Dear Nikki Dress Up Queen was the essential styling game for mobile gamers for Years. It has had a dedicated following since its original release, with gamers drawn to the customization and depth of dressing up options coupled with deep role-playing mechanics. It was originally released in China in 2015, with an international release in 2017.
Though I’ve spent years building a huge closet Dear Nikki, I was also eager to continue with the sequel, Shiny Nikki. It has been out in China and elsewhere for some time, but it wasn’t released internationally until this month. It happened so quietly that until this week I didn’t even know it happened, and I’m so glad it’s here. It is
Fashion is a major attraction for Shiny Nikki, the main narrative is both important to showcase these outfits and a compelling role play. Side quests, challenges, text adventures, loops and handicrafts are integrated in these systems. The story is complicated and lengthy, but it’s not difficult to follow: Nikki is destined to save the world by the power of her outfits. The route to get there doesn’t involve bullets or physical combat, but it turns out it involves weapons!
One of the early story missions begins with a woman pulling a gun on a confused Nikki who has lost her memory. That’s exactly the moment I knew I was going to enjoy it Shiny Nikki just like i loved it Dear Nikki.
Shiny Nikki spruced up the menu systems and user interface a bit – although it’s still incredibly dense and confusing – and improved the graphics, it’s still the series I fell in love with. It’s still insane to say the least.
A few missions later (with memory regained) the story turns again: Now I have to make my own weapon, a pistol called the Snownight Hawk. Here is his description:
Before Snownight could fire the last round of her magazine, a scarlet bloom bloomed over her chest.
The story vaguely concerns some military at this point, but I am commissioned to make this weapon to impress an eight-year-old girl who wants to see me in a cool outfit. And how could I deny her that? My cool outfit that the girl liked is at the top of this story. Judge for yourself.
Apparently, this isn’t the only extremely detailed weapon in the Shiny Nikki. I saw a photo of an in-game assault rifle on social media, but I’ve yet to see how that fits into the story. But I can’t wait to find out. Shiny Nikki is a fashion game, yes. But it’s also chaos. Darkness. Destruction. Nice clothes. Elaborate hairstyles. And weapons too.