Nier is the story of a father's adventure in rescuing his daughter from an illness known as the Black Scrawl. He travels with three companions strong in their own ways: Grimoire Weiss, a spellbook with a sharp mind; Kaine, with a sharp tongue and kickass fighting skills to match; and Emil, whose wisdom and kindness surpass his need to fight. (He does have magic, but let's not go into that. Spoilers!)
It's very gripping, and I know I found myself emotionally involved with the storyline and characters. Unfortunately it's very underrated and judged solely on graphics...which are still pretty decent, mind you. I think everyone ought to give this game a fair chance.