FIRST INSTALLMENT OF THREE-PART NIER COMIC RELEASED ON GAME’S OFFICIAL WEB SITE

Free Download Tells Previously Hidden Story Details About the Fall of Humanity, Birth of “The Black Scrawl”

LOS ANGELES (April 16, 2010) – Square Enix has released the first installment of the three-part comic book based on NIER, the mysterious and intriguing upcoming action-RPG that has been shrouded in mystery since its announcement last year. The NIER comic will introduce gamers to the back story and mythology behind NIER, which (is) set to release on April 27 for PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft. The comic is now available as a free download the game’s official website at http://na.niergame.com/.

Storytelling and shocking surprises play a critical role in the experience of playing NIER, and details of the tale have been vigorously shrouded in secrecy to protect spoilers, with only broad descriptions and tantalizing tidbits revealed in game previews. The comic book series represents gamers’ first opportunity to discover a few of the plot points behind the next great story from Square Enix.

In the first edition of the comic book, title character Nier and his companions are in search of a Shade that is terrorizing a local village. Grimoire Weiss — a floating and talking tome of the darkest, most arcane type – spins a tale to pass the time, speaking of terrible disease, sinister magicians, and tortured souls torn asunder. As the group continues their search for survivors to rescue from the terrorizing Shade, they discover pieces of their own past, pieces that led to the fall of humanity, the crumbling of our global society and the emergence of epic disease and horrific monsters.

The remaining two installments of the NIER comic book, which will delve even deeper into the mysterious underpinnings of the game’s story and setting, will be released during the next three weeks. NIER will be available April 27 in North America. For more information, or to view the comic on your computer, please visit http://na.niergame.com/.