While it may come as a bit of a surprise to many to learn that Infinity Nikki is the fifth game in the Nikki series, it certainly came as a surprise to me. The first four games were released for Android and iOS, as was this new game, but for the first time also for PC and PlayStation. It is without a doubt the most ambitious game in the series.
Infinity Nikki is a free, feel-good, semi-open world Gatcha RPG starring the girl Nikki. Before she goes to her prom, Nikki goes to the attic of her parents' house to find a prom dress. Suddenly she hears a noise coming from an old closet at the other end of the attic and finds a magical red dress. The dress grabs Nikki and they dance together, and when the dance is over, Nikki has put on the dress and in true Narnia style, she is sucked into the closet and into the magical world of Miraland.
A story of friendship, good and evil, dreams, wishes and, last but not least, beautiful clothes unfolds here. The story is told somewhat naively, but not childishly and with respect for adults. I didn't think this type of game, with a thick layer of sugar all over it, would be right for me, but Infinity Nikki is surprisingly well made and a great feel-good, chill-out RPG in its own right.
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Infinity Nikki is a dress-up game, meaning that the dresses and outfits in the game are a central part of the game. Nikki is a “stylist” who has the ability to create “skill suits”, magical and beautiful dresses with different characteristics. They allow you to travel long distances or approach shy animals to brush and pet them. There are 30 of these “Skill Suits” and they all give Nikki access to new areas and new opportunities in the magical world of the game.
To make these important clothes, you'll need to collect Whimstars, magical stars – yes, there's a lot of magic here. When you unlock the dress or outfit (because it's not just about dresses), you will receive an “outfit sketch” where you can see what resources you need to find and use to finally create the dress or outfit and her then use.
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You could say that there are two layers of dresses and outfits for Nikki. There are the skill outfits we just talked about that you can only see on Nikki when she wears them. As she runs around the landscape searching for resources, completing tasks and side quests, and participating in various mini-games, she wears costumes and clothes that you can freely design. These outfits consist of all sorts of things from shirts, pants, long dresses, short dresses, hats, shoes, necklaces, earrings, headbands, bracelets, bangles, socks, skirts, accessories and much more, so there is sure to be an outfit that you will like and that you can attract Nikki.
So far, so good. From here on out, things get a little more complicated and not as enchanting as Nikki and her magical world. First of all, you can feel the roots of mobile platforms, because the game is full of daily quests, daily unlocks and daily rewards, as well as many connected systems that encourage the player to come back every day.
In addition, the game has no less than 5-7 different currencies (depending on how you count them, but there are a lot), and all of them provide access to various things in the in-game store, menus and around around the game world. These currencies can be exchanged between each other and many of them can also be purchased with real money, with different prices and packages.
There are many unlock systems, reward systems, urgency systems, and currencies that overlap to provide access to many different things. At first it's quite confusing and the many detailed menus can be overwhelming. Unfortunately, you can't ignore all of these things as they are obviously necessary to unlock clothes, items and coins that are important for progressing in the game.
It would be unfair to complain about in-game sales and reward systems in a free-to-play game, and that's not what I'm doing. It's more because of their numbers. As expected, you're constantly reminded that there's something in the in-game store you can use, and the game constantly taps you on the shoulder and says, “Hey, check this out!” Or… this one!” You can play without spending real money, but then you have to be prepared to commit to a time-consuming task and I feel like at some point you'll hit some kind of paywall because it's almost impossible is to earn the resources You have to create exactly the dress that will allow you to progress in the game. But I haven't experienced it yet.
So it's not so much the constant pat on the back that's a problem, but rather the number of systems connected and the number of currencies, which are just so numerous and complex that they can seem like a barrier at first glance . It's a shame, because behind all of these systems lies a really entertaining and wonderful feel-good game that I personally would have paid for if it had been released as a paid game instead of a free-to-play game.
Infinity Nikki is a really beautiful game. Miraland is a magical place with many beautiful areas, cities and open spaces, and the many dresses and costumes in the game are really well designed. The numerous menus are also really nice, which is good because you will spend many hours with them. The soundtrack and soundtrack fit the feel-good atmosphere perfectly and there is not a hint of anything controversial or offensive in the storyline, graphics or soundtrack.
However, there is one final thing that could almost completely ruin the game for me, but may not matter for others. That doesn't change the fact that it's a big mistake that this particular feature isn't in the game, and I'm talking about the ability to play with the Y-axis (and/or X-axis) inverted). I always play with the Y-axis reversed, but here that's not possible and I can have a lot of fun with it; Luckily, Infinity Nikki isn't a game that requires quick reactions, but a feature like this is obviously a must in games by 2025.
Infinity Nikki is easily recommended and a game you should download and try out. It's pretty, charming, there are lots of activities and entertainment in the big world and a real game to feel good and enjoy. However, one must be aware of the enormous number of systems and currencies that almost constantly try to extort the player's money, and it is true that they exist, but there are many. You have to be very aware of it.
