Infinity Nikki is a perfect combination of charming music, open-world exploration, and playfully melodramatic storytelling.
After investing more than forty hours into the magical, fashion-infused world of Mirland, I can certainly tell you that Infinity Nikki has incredible promise and stands as an important addition to the open-world genre. This addition may set the cadence for a new and higher bar that all future games will try to achieve as the genre develops.
It’s not hard to avoid drawing a comparison with Genshin Impact, at least, largely due to how deeply and proudly stitched the nature of the open-world design that so pervades Genshin Impact into every frame and piece of fabric of this game. For those who might not know, Infinity Nikki is an upcoming action-adventure game and a part of the Nikki franchise. This will be the fifth in a series of games in Nikki.
This is a new story set in the fairytale land of Mirland. It includes various drafts of our protagonist, Nikki, with her pink hair, and Momo, her lovely cat who likes to grill. While in previous games, mobile devices were usually the main interactive object, this release catapults the popular and beloved Mirland franchise in a completely different yet still fresh direction.
This time, the game boldly enters an open-world adventure instead of its foundational traditional visual novel. Changing such a game format is deliberate since it will increase interactivity and immersion for players who can get involved with this world in a more sophisticated and captivating way.
Besides everything, fashion remains one of the key elements that keeps on developing in this world. There are a myriad of different gacha banners with an unaccountable number of outfits that would fit your inner desire for flair and self-expression.
Every time I entered this charming world of Mirland, it did not feel so unfamiliar, as the general landscape would strike me quite like so many games that have this open-world feature. The experience encountered was rather similar to that of another game, where chests were available to be opened, there were resources available to acquire, puzzles to solve, and numerous minigames that one had the chance to try.
On the other hand, if there is anything that I can say with certainty, it is that while trying to explore the six different mini-regions available right from the launch, Infinity Nikki is better at attempting to give unique, enjoyable, and fascinating game experiences.
Of all the little, subtle, sometimes almost surprising features that make up the peculiar delight of it all, several stand out in my mind. Of course, there are challenging picture puzzles that engage participants in a fun and imaginative way, as well as magical hopscotch. The latter is more than simple fun because every time Nikki hops onto a different square, her outfit magically changes, adding surprise and charm.
Then there’s the fanciful whim-cycle, an extraordinary mode of transport in Infinity Nikki that lets you bicycle over rolling hills and leap to incredible heights that would otherwise be impossible. A few of these features certainly make the journey interactive.
There is one character named Old Fanny Paky, who represents one of the most striking and fantastic writing styles widely used within Infinity Nikki. At the very beginning of the story, Nikki, together with her friend Momo, was taken to the fairyland of Mirland once upon a time when Nikki accidentally touched an incredibly breathtaking red dress that had long been hidden somewhere in the attic of her dirty house.
Throughout their reunion, they are suddenly confronted by a goddess who entrusts Nikki with an extremely important task: to round up miracle garments that would supposedly be needed to save the earth from some kind of danger that is sure to happen, although such specifics are vague. When all has been said and done, Nikki and Momo find themselves whisked away to Floral Wish, a small and quaint village now beset by a mysterious affliction of comas amongst the residents.
How it happened is being investigated by the town’s guild of hairdressers. With her innate talent and enthusiasm, Nikki automatically joins the workforce as a junior stylist. Much to the shock and beyond expectations, Nikki began growing up the working ladder and became the Chief Coma Investigator. Sure, the title sounds funny and silly, but it really tells how fast she managed to progress in this line.
Every new area in the world of Mirland in Infinity Nikki is differentiated with its special graphic style, specific audio, and even various traversal strategies, all of which add to the feeling of freshness and wonder that the game gives the players in its particular manner. The story is developed so that each chapter is small and gets the message across efficiently.
This ensures that the pace of Infinity Nikki’s whole story remains good. Though these chapters almost always take a few minutes to go through, jobs do add a little depth to both the lore of Mirland and the character development that it receives. Moreover, these side jobs have also been designed to feel refreshingly succinct without taking anything away from the actual flow of events in the main storyline.
These kinds of activities in Infinity Nikki are highly rewarding and can provide immediate pleasurable distractions. Instead of defeating her foes by fighting, Nikki cleanses them through her highly professional art of donning a special outfit for an occasion. Every piece of cloth she wore had a double purpose: besides being a beauty, it helped her find something or solve some puzzle that could help her proceed further.
Indeed, bosses in Infinity Nikki are fought from time to time, but they are so infrequent that finding one becomes more of a pleasant surprise than anything else because you’ll simply never really expect it. Honestly speaking, I actually welcomed the thought of being able to get away from the constant and relentless farming and grinding associated with games from this genre.
The lack of combat in Infinity Nikki is poetically developed to attract and retain the interest of a younger generation that is more casual and laid-back about their gaming experience. It is also critical to note that Infinity Nikki does not present an exception and has its flaws, which may discourage players from enjoying the game.
Indeed, on occasion, it demonstrates defects that are so obvious and easy for gamers to pick up. Some of these defects are funny enough to make gamers burst into laughter, while others will drive them to irritation and frustration, especially those that pertain to quest progress.
Since Infinity Nikki is primarily a dress-up game, it would logically lay much more emphasis on having different and unique kinds of clothes rather than individualizing the characters themselves. While all other forms of clothes are a reward for you upon completing different activities and searching your vicinity, all special costumes available on any banner can only be availed by spending game currency.
This currency can be collected gradually by simply playing Infinity Nikki or bought through an in-game purchase. However, the exclusive costumes dependent on banners can only be obtained by using in-game currency.
With the Pity system, for every ten pulls you do, you are guaranteed at least four-star components that get you some sort of reward, and for every twenty pulls you make, you then get the five-star pieces that contribute to a high-tier collection.
Considering you have to buy with paid currency, this can easily add up to hundreds of dollars just to be able to get one set that you finally self-decide to buy. But here’s a reassuring fact: these exclusive outfits you find in Infinity Nikki are purely cosmetic and do not really improve gameplay performance or give a user any significant advantages.
You can fight and win fashion battles in this online game by donning one of the numerous free clothes at your disposal. This gives the gacha system more of an outward appearance of being an option feature and not one that would be too intrusive or disrupting to the overall experience. Whether the gacha processes are off-putting or just not to your taste, this particular aspect of Infinity Nikki won’t do much to convince you to play it either way.
The side activities are brief and make sense; hence, players can enjoy them without wasting much time. What’s more, an excursion in merely wandering through the fairy tale landscapes of Mirland proves to be an exceptionally rewarding means of enhancing one’s experience while visiting this remarkable destination.
All these factors come together to create something vastly refreshing and different in their own right. Among the many games that I use for my entertainment, one that deeply catches my attention is Infinity Nikki. Of course, I am fully aware and never say that this game is flawless or perfect. I will definitely revisit this magical world of Mirland whenever I feel a need to lighten up and raise my mood.
Such a very specific combination of charming music, nice exploration, and playfully melodramatic storytelling makes for a universe that I feel will be remembered long after the playing experience is over.
