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Remember when everyone wondered whether Nier Automata had a hidden church? After sightings of a mysterious door followed by days of intrigue, it was revealed to be a hoax – instead, it was an ambitious project by a trio of Nier modders.
Now, the mod – once thought to be impossible to make – has finally been released to the public. “IT’S OUT,” said modder DevolasRevenge via Twitter.
IT’S OUT https://t.co/HKgPZaDSVJ pic.twitter.com/vvpyO1Jy9U
— DevolasRevenge (@DevolasRevenge) September 7, 2022
The Nier: Automata mod was originally unveiled on Reddit, as one user claimed to have discovered a whole new area that was never before seen.
“I think my game has a glitch since I keep going back to the beginning I don’t know how to fix it and the cup has random letters or Korean,” they said. “Maybe I need to restart the game or retry the boss again or maybe I took too long to beat him.”
What unfolded was days of mystery as the Nier community grappled with the never-before-seen area, positing theory after theory about what exactly was going on. And while some fans may have been disappointed that it wasn’t an official tease, many in the community have embraced this as a new era for the series, given modding the game was thought to be practically impossible.
Now, the Nier Automata Church Mod can be downloaded over at Nexus Mods, allowing fans to jump in and see what all the fuss was about.
“Thanks everyone for sticking along for the ride,” said the mod’s map designer DevolasRevenge. “Whether you expected this outcome or not, I hope you enjoyed the impact. It was never meant to blow up this big, but just to confuse a few people on Twitter.”
Aside from causing a sensational mystery for a few days, the team has created an impressive mod. The project opens up new possibilities for Nier modding, and we could see even more of these extensive projects in the future.
IGN’s Nier: Automata review gave it 8.9/10 and said “Nier: Automata is a crazy, beautiful, and highly entertaining journey full of nutty ideas and awesome gameplay. It may not include the most sensical story or compelling characters, but its frenzied combat — coupled with beautiful visuals and a stunning soundtrack – make it too much fun to pass up.”
Want to read more about Nier: Automata? Find out more about its upcoming Switch release and get a glimpse at the new edition in its recent trailer.
Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.