Play order?

[Coldflame]

Trying to figure out what order to play these games without getting spoiled

Am I right to think the correct order is:

-Drakengard
-Drakengard 2 (optional)
-Nier
-Drakengard 3
-Nier Automata
-Nier Replicant

[WZ]

IIRC NieR spins off from one the various possible D3 endings
That would make the "chronological story" play order
-Drakengard
-Drakengard 2
-Drakengard 3
-Nier Replicant
-Nier Automata

There's no need to play Vanilla NieR + Replicant too
Replicant is a faithful remake - just prettier, better combat, one more ending

That being said it all depends how much tolerance you have for jank
One could argue the "best" order is reverse order
As in check out he best game first, see if you like it
And if you do, deep dive into the series afterwards
The games / stories are disconnected enough to be enjoyed on their own

That being said, I would still recommend Replicant -> Automata
Can't speak for Drakengard, I've seen how the plot/lore is related, it's not much
Maybe the games are great, maybe they're jank, no idea

[d3adf1sh]

yeah, i wouldn't worry about playing those old drakengaurd games. you're gonna get bored real quick.

i'd prob play automata first because it's the best. that's what i did and i don't feel like i missed anything because the games aren't really even connected other than they happen on the same planet. they are completely different timelines/stories

[toughnails]

Technically the Nier series spun off from a joke ending in Drakengard 1 (not 3, 3 is a prequel to everything). It really isn't important, and not much of a spoiler but here is the context:
Imagine a medieval knight riding a dragon (the MC) and a giant "angelic" woman (the final boss) being teleported into the sky over the modern day Tokyo, military jets obliterate them, the corpses of the dragon and the angel release magic particles that cause an incurable sickness in modern humans, hence the post-apoc setting

I wouldn't recommend playing any Drakengard games to be honest, they're extremely rough and low budget. Think of the very worst games you've ever played, and they're way below that. Even the third game.

As for the Nier games, it's Replicant -> Automata, Automata is the sequel and spoils a decent chunk of Replicant's story.

[SENMSL]

Indeed Drakengard is kinda old JRPG with small story but tough difficulty. It's just very bloody. Some versions even self-censored not because of sex but because of bloodshed. The avatar material is cute, though.

Replicant is so-so, but NieR is very cute. Automata is the only decent game.

[mdesaleah]

There is an order.

But it doesn't really matter for playing. Since the series likes making sequels to one of multiple endings. So they connect, but its more unexpected than a simple direct continuation.

Other than Drakengard 1 being the base for everything, and it is recommended to see its story eventually. Its also not required first.

Drakengard 2 has the number 2 next to it, but its a disconnected sequel to one of 1's endings.

3 is a prequel to everything, but its connections are implied and generally more vague. It was also made after Nier, so it teases some connections there as well.

Nier is a sequel to 1's last ending. But again, you wont really get an extremely direct connection. And the connection there is more in side material.

Even the mobile game Nier Reincarnation is canon.

So while things are "canon", and you can find an "order". The question ends up being more about figuring out "how" instead.

[alumlovescake]

Neir Replicant is not even a remake it is just a remaster