Infinity Nikki Review > 자유게시판

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Was there ever a moment when you ended up sinking way too much time into the Hostess Dress-up mechanic in Yakuza 0 ? Or here's a better one: Have you ever played any of those Barbie games from the PS2 era?

Well, if both of those scenarios fit you as they did for me, then surely you must've heard of Infinity Nikki , an open-world adventure game about living your dream of being a cozy fashionista. Well, for the most part.

Growing up with female family members and a mom constantly talking about fashion trends and dresses, you tend to develop a knack for ensuring your video game character's fit is the most eye-catching.

Whether it's constantly fiddling with the Transmog options in Destiny 2 or browsing through various armor sets to mix and match my Fashion Souls in Elden Ring , appearance and customization are my guilty pleasures in games.

Despite how much it fulfilled that feeling, given Infinity Nikki's Gacha elements and mobile game catering, you'll be inclined to know just how good it is. Well, thankfully, you came to the right place.

Destined To Be Isekai'd

The premise of Infinity Nikki is as Isekai anime as it gets, with our titular protagonist Nikki and her companion Momo being suddenly transported to the magical world of Miraland from their attic.

It's pretty simple, and if you've played games like Genshin Impact , then you'll largely be familiar with how the prologue works by introducing you to the basics, some of the important characters, and helping you get on your feet in the first few hours.

Now, I'll be honest: with a game like Infinity Nikki, its strongest element is the gameplay features. That isn't to say the narrative's bland or anything; the game does a fairly good job of making you invest in its cutesy world and charming cast of characters.

I mean, you can happily browse through the countless lore tidbits and flavor text scattered throughout the world since they have put effort into their writing, but again, it's completely optional, and I wouldn't blame you for skipping them.

Nikki's main task in Miraland is to gather and piece together the miracle outfits so she can save the world from impending evil. Obviously, with these games, that kind of main narrative is often put on the back burner, with teases and major bits uncovered occasionally.

So, instead, a majority of your time will be spent just going through the world's storyline bit by bit, getting to know the characters that populate Miraland and its various regions, and solving different mysteries that come your way.

For the most part, the whimsical characters and playful world are intriguing enough to keep you invested for the initial hours, especially with the beginning chapters as you go about solving a case related to people being comatose.

But as intriguing as it is, it perhaps lacks the depth needed to be a mainstay Gacha game in a competitive market. So, I hope for the sake of longevity that the team has a narrative roadmap in place to keep adding to this strong foundation brick-by-brick.

A Song Of Fashion And Exploration

On the surface level, Infinity Nikki's gameplay is eerily similar in scope to Breath of the Wild . And before you call it a clone, it makes sense since BOTW's director, Kentaro Tominaga, is the lead on the development.

The game is marketed as a cozy adventure, so don't expect heavy combat besides the main mechanic of cleansing away the hostile Esselings or a couple of boss fights, mostly puzzle-oriented like the rest of the game.

Right out of the gate, you can explore and adventure across the open-world landscape of Miraland at your pleasure, with various puzzles, hidden collectibles, and even a few dungeons.

But here's where that oversaturated open-world gameplay formula feels somewhat refreshing, at least in Infinity Nikki. Many mechanics and activities require you to use your dresses, which have unique abilities.

You may wonder what's so unique about that, but given that you need to collect Whimstars out in the wild, obtain sketches of the outfits, and then craft them, it's a fun and somewhat rewarding gameplay loop that kept me hooked for the 20+ hours I played.

The abilities for the dresses range from grooming animals and catching fish to even an Electrician to help you solve circuit wire puzzles. This only gets better and better as you unlock more of the world to explore, thus, more activities to use your outfits on.

Exploration is key here because you really can't (and shouldn't) rush the story. There will be times when Nikki will require a certain Stylist level or craft a dress to progress the main story quests, the former of which is done via the Pear-Pal tablet's Courses section.

This tablet is similar to the Paimon Menu from Genshin Impact in that you can access the other progression mechanics. With the Courses I mentioned, it's one of the many features that tracks your milestones and other miscellaneous thresholds you complete in the game.

You've also got the Factions, which allow you to check up on the various Stylist Guilds and their relationship with each other; the Compendium, a tracker for your clothes and wardrobe stuff; and Mira Level, essentially your account level.

These features resemble Hoyoverse's titles on paper, and you're right to assume that. While this game has its own Gacha elements, I wouldn't say they're too integral or necessary to engage with, so you can easily play this game on its own whim.

My Dress-Up Darling

Infinity Nikki's dress-up parts are arguably its highlight, and quite honestly, they make it stand out in a genre that doesn't have mass appeal or one that doesn't cater to mainstream audiences.

You can customize Nikki from the Wardrobe menu with a plethora of options, from full outfits, accessories, footwear, makeup, hairstyles, and even makeup adjustments. The intricacy and seemingly endless possibilities make it such a nice gesture for fans who love the genre.

While you can use any of your ability outfits for customization, you can also get wardrobe items through other means like side/world quests, browsing the various vendors in Miraland, and even completing puzzles or minigames out in the wild.

But if, and only if, you want to take it a step further, then comes the Gacha mechanic of this game. Like any other game with this feature, you can wish on a permanent or Event banner, giving you a chance to get rare and exclusive wardrobe items.

And with this game, you can thankfully select which outfit you want to chase after with the Tidal Guidance mechanic. To make it a little more incentivizing, the game gives you accessory boxes at different wish levels via the Deep Echoes system.

Just in case, I'll say upfront that the outfits you get from here are not overly pay-to-win, nor do they give you any gameplay advantage. They're strictly cosmetic flair, which is on brand with the game as a whole, and even a few outfits can be used as new ability costumes.

Now, whichever main outfit you make, you must keep in mind the personality traits of your look: Elegant, Sweet, Fresh, Sexy, and Cool. Each adjusts itself based on your clothing items and contributes to the Stylist's battles against other Guild members.

Obviously, the better the clothing items are, the better the rating you get. That isn't to say it's pay-to-win or anything to use your 5-star outfits, since you can get relatively good Stylist battle ratings via your usual clothing stuff just fine.

Once you fill up your wardrobe with full outfits, you can also upgrade them to unlock additional color variants and boost their main trait stat. This, in turn, creates an engaging cycle where you occasionally alter Nikki's looks to suit your ideal preference.

Of course, if you want to showcase those idealistic fashion goals, you can capture model snapshots of Nikki with a detailed photo mode, which is only further expanded with new filters and poses if you level it up with the upgrade components.

C'mon Nikki, Let's Go Party

The beautiful visuals of Infinity Nikki are powered by Unreal Engine 5, with an in-house clothing simulation system as the cherry on top. It puts together a wonderful display of photo-realistic visuals for the characters and world while not being overly demanding.

At a high setting preset with only the Shadows set medium, there were little to no stutters or issues with the 60FPS framerate on my 3060Ti, so I imagine it should run without any glaring hindrances, which is to my surprise, considering the power of the UE5.

Now, as much as I've been all sunshine and rainbows in this discussion and how the game paints it out to be, you may still be on the fence about trying this out despite all the similarities it shares with the world design and, of course, the Gacha mechanics.

Despite how the overworld in Miraland may feel empty at times compared to what it's marketed to be, I'm glad most of the puzzles, minigames, or secrets you encounter are worth your time, for the most part.

While the game's storytelling isn't anything special to write home about, I'm glad the gameplay aspect is full of richness that contrasts with the InfiniteWarmthZone Warmth Game's rare moments of dullness when playing the main storyline.

And as long as you can forgive some parts of that main narrative questline, it honestly makes Infinity Nikki's entire experience feel like the ideal cozy adventure you need to play when trying to relax on a weekend afternoon.

Closing Comments:

Infinity Nikki is a delightful dress-up experience worth checking out on a whim. Its creative gameplay provides countless opportunities to create a perfect look for Nikki with near-limitless clothing options and accessories. While the open world may sometimes feel bland, the various activities and puzzles you discover pull the engagement levels back. Even during its uninteresting story beats, it'll surprise you with an awe-inspiring set-piece that'll make you adore the quality and effort put into its details. If it continues to expand the charming world of Mira even further with new story arcs and events, it'll surely be a top-notch adventure title that isn't too dependent on the controversial Gacha elements.