Infinity Nikki Hands-On Preview – The New Open World Dress-Up Sensation

Infinity Nikki is a multi-platform open-world dress-up adventure game developed by Infold Games. For those who are unfamiliar with the Nikki series, they are a collection of dress-up games that has been ongoing for 12 years. They’ve recently had the closed beta for the game, limited to North America region only.

We’ve had the opportunity to test out an early access version of Infinity Nikki, so here’s a preview on what you can do in the game.

Players take on the role of the protagonist Nikki, accompanied by her partner Momo, as they embark on a new, exciting adventure across the fantastical world of Miraland. In this game, players explore mysterious realms, collect various outfits, and experience innovative gameplay mechanics, enjoying a dreamlike adventure. Without further ado, let’s jump right into it.

It’s Almost Like Narnia

The tale starts as Nikki enters a dusty attic in search of a dress for her graduation ball. Inside, she discovers a magical outfit and, to her surprise, dances with it, transporting her into a mysterious and otherworldly realm. This fairytale-like opening aligns perfectly with the enchanting theme of the Nikki series. 

In the world of Infinity Nikki, it’s clear that a lot of effort has went into it visual-wise. Upon entering Miraland, players are greeted with vast but richly detailed landscapes, including hills, streams, and snowy mountains. Most areas, aside from the distant snow-capped peaks, are accessible by foot early in the game. 

Once the tutorial has been completed, players will make their way to the first town, a beautifully crafted British-style settlement.

Gameplay

Infinity Nikki centers around dress-up gameplay, integrating elements of adventure, combat, and nurturing. Players can collect a variety of exquisite outfits and freely customize their character’s appearance, showcasing unique personal styles.

The combat system is cleverly designed, requiring players to strategically combine outfit skills to tackle various enemies and challenges. Additionally, the game offers an abundance of quests, allowing players to unlock new content and gameplay features as they explore the world.

While the game includes combat, regular enemies are generally defeated with a single hit, making combat nearly effortless. Boss battles are also not very challenging, as enemies have clear telegraphed moves and warning zones. Players can easily win by memorizing the attack patterns, making the game beginner friendly for those who don’t enjoy combat. The current combat content in Infinity Nikki is relaxed and pretty straightforward, with low difficulty and not requiring any complex skills, fitting well with the game’s overall style. Furthermore, players can ride bicycles to explore the world, take hot air balloon rides to enjoy and photograph scenic views, and control the day-night cycle through a mini-game.

Time to Spruce Up, Nikki

Dressing-up is a significant aspect of Infinity Nikki. The development team has integrated abilities such as combat, jumping, gathering, bug catching, and even fishing into the outfit attributes. Nikki’s outfit changes according to an ability being used, such as jumping or fishing, while in regular states, she wears everyday outfits chosen by the player. Functional outfits in the game can be broadly categorized into floating outfits (purification outfits) for exploration, fishing outfits (bug-catching outfits) for gathering, and special outfits for advancing the storyline.

Speaking of floating, when Nikki floats, a shadow will appear beneath her as an indicator. Additionally with her light, floating posture, it gives players more time to adjust their positioning. All core gameplay outfits are obtained through the main storyline, without the need for in-game purchases. Notably, the game’s outfit materials and accessories are crafted with fine detail.

Many of the outfits and accessories in the game require players to craft them using materials collected from various animals and plants. These materials are highlighted with glowing points. When gathering materials, Momo often hints at the presence of Whimstars nearby, allowing players to gather materials and Whimstars should they decide to do so. Combining standard open-world features like cooking, fishing, pets, and flying with outfit functionalities demonstrates Infinity Nikki’s ingenuity, enriching the gameplay experience.

Whimstars and Mini-games Galore

Scattered across Miraland in places like rooftops, mountains, and hidden corners, Whimstars provide another set of challenges. Collecting them is another core aspect of the game. These stars are used to unlock outfit blueprints or skill trees.

While some Whimstars are in tricky locations, players won’t miss them if they pay attention to Momo’s hints. Finding the location is just the beginning; some Whimstars require players to go through small obstacles to obtain them, making the collection process that much more engaging.

These mini-challenges vary widely in design, from platform jumping to puzzles and tasks like fishing or cleaning animals. While these mini-games can be challenging, they are not overly difficult as even the harder ones can be achieved after a few attempts, avoiding player frustration. Infinity Nikki’s jumping mechanics are forgiving, allowing players to perform long floating glides after double jumps. Even if Nikki’s feet slightly dip below a platform, the system still registers a successful jump, enhancing the friendly gaming experience.

Lights, Camera, Action!

Infinity Nikki offers a professional camera-like photo mode, with features allowing players to adjust:

• Aperture
• Blur effects
• Shooting Angles
• Lighting Direction
• Nikki’s Poses
• Filters

The photo mode’s design is outstanding. There’s the option to hide Nikki if players want to capture the scenic shots. The beautiful landscapes and detailed photo mode complement each other, making Nikki’s adventures feel like a purpose-free journey. There’s no rush in completing the main storyline, and players can fully enjoy the photography experience.

Verdict

Overall, Infinity Nikki showcases great ambition in its content richness, target audience expansion, and open-world design. However, there are areas that require improvement, such as the storyline, UI, and character animations. The NPC models, in particular, lack detail, with their facial models appearing rough.

Infinity Nikki is a refreshing open-world game that focuses on exploration rather than combat. The world itself is captivating and enjoyable. If combat isn’t your thing, there are plenty of other activities you can do such as fish, feed small animals, admiring the scenery, or dress Nikki up in various outfits and take photos. For those who enjoy casual adventure games, this is one of those games where you can just kick back and relax.

Infinity Nikki

Publisher: Infold Games

Developer: Infold Games

Release Date TBC

Android, iOS, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5

Infinity Nikki is an open-world dress-up game by Papergames. Join Nikki on a fantastic journey, and the power in outfits will find you a path. Miraland awaits!

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