What occurs once you take a long-running cellular sport collection all about dress-up, wrangle it away from its mobile origins, shove the idea right into a Genshin Affect mildew and unleash it onto PC and console? You get Infinity Nikki, Infold Video games’ fifth entry within the collection, however the first one many may have possible ever heard of.
Have to Know
What’s it? An open-world journey with fairly outfits.
Launch date December 5, 2024
Anticipate to pay Free-to-play
Developer Infold Video games
Writer Infold Video games
Reviewed on Nvidia GeForce RTX3070, AMD Ryzen 7 2700X, 32GB RAM
Steam Deck N/A
Hyperlink Official web site
Examine Amazon
Don’t fret although, you do not want any data of the earlier video games to leap in. Infinity Nikki does not immediately observe on from any of its predecessors, however it does retain their foremost themes: A human stylist named Nikki and her sassy speaking cat Momo find yourself getting sucked into Miraland, a fantasy realm full of all types of fashion-related lore and a historical past that suggests some type of battle amongst eight garment wizards.
At the least, I am fairly positive that is what is going on on, from what I’ve gleaned. My historical past with the collection lies virtually totally with Love Nikki, the third sport within the collection, one which I bear in mind having a heap of translation points and an oft-confusing narrative. Big enhancements have been made for the previous, however the latter nonetheless stays. Dialogue was sometimes totally pointless—one second the place I needed to hearken to Nikki back-and-forth with a personality over the very fact they repeated a sentence had me questioning my sanity—and ideas are both over-explained or under-explained.
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Infinity Nikki has been the catalyst for therapeutic my inside little one who spent manner too lengthy suppressing their love for these video games
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Everlasting Strands overview
I went by way of an excellent chunk of my time not likely getting something, narratively. There are a ton of lore books knocking round although, which I discovered helped so as to add a ton of much-needed background historical past to Miraland, giving me extra perception into what was truly occurring round me. I typically most well-liked these flavour texts to the primary narrative, and as I learn extra I used to be having a a lot simpler time piecing collectively the story I might largely been thrown into the thick of.
Sew far, sew good
To be truthful, a part of my half-baked understanding undoubtedly got here from the large time-gaps between finishing quests, which occurred totally on account of me repeatedly venturing off the crushed path. Infinity Nikki is the primary time the collection has gone open world, and it is bloody attractive to have a look at. Each blade of grass, stone fence, and babbling brook is gorgeous, and I often discovered myself stopping in my tracks to utilize the sport’s wonderful picture mode.
I spent far too many hours clicking by way of each pose—every of which has their very own delicate animations you’ll be able to cycle by way of for a frame-perfect shot—twiddling with the lighting and the framing to seize Miraland’s gorgeous sunsets or the reflection of the moon off a big lake. I might even depart behind a ‘snapshot’ which permits buddies to come back alongside to my picture spot and take a snap alongside me.
There is not any higher pairing for a fairly panorama than some lovely threads to go together with it, and I had a tough time discovering an merchandise of clothes that I did not like. There’s an enormous selection accessible, from large princess attire to pyjamas and sneakers. Whereas I did have the occasional clipping problem between objects that undoubtedly ought to be capable of be worn in concord, I had a good time mixing and matching all of the completely different items I had crafted, collected, and pulled from its gacha banner.
Once I wasn’t busy turning into knowledgeable photographer, I used to be placing an entire load of different suits to make use of: Infinity Nikki’s capacity outfits. They’re actually only a strategy to exhibit a great deal of completely different fairly garments in a wide range of situations—there’s an outfit for fishing, bug catching, animal cleansing (sure, it is lovely), floating, fight, and story-specific suits which have extra area of interest makes use of like electrical restore and one for enjoying the violin. Further outfit choices for these might be unlocked by way of rolling on the gacha banners, however fortunately they’re merely a beauty change relatively than providing something completely different on a mechanical stage.
I often discovered myself getting misplaced in merely accumulating all the pieces I might. Selecting each flower, catching each bug, or sneaking up on skittish birds to wipe their wings or scrubbing away at a cat’s paw, with each animal receiving their very own lovely cleansing animation. Making full use of the power outfits let me get my fingers on all method of supplies to craft clothes objects, so it is nicely price doing. Additionally they turn out to be useful for accumulating Whimstars, that are a type of skill-tree foreign money, permitting me to unlock new outfits, small stat boosts and additional rewards.
Whimstars are one of many some ways Infinity Nikki stuffs small puzzles into the world—there are your commonplace platform puzzlers the place I’ve to nab a star off a roof someplace, however there are additionally ones which have me discovering a hidden star form in a sure space, and even hopping into one other area to try to puzzle out a path with blocks, balls, and utilizing the power outfits I’ve picked up alongside the way in which.
I used to be a specific fan of the latter, particularly as I gained extra capacity outfits akin to one which lets me shrink down and hop on Momo’s again, utilizing him to navigate small crawl areas or make use of weight-based puzzling. It was one of many uncommon events I needed to truly use my mind or implement any actual stage of drawback fixing, one thing which I desperately want Infinity Nikki made extra use of.
Yeah, the sport’s largest problem proper now could be its lack of any actual problem. Regardless of motion feeling actually nice, it is by no means used for any significantly tight or complicated platforming. Whereas the sport’s dungeons are a spotlight in world design, creating fantastical areas like frog-filled sewer techniques or bright-white rooms with floating bookcases to hop alongside, they’ve completely laid out paths that not often department out. Virtually all of Miraland’s mysteries are simply solvable in a manner that feels infantilising at instances.
The dearth of problem is felt most in its fight, nonetheless. It is extremely primitive, with Nikki throwing out an orb and with the ability to one-shot the overwhelming majority of enemies, known as esselings, within the sport. Most of them will keep stationary, perhaps firing out the odd projectile. Nikki’s personal orb is usually a ache to wield typically too, and I discovered myself in conditions the place it was capturing straight over an enemy’s head as a result of the sport could not comprehend that I used to be barely uphill.
The one reduction is that due to the one-shotting, encounters are over extremely quick. That is even true of its bosses, which supply Infold Video games a greater alternative to point out off that it can make partaking battles. The boss battle in chapter seven was a specific spotlight for me, giving me vibes of an MMO crossed with one thing like Tremendous Mario Odyssey. Even then, I used to be in a position to fell my foe in a mere 90 seconds, which left me a tad gutted.
I solely want the mini-Nikki capacity outfit got here hours sooner, as a result of it actually does open up the world design and puzzles in a manner I might’ve most well-liked to have from the beginning. The ultimate zone I visited had tons of verticality, requiring me to often shrink down and hop on Momo’s again to be fired by way of a cannon, crawl by way of a tunnel or hop up a rope with my massive ol’ cat claws.
Superstylin’
I do suppose Infold Video games is probably discovering its ft with all these new experimental open-world actions, so I am glad to see its nonetheless retaining a few of its traditional Nikki gameplay with styling battles. They’re easy sufficient: Each merchandise of clothes has a handful of tags hooked up to it—playful, cool, retro, ballroom, elegant, you get it—together with a rating in every class hooked up to every piece. One gown might need an S-rank recent ranking, whereas one other will specialize in magnificence.
Styling battles mainly put these numbers and tags to make use of, with NPCs dotted round Miraland giving some form of theme to fulfill. Finally the theme does not matter, relatively the tags hooked up to every merchandise of clothes. It means I ended up presenting some downright ugly suits to my opponent, however that is the way in which it is all the time been in Nikki. I’ve all the time had a delicate spot for a way the precise number-crunching vogue battle facet of the collection has you throwing collectively some proper atrocities, and I am glad to see it is nonetheless current.
It does take extra of a backseat than in earlier video games although, and I am form of glad about it. Getting maintain of garments that have been in a position to hit some ludicrously excessive scores was tough at instances, as the sport expects you to funnel a bunch of supplies into levelling up particular person clothes.
What supplies, it’s possible you’ll ask? Nicely, just a little little bit of all the pieces. Even for a gacha, Infinity Nikki is a bit oversaturated within the foreign money and progress mats division, having a staggering array of techniques and objects and even completely different strategies of doing the identical factor—for instance, getting a palette-swapped model of an outfit is completely completely different relying on how you obtained the outfit. A 5-star outfit you pulled within the banner? You may want one materials for that. A 4-star outfit you crafted? You want one thing fully completely different. Oh, and typically you will want a replica set of the outfit, too.
It is the traditional gacha obfuscation, and I did discover myself getting dizzy attempting to determine all of it out at instances, at the same time as a battle-hardened veteran of the style. That was earlier than I even needed to cope with any real-life cash, which after all wasn’t provided to me within the overview construct.
I did take time to peruse the store although, and it appears largely on par with what you’d count on from different gacha choices. There is a battle cross, which seems to be a carbon copy of the one Hoyoverse gives, and premium foreign money which can be utilized to purchase shop-exclusive outfits, ranging anyplace from a $1 provide to a $50 outfit.
In the case of free-to-play generosity, that is one thing I am nonetheless feeling out. Proper now, I might wager it is someplace within the center: It is not ultra-generous, however not robbing me blind both. One thing I did admire was that, on the everlasting banner not less than (there was no restricted banner so I am unsure if it really works the identical manner), you are assured a 4-star merchandise each 10 pulls, and a 5-star merchandise each 20 pulls. The sport additionally will not feed you any duplicates till you’ve got accomplished each outfit the banner has to supply which, on the one hand, is a bummer if you happen to’re jonesing for a palette-swapped model, however it additionally signifies that for a very long time you will be getting one thing new. I am positive extra evident monetisation woes and wins will reveal themselves within the weeks post-release—it is a free-to-play gacha, it is gotta generate income someplace—however proper now it appears pretty affordable.
Regardless of the grind could also be, I will most undoubtedly be participating. Regardless of its over-easygoing nature—which I feel might have come from Infold overcorrecting itself in desirous to make an inclusive expertise—I discovered myself falling in love with Infinity Nikki. I am unable to wait to proceed to soak in its picturesque landscapes and gown up Nikki to match the vibes of wherever I’m. Finally, that is what it is about, actually. Dressing up, having enjoyable, and sharing the views with friends. I do sincerely hope Infold Video games stops being scared of constructing issues arduous, as a result of Infinity Nikki already has the groundwork laid to face up there with the gacha greats.
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The Verdict
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Infinity Nikki
What Infinity Nikki lacks in problem, it makes up for with a beautiful wardrobe and charmingly scenic world I am unable to cease poking round.
Mollie Taylor
Options Producer
Mollie spent her early childhood deeply invested in video games like Killer Intuition, Toontown and Audition On-line, which proceed to kind the pillars of her persona right now. She joined PC Gamer in 2020 as a information author and now lends her experience to put in writing a wealth of options, guides and critiques with a splash of chaos. She will be able to typically be discovered inflicting mischief in Last Fantasy 14, utilizing these experiences to put in writing neat issues about her favorite MMO. When she’s not watching her bunny woman she might be discovered sweating out rhythm video games, pretending to be good at preventing video games or spending far an excessive amount of cash at her native arcade.
