Review: Infinity Nikki Is a Fashion Extravaganza

It’s been years for the reason that incarnation the Nikki sequence began with the cell sport Nikki UP2U, and though Infold cultivated a devoted fanbase with the style anime-inspired titles, it by no means fairly reached mainstream enchantment. Every installment all the time entailed very linear gameplay, which isn’t inherently dangerous per se! However except you’re a large fan of dressing up, there was not a lot else to do. That each one modified with Infinity Nikki, as Infold went in a daring new path and embraced an open-world surroundings that offers you a lot freedom that it satirically turns one in all its former weaknesses into its greatest energy.

There’s a lot to unpack with Infinity Nikki, however the story is an effective place to start out. For some background, that is technically a sequel to the earlier title within the sequence Shining Nikki. Nonetheless, in the event you’ve by no means skilled the sequence up so far, no prior information is required to play. It’s in a perfect place for newcomers. The story follows the pink-haired protagonist Nikki and her BBQ-fanatic feline companion Momo as they enterprise into the attic looking for the right outfit for an upcoming ball. Whereas rummaging via the loft, they uncover a beautiful pink gown hidden within the closet. All of the sudden, earlier than they’ll do something, a mysterious pressure pulls them into a special world. They discover themselves in an deserted break. After wandering across the grounds, Nikki and Momo encounter a mysterious girl known as the curator, who provides Nikki the Infinity Coronary heart, an object that bestows particular powers upon outfits. The curator then duties Nikki with discovering the Miracle Outfits with the intention to save the world.

Your complete narrative encapsulates the sensation of an upbeat Studio Ghibli film. Positive, there are a number of tacky scenes, however they add to the pleasant and charming tone the sport tries to realize. I discovered it unimaginable to not have a goofy smile plastered throughout my face. General, the story may be very enduring and saved my curiosity all through. Nikki and Momo’s dynamic can also be downright lovable. It surprisingly jogs my memory quite a lot of Sakura and Kero from Cardcaptor Sakura. In fact, there are basic variations between the 2, however the heroine is all the time the optimist, attempting her finest to assist others, whereas the anamorphic animal companion has a sassy perspective and would have an excellent stab at attempting to win an consuming competitors.

Infinity Nikki harbors a implausible open world, and that is in all probability due to the Director Kentaro Tominaga, who beforehand labored on The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. It seamlessly blends trend and RPG components, virtually like they’re destined to go collectively like cereal and milk. In reality, the style components could be seen in almost each side of the gameplay, which is slightly spectacular. Probably the most notable method this may be witnessed is by the outfits tied distinctive skills unlocked by way of the Infinity Coronary heart. A few of these powers will assist you navigate the open-world surroundings, like floating within the air or purifying enemies (which is the place you let loose a blast to assault an enemy). This implies each time you utilize an influence, your outfit will momentarily change, which creates sturdy and distinctive imagery.

Different clothes crafted by the Infinity Coronary heart will assist you to take part in actions like fishing, catching bugs, and grooming animals. The assets you accumulate from these actions assist you to create new outfits and objects, which is able to assist you progress via the story. Consider it like Animal Crossing or Stardew Valley. As you possibly can think about, this inevitably results in many detours, however there’s a good move between the storyline and gameplay that provides a novel brevity to those duties. Actually, accumulating the supplies for the outfits was in all probability my favorite a part of the expertise, as there was a cathartic repetition to all of it.

Whether or not you’re traversing the land or gathering assets, the core gameplay loop is downright enjoyable. I can firsthand attest that it’s simple to rapidly lose observe of time. One factor that’s value mentioning is among the fight and platforming are tremendous easy and, dare I say, simple. However on this event, this isn’t (solely) a foul phrase. Infinity Nikki is clearly attempting to draw a extra informal viewers, possibly people who will not be historically into gaming, and this ties into the free-to-play mannequin. Anybody may give it a go with none dedication or main obstacles. Naturally, Infold is hoping to entice you with the paid gacha content material later down the road. However in the event you put that to at least one aspect, Infinity Nikki nails this delicate line, and I might even go so far as to say that it might be a wonderful first online game for somebody.

The story in Infinity Nikki is split into eight chapters to this point, every that includes an array of quests to finish. You start your fashionista journey within the charming city of Florawish, a picturesque and rustic settlement surrounded by lush greenery. After exploring the city, you possibly can unfold your wings and traverse the land. The true enjoyable of exploring begins right here, because the world is surprisingly huge. Identical to the gorgeous outfits, the landscapes are really gorgeous. Some areas might be quickly locked till you progress additional within the story, however there’s nonetheless a wealth of treasures so that you can uncover and a powerful incentive to discover, as you by no means know what you would possibly uncover. There’s a lot to do, like serving to the locals, using scorching air balloons, and competing in trend competitions, that are virtually like mini dance-offs. You may simply get distracted from the principle story and end up meandering via the world for a number of hours.

The style additionally helps you’re feeling interconnected with the protagonist, as you possibly can select what garments Nikki wears and customise her look. This may vary from the fundamentals like t-shirts, clothes and footwear. However you can even edit minor particulars, like your required coiffure, bag or hand equipment, and pores and skin coloration. It actually does present the last word window purchasing expertise, permitting you to browse the numerous garments you will have collected and envision the last word outfit—all with out working between totally different malls. Nonetheless, whereas many garments can be found to craft with the appropriate assets, some are locked behind a gacha paywall. This implies you possibly can solely get hold of them via attracts.

Now, it’s vital to level out you could full the sport with out participating with the gacha. The first benefit you should have by taking part within the attracts (apart from having a extra extravagant outfit) is you’ll achieve garments with greater stats way more rapidly, which is useful when dealing with challengers. For those who’re decided to get your dream outfit from behind one of many fashion-themed banners, then the tough actuality is you’re going to need to half with a few of your hard-earned money or actually grind occasions to earn the Diamond foreign money and save up. The excellent news is Infinity Nikki is way extra beneficiant with its chance odds than different gacha video games. For those who pull a reproduction merchandise, you’ll obtain some foreign money again, which you’ll reuse for future attracts.

Normally, I wouldn’t deliver up a photograph mode in a evaluate. However oh my, I spent a lot time taking pictures on my journey that I’m contemplating including pictures to my CV. Infold is aware of one of many Infinity Nikki strengths is the sturdy aesthetics, and the picture mode encourages you to spend much more time accumulating garments and touring the world to seek out the right outfit and backdrop. The graphics fantastically deliver this out as effectively, as the whole lot is so visually interesting. Solely on a handful of events did I undergo any latency points on the PS5, however this was primarily through the first few days of its launch. The music was one other side I favored, because it’s so elegantly crafted and displays the story’s highs and lows exceptionally effectively. However palms down, the very best track by far is the English theme track, “Collectively Until Infinity,” carried out by the famend artist Jessie J. The highly effective vocals create such an uplifting temper that I hummed alongside each time I began the sport. 

Infinity Nikki is a part of a protracted legacy of video games the place trend is a central a part of the expertise, and due to this, it might initially come throughout as it might solely enchantment to the “girly-pops”. However beneath this facade lies an revolutionary, open-world expertise that anybody who enjoys a lighthearted journey can get behind. It provides you a lot freedom that you’ll spend quite a lot of your time seeing what the world has to supply. Infinity Nikki fully blew away my expectations out of the water, and it’s value testing, particularly when you think about the sport is free-to-play.

Infinity Nikki is now accessible for the PS5, PC, and cell units.

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