinion.
song of the acients = Brain Burst
Dark Souls trilogy, Bloodborne, Octopath Traveler, Undertale OST be like: :(
It's too bad so many slept on Gestalt when it came out, because the music has always been such amazing bangers.
too bad that it took 10 years for most people to realize that.
Well it is somewhat fair that it takes 10 years and 2B's ass for people to look at the series. Nier is the 'normal' of the siblings but DrakeNier series is a game written with 'insanity' as the main theme. Especially the gameplay.
...... it is hard to recommend game with bad gameplay.
NieR games simply have one of the best soundtracks in gaming
*OmG i SeE yOu EvErYwHeRe
Tf you doing here?
"the best"
'one of the best' huh
The Gris of commenters appears.
“The reason we went for this mysterious made-up language is because we felt that as game music, having lyrics which you can recognize and understand might distract you from the gameplay,” explained Yoko Taro, the game’s director, ahead of the launch of Nier’s sequel, Nier:Automata. “We wanted something that could truly serve as background music. If you don’t know what these mysterious words mean, you can’t get side-tracked.”
Emi Evans: “As it was my first time to create a made-up language, I had no set system in place. So for my first attempt, I just mashed together sounds from all the languages I had ever experienced. The result was the lyrics for ‘Song of the Ancients’.
“I was shown a short clip of Devola and Popola and was told that this was to be their theme. This was the very first piece I recorded for Nier and my first attempt at creating a made-up language. There’s German, Hungarian, Welsh, Japanese, French, and Latin, as well as some extra sounds I thought up myself!”
“I was pleased with what I had written, but quickly realised that simply mashing up random sounds would give similar sounding results every time. In order to produce different sounding lyrics and character for each song, I would need to come up with a new method.
“I shared my concerns and I believe that it was Okabe-san who came up with the wonderful idea to base each song on a real existing language, imagining what it might sound like thousands of years into the future.”
Emi Evans: *press random buttons* i made music
>end up being one of the best, imo, and memorable music of the soundtrack
mhh has the opposite effect rly
Theres welsh in it............... im tearing up now...... not everyday my homes language is used in a video game......
Alex at 10:10 : You can sing along
Me: Bold of you to assume I wasn't singing along from the start
Me: “Is he gonna do the thing?”
Alex: *Makes it funky*
Me: “Hell yea.”
I did not know how badly I needed funky Song of the Ancients - Fate until I heard it.
Read this as I got to that part in the video lol
The explanation is thus: Kaine is best girl, Emil is best boy. Therefore, they get the best music. Except Song of the Ancients, but that's because Devola and Popola are combining their powers to get the best song. I could just chill next to Devola and hear her singing all day.
Spoiler : Kaine is best everything
@@XMAlek Well....yes, thats true, too. But ssssshhhhh, that part's a secret!
@@JackgarPrime she'd prefer if u stuck with she tho lol (careful she kicks the camera lol)
Devola and Popola have to watch humanity... well, anyways. Kaine, Devola, Popola, and Yonah are all best girls.
@@yumenozen And they make a comeback in automata
For song of the ancients, there’s another version in the tavern if you do a side quest. It’s the two of them playing for you in a nice jazzy rendition
If I recall correctly, the version of the song that plays in the tavern is called Song of the Ancients: Hollow Dreams. While Song of the Ancients: Fate is driven considering the context of when it plays, the Hollow Dreams version is extremely relaxing. 👍
Was just coming to say this as well; it might be my favorite version of the song, actually. It's some very subtle foreshadowing and deception at the same time, I think.
"What would happen if we put some bass over it?"
You could also just listen to the 15 Nightmares remix version of Song of the Ancients.
I love that version so much. Used to just chill in the first door
Oh man, I just remembered the 15 nightmares Emil theme is a banger as well. Honestly the whole thing is. So happy the ost are on spotify now.
I thought the 15 nightmares was only an album remix and not actual songs in the game.
@@trevorveillette8415
Both. Its used in the diary of Nier's mother/wife, and you get to play the other aged Nier
There’s also the Tribute album
This has long been awaited by your fans. If Keiichi Okabe could be available for interview, that would be astounding.
Additional comment now that I'm watching, but the Twins sing the Song of the Ancients in another version separate of Fate. There is an entire side quest dedicated to fixing a drink so that Popola has the courage to sing in the tavern. The version is called Song of the Ancients (Hollow).
th-cam.com/video/MhTSy9OTWv0/w-d-xo.html this interview/approach to Keiichi is great.
Kaine's theme has a similar contrast to Guts' theme. Both really brutal and rough characters who have incredibly gentle and melancholic themes
He should do a Berserk 1997 OST analysis btw. Please, Alex.
@@theLikou1 oof imagine the fire of a funky guts theme
I think that was definitely the right choice rather than being super intense or something, since them being tough isn't their entire character.
Though underneath her aggressiveness, she’s gentle and melancholic.
@@mr.stuffdoer8483 Well, Guts is too. This is the way for both of them to survive in their worlds.
Kainé (Salvation) was the moment my brain went "this is an amazing soundtrack." I love how Emi Evans sings this. She pulls back slightly and makes her voice very light even when the sound of the song is a little more direct and stronger. I love the vulnerability that brings
I’ll be honest, when I found that song again in Nier Automata, I had a very emotional moment.
I basically just stayed there for 30 minutes, and I still would visit it again.
This is one of the best gaming soundtracks period.
THE
Probably the best... 35 years old gamer here, can't think of a better soundtrack
It might be the best ever. This soundtrack is a treasure.
@@TheOxiongarden have u heard the xenoblade chronicle x soundtrack? It’s amazing
@@TheOxiongarden Its amazing but final fantasy is probably better
Kaine Salvation was emotional in Automata before I even knew who Kaine was. Now it’s just... oof
Same here. Kaine Salvation literally made me fall in love with side quests.
just imagine how it hit us who knew the song and story from nier before and going through emil's quest
i think i was a sobbing mess for a few hours
The Gathering Keepsakes side quest ending hit me so hard when Kaine Salvation came on
First thing I said once I got near the fountain and Devola started singing "Yep. I live here now. Forever."
In my opinion, Nier and Nier Automata are the pinnacle of Video Game Music. The way, they produced the soundtracks plus the way they combined them with the gameplay and story, is insane
Agreed. The emotions of the scene are completely amplified and defined with the song. Nier and Nier Automata are what I want from video games.
Brilliant video! Keiichi Okabe and his team really deserve a place among the legendary Japanese videogame composers
This dude is the coolest person I’ve ever seen in my life
Also I love how I came here because I just loved Persona 5 and wanted to just consume as much P5 content as possible and now I’m actually learning music theory on my own and watching videos about music from games I have no intention of ever actually playing
@@andrewguarino6549 Yo, I see that I am not the only one lmao
Boy choir = innocence
girl lullaby = horror
I discovered Nier music before i played the game, and it's been like... one of the main things I listen to on the daily. I just love how complex the songs are, the vocals sounding so beautiful and just everything about them capturing my imagination from high school until now. The Wretched Automatons, Shadowlord, song of the ancients... ugh, so many good songs. Also that funky version of Song of the ancients got me HYPED bro.
That was also my case, it was the soundtrack what pulled me to buy Automata, and it became one of my favorite games ever. It's on my permanent music list now.
The music and the theme of the game togethet are so complete and touching,I don't think I'll see and experience anything like this more than 1 other time in my life. I hope I'll do though.
When you find yourself making game-purchasing decisions based on the soundtrack.
Also, I haven't touched a bass in over 10 years. But seeing you get down inspires me to get back in the game.
Soundtracks and sound design are lowkey series sellers 👀.
@@Hibernial Literally bought Bloodborne and NieR:Automata because of the soundtracks
IT IS THE POWER OF THE BASS
"Piano sad. Music sad. Orchestra sad.... Yea yea it do be sad. Wait it's warm...
But now it back to being sad."
Yoko Taro games in a nutshell.
Casually sees hope rising, as something good happens, and as you keep fighting through all the pain and getting closer and closer to your goal
30 minutes later
*4 characters died, the kingdom got invaded, everyone is dying, your entire world is falling apart, your party is having a mental breakdown while you're crying in the corner*
Except 1.22 and Automata have happy endings. Or at least bittersweet.
yoko taro : the madlad who rolling in floor with nier automata t-shirt, and say Square Enix SH*T
Emil's song in all its iterations have been giving me goosebumps for TEN YEARS
I know...
Listening to any of emils themes take me out of this world
Every day’s a sale! Every sale’s a win!
The other genius thing about the invented language is that your brain will translate it to the events of the cutscenes where you hear the music. This has the effect of having you relive all the emotions you felt when playing the game if you hear the music in a different context, say in an unlikely sequel or an MMO.
Alex’s bass on Song of the Ancients is incredible
4:19 we know yoko taro would love to add your version in a future title
You're right man, the last Nier raid was making me and everybody freak out AND YEAH THAT MELODY WAS TOTALLY HEAVENSWARD I CALLED IT HAHAHAHA
Emil's theme always evokes such strong emotions from me, same with The Ultimate Weapon and Temple of Drifting Sands in different ways
Okay, your addition to song of the ancients was a bop, very nice.
I was in my car wishing to hear a full version of his addition.
@@chriss.4790 I was in the shitter wishing to hear a full version of his addition.
don't forget folks, they labeled emil theme in automata with "despair"
Yes, that small fragment of Emil held so much pain for thousands of years Okabe decided to give him the best boss theme in Automata.
Spoilers.
I mean... poor bastard is the only human left, Gestalt or Replicant, and he has lived for NINE THOUSAND YEARS, 8 thousand of which were spent alone... god... I can’t even imagine...
@@mr.stuffdoer8483 Emil (his sister, and his butler, for good measure) were no longer human after the experimentations were completed.
By the time he was called "No. 7" and Halua was called "No. 6", they were not human anymore, but rather, weapons.
(You can check all of this in the wiki and short stories).
But yes, Yoko Taro really knows how to make tragic stuff.
@@vorpywastaken I mean... weapons don’t have free will, or thoughts, etc. At the very least, Emil has a human soul.
I really hope people who play through all of Replicant go back and play Automata again. None of my friends had played the original so they didn't understand the kind of emotional gut punch it was to hear the Emil Shop song, they just thought it was annoying. Hit me like a train first time I heard it.
I actually had the revelation of realizing Emil's shop theme was the same leitmotif as his boss theme while still gushing about Automata back when I first played it. And now that I am close to getting all the endings of Replicant I am excited to revisit Automata despite having played hundreds of hours already XD
I loved his shop’s song, it was so goofy. I do want to play it again but god it starts off pretty boring... the Emil side quests will probably make me cry when I get to that point...
Same here. Devola and Popola's role in Automata hit differently too. My friends just didn't feel it the same lol.
@@cal5750 after playing replicant, while not having replayed automata yet, I dont think it hurts me anymore now that I've played replicant. Mainly because they are a different devola and popola. I dont think replicant helped to build on my connection to the 2 because the pair are....a different pair. All that I needed to feel connected to them was what was already contained in automata.
@@trevorveillette8415 i think the point is really that sense of hope you get in automata at finally seeing familiar faces as well as the horror when they point their blades at you, but to defend you. shock to the system
Keiichi Okabe (composer) and Emi (who sings in many of the tracks) are freaking amazing, Nier's OST is one of the few OSTs were every single track is a masterpiece .. it's out of this world.
My playthrough is gonna be way too long because I often drop the controller to listen to the music
Same, finished route A today with 25h of playtime simply because I was listening to the music alot.
@@Amaru5485 I mean that just happens from how many sidequests you get...
@@mr.stuffdoer8483 Which is not a bad thing imo.
@@Amaru5485 It can be depending on the song. Not all the world themes allow you to maintain sanity if they’re on loop for an hour.
I played the original Gestalt release, and they still somehow made me fall in love all over again with this remake
4:19 when u wanna go to the club but also want to cry
im a little late but i am not ashamed of shedding tears for NieR and Automata. What a game, what a soundtrack. I was in a trance finishing both games.
Best story. Best characters. Best lore. Best music.
Your Waifu avatar says otherwise.
@@AngraMainiiu i think a lot of things are awesome ok xD
I agree with everyone except characters. Idk if its just me but I think nier single handedly messed up the world even more without even knowing why and how
@@ryanaldm2966 thats the point yes.
@@ryanaldm2966
That's part of what makes him a great character.
Protip: Listen to Emil (Sacrifice), then go back to the Automata soundtrack and listen to the Emil Shop theme back-to-back. It might just blow your mind.
I’m not crying YOU'RE CRYING 😭
I don't know you. But I hate you now 😭
@@xerxeschaoscore4828 You're welcome :D
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I played Nier: Gestalt a few months before Automata, and that was a real *I don't know whether to laugh or cry* moment
The whole soundtrack: "There's a reason for it."
There's something so intensely human and tragic about the new vocal tone for Emil's song. It's slightly lower than the original, but it's just beautiful. The new vocalist sounds similar to Emil's actual in-game voice too, and I love that.
There's a reason why the ost is so good. It actually has heart and meaning behind it. The game itself is also more than just entertainment. It has lessons and meaning, truly the last of it's kind
I wouldn't say the series is the last of it's kind in terms of games that carry meaning intending to push its audience to contemplate, to consume not just for entertainment's sake, but something far deeper; however, nobody that I've seen does complexity in gaming quite like Yoko Taro. I would argue that series, franchises such as the Tales of franchise, specifically highlighting Tales of the Abyss and Tales of Berseria, do a good job at telling a story that has a deeper meaning although not to the level or in the same ways as Nier/Drakengard. I would also argue for Fire Emblem, and more specifically, Fire Emblem: Three Houses. However will we ever get something to the degree that Yoko Taro is able to do it outside himself and the teams behind said works? Probably not.
Automata certainly carried on its legacy and went further beyond, which I can clearly see now that I've played Replicant. It's been an enlightening experience to say the least.
@@SMNtheNight automata, if we were to downplay it and put it into simple terms. Automata is like the philosophical version of replicant. While replicant is the myth version of automata.
After playing automata then replicant, replicant really feels like it's from a mythical other worldly time from automata. To think it went from that, to automata, which now challenges the very thoughts we have surrounding existence and life's meanings and values, despite having Nothing in common with our world today or even replicants. Then look at our world today and look at automatas. It's just really damn cathartic to think about.
OMG that Heavensward drop is insane and I didn't even hear it until now! That's awesome.
Also, Emil Despair is so sad it kills me.
I'm a FFXIV player, and when the Final Fantasy melody started to play "inside" Kaine Salvation I started to CRY SO MUCH
how do they expect us to do win this fight while crying through the mechanics?!
@@Konpekikaminari Literally me the first time I did it
@@Konpekikaminari The floor never felt so good. "Don't rez me, I can't see through the tears!"
Nier Gestalt was one of the first ps3 games I played, & Chaos Language will forever be tied with Ar Tonelico's Hymnos for best soundtrack to me. They're such beautiful languages😎
ohhh yesss Nier and Ar Tonelico series ost are god tier ost
It's also important to mention that in the lore of the game, the languages of the songs are supposed to be what human language could have evolved to thousands of years into the future. It's a futuristic French, English, Gaelic, German, Portuguese and Spanish. Song of the Ancients is a mix of all of them
Oh my god I didn't even catch the similarities to the Heavensward melody. Absolutely loved that track!
Emi's vibrato voice hits deep, it's like her voice trembling is directly attached to your heart and forces it to tremble too, but man do I love it as much as it feels like I'm ready to cry the whole time
I'm so glad you brought up the tracks in the Final Fantasy XIV raid. I was reading a book on the psychology of Final Fantasy and a had just read a chapter on the music of the series, part of which specifically talked about the opening fanfare track. The new raid came out a few days later, I started tearing up in the middle of the final boss when i heard it portrayed over the Nier track in such a sad and somber way. It seems like such a simple thing, but it was an absolute master stroke.
I love the subtle lo-fi City Ruins playing in the background whenever Nier Replicant's music isn't playing. Please make more lo-fi music!
Man you nailed why Kainés theme makes me so emotional.... Amazing. Nier is so good.
4:23 OK The popola + Devola + Alex version is now my favourite!
Thank you for doing a video on this game’s soundtrack! The NieR games have my favorite music ever and the amount of effort and insight you put into your reactions/analysis of songs is always amazing to watch, so it’s a perfect combination for me. Congratulations on all of the progress you’ve made toward pursuing your dream and thank you for being such an inspiration for all of us!
Fleeting Words / Outsider is easily the best song to come out of this remaster. There's so much power in that song, it's an absolute joy to listen to on a loop
Every aspect of that piece is masterfully composed, each listen you'll discover something new to appreciate.
It just shows how much growth the Nier composers have gone through, that they've refined and refined their craft to give us masterwork after masterwork. Fleeting Words is probably my single favorite.
The soundtracks aren’t just good, they perfectly match with every vibe and theme the game puts visually. It’s fucking amazing
12:50 hahaha never noticed, amazing vid!
Also it is fun i got an ad of your course at the end
I can't believe you left out the Lost Shrine choir music, and how the it seamlessly transforms by adding a higher-energy electronic layer when combat starts! It's my favorite next to the Hills of the Radiant Winds :)
So great you've been covering this too. Nier's original ost is absolutely genius 👏
Edit. nice catch there with Heavensward's reference! 🤯
I've been replaying this series the last few weeks, and coming back to the videos you've done on the music. I really appreciate your insights, all of the music in Replicant and Automata make me so emotional, especially with the in-game context attached to these tracks.
I screamed at the heavensward foundation theme and fleeting words i can't process this
This is one of my favorite soundtracks of all time
Listen to the original
Also worth noting how the restraint in the music gave the voice actors more room for some really vulnerable performances. Like, I haven't hit it in the remake but the "No one stops" scene and the scene after where a certain character whimpers "I don't want to...die" got me FUCKED UP
Bro this was so awesome, I never noticed all the layers and when you added the bass to Song of the Ancients that was sick.
After you hear "Kaine (Salvation)" a number of times, your brain will explode with emotion upon hearing "Kaine (Escape)" play in a later segment of the game. Props to Keiichi Okabe & Emi Evans for a job well done with the entire soundtrack!
Keep up with the great breakdowns, Alex!
The "I see what you did there, Square Enix..." song is Fleeting words for those wondering
Sorry, but what's the name of the song it's from in Final Fantasy? Because I tried looking up final fantasy fleeting words and couldn't find anything.
@@rabidporcupine0 Look up FF14 Ishgard theme. Fleeting words is from the Nier Replicant OST.
@@Brian-fh8pq Oh yeah, I actually managed to find it on my own a little after asking you, but thank you for responding anyway!
You got sponsored by Square Enix. That's got to mean something!
Man your videos about video games music make me happy, i hope everyone appreciate how video games music composers handle this medium is very interesting.
Kaine/Salvation will always be my favourite, because of the context of Kaine's grandmother singing her a lullaby, and it even vaguely contains Kaine's name as she sings in the Chaos language. I think Saki sang Emil/Sacrifice, but please correct me if I am mistaken. Great video man!!!!
Not sure about the new recording, but the original Emil/Sacrifice was sung by Tokyo FM Boys Choir.
@@TheCanipaEffect The new version of Snow in Summer and the Emil themes are sung by the Hungarian Radio Children's Choir.
Thanks for the answer, hivemind!
ngl, your dance rendition of Song of the Ancients was FIRE. Need more of that B A S S
you are a man of culture = Approved
Alex moukala with a BASS = EPICO
I will never not cry over Emil. 😭 Best boi. He protecc.
I'm so happy that Automata got me into this cult classic years ago. The whole DrakeNier narrative is reminiscing of Japanese writers and philosophers, like Dazai Osamu, who push you to ponder about the complexity and depths of humanity.
And, of course, the music does a wonderful job at telling the story, too.
Funky 'Song of the Ancients' was not something I knew I needed until today... also, I love your breakdown of Hills of Radiant Winds! It was one of my favorites from the original version so it was really neat to see you go in-depth on it.
i love when you add your bass flair! love your input, you basically explained how i feel about the songs
Nier music is some of the best OST ever in gaming, in the same league as Final Fantasy, Warcraft and some other great OST and games ! "Grandma" is a track that I can listen on repeat. And those voices, my god, unreal !
Great work you did there mate !
The Emil track almost made me cry when i heard or for the first time in game, the story is really sad too
There’s no one I’d rather listen to break down these tracks! This soundtrack completely left me in awe. And the base that you put over song of the ancients.... amazing.
I love how you deconstruct my favorite pieces of music. Please keep it up!
Yes! Best soundtrack ever, Emil's theme is hauntingly beautiful.
Nier music is just transcendental. I don’t believe the games would have the emotional impact they do without their brilliant soundtracks.
When you talked about the section in Kaine's theme where it was extremely sad and then transition to being hopeful and then back to sad is actually the perfect metaphor for the Nier games. They are extremely sad and depressing games but there's this sense of hopefulness throughout all the sadness that keeps you going.
I was not expecting that Bass Remix from you. Thank you for making me love a song I love even more now that I thought I could not love as much as I did back then.
I’m glad they remaster this masterpiece for the rest of the world.
Automata's Song of the Ancients Atonement was where the new fans first learned the awesomeness of the twin's duet, and now we got Alex so love with the original versions he just made his own.Nice
Yay! You touched on the Kainé (Final Fantasy Theme)! I kinda requested it on Twitter, and I got a better showcase of not only Kainé/Salvation, but the other amazing songs from NieR Replicant, too. Thank you, Alex! Now I am more excited to play this.
Hills of the radiant wind is actually what sold me on the game. I was unsure of how i felt about the game, but when i stepped into the northern plains and that song played, I was floored. The vocals blew me away. I've never heard anything like it in my life.
Emi Evans is an absolute treasure to Music as a whole, love her work - if you haven't heard it yet, you should definitely check out her work in a videogame called Nostos. Unfortunately the game itself was a bit of a mess... but most of the soundtrack has a vibe very similar to Nier's - if you can check out at least one theme from Nostos; I would highly recommend Varkundi! Emi compliment's Kevin Penkin's (who worked on the Nostos OST) work so well. Highly recommend a listen!
The made-up language feels real because it has phonetical elements of (to me) German, Gaelic (both Scottish and Irish), and a bit of Latin.
4:18.. i cant unheard this now...
I have been listening to the nier soundtracks since it came out ten years ago. I’ve listened to it throughout my college years, law school, and now while im practicing. I am trying to collect all OST CD’s as much as i possibily can even if i can listen to most via spotify. The Nier soundtrack and the the people behind it especially Ms Emi Evans and Mr Keichi Okabe have changed my life in a significant way.
Edit: i am so thankful for your video and the analysis you made. Subbing.
As much as I love every track in Nier Replicant (especially Song of the Ancients), Fleeting Words has to be one of the best boss sounds tracks I've heard in a long time.
If you like those soundtracks you will also enjoy Yuuki Yuuna ost since it was made byt Okabe and Evans as well and you can really feel it.
I remember Kaine from automata after a specific quest, haven't played the first game yet but I do remember just standing in that room for a while just to take it in
The vocals specifically in the song of the ancients are so good especially because it makes sense in the lore of the game, when you talk to devola after finding Weiss and she tells you about the song of the ancients she says no one understands it because it is in a forgotten language. Excellent attention to detail.
Fun fact, if you attack one of them during the duet in the original, it interrupts the vocals.
We better get a full version of that funk remix of Song of the Ancients. Pleeease? :(
PLEASE I need a full length version of your Song of the Ancients Fate with added bass *chef kiss*
Hills of Radiant Winds breaths life into my soul
and then the following tracks absolutely crush it
When I was doing Ending Y in Nier Automata, and I heard Emil's theme play as "Emil's Despire"
And then the Dialogue hit...
I nearly died. Do you know how hard it is to fight through gushing tears?
I played through MW2 and I solo beat Halo 4 first time. Having to watch Cortana slowly die while finishing a brutal series of fights was training enough.
SOBBING ABSOLUTELY SOBBING
Yoko Taro broke your heart with a game about PlayMobile toy rejects and Barbie War Machines...
One is never truly ready for the Nier experience...
4:18 EXCUSE ME? I need a full version right now
Awesome vid, thank you Alex! More than two years i’m listening both nier’s orchestrated ost, and i just can’t stop doing that. This music is very human.