Random Time! - Nier's fishing gameplay was inspired by Animal Crossing

Coming from a Dtoid interview with Nier producer Yosuke Saito and director Taro Yoko...

"At present, we don't have any plans to include fishing. We actually got a lot of negative comments about fishing. It wasn't considered a great aspect of our previous game. But if we get a lot of feedback from fans clamoring for it, we'll definitely look at our options." - Yoko

"Uh, honestly, it was (in the first game) because I was playing Animal Crossing at the time. I play a lot of Animal Crossing and they do a lot of fishing. So, I decided why not give it a shot and add in fishing." - Sato