In the often grey and macho world of video games, it’s refreshing to see a colourful creation that isn’t afraid to shine. Look no further than the latest head-turning adventure from developer Infold Games, Infinity Nikki. Part open-world adventure, part platformer, and all style; Infinity Nikki is an ambitious console and PC follow-up to the previously mobile-only Nikki dress-up titles, led by the ex-director of Breath of The Wild, Kentaro Tominaga.
The result? An engrossing and stylish RPG unlike anything else you’ve played. As you soar across the sky, battling the Dark Essence, trying on unforgettable magical outfits, and befriending a cast of charming animals and stylists, Infinity Nikki injects the once drab RPG genre with a flamboyant air of kawaii style.
Without further ado then, we invite you to put on your best outfit and join us as we head out on a uniquely fabulous adventure. Before you try Infinity Nikki on for size, however, we’ve got a handy list of everything you’ll need to flourish in the enchanting realm of Miraland.
Mira, Mira, on the wall…
Cleaning the attic is a task that we all delight in putting off, but as Infinity Nikki shows – they can be full of hidden wonder. Searching for an outfit to wear to the ball, our titular heroine heads into her dusty attic, where she discovers a glistening dress sitting in her wardrobe. Dancing with delight, the magical garment soon engulfs her in Whim, dragging Nikki and her adorable feline companion – Momo – headfirst into the mysterious and fantastical realm of Miraland.
While fans of the previous four Nikki adventures may expect some immediate stylish fun, what initially awaits our stylish heroine is far from the cutesy splendour of old. Awakening in a crumbling castle, the initial impression of Miraland is more gothic dungeon than kawaii kingdom, and as she hops and battles her way across the gloomy stone, she discovers an ancient goddess named Ena the Curator. Entrusting Nikki with the mysterious magic of the Heart of Infinity, she finds herself imbued with all manner of newfound powers, and she sets out on an exciting and heart-warming journey to revive Miraland’s missing Miracle Outfits and purify the corruption blighting the various regions around the world.
System(s) of a gown
Where previous Nikki games primarily tasked players with selecting cute outfits, Infinity Nikki combines fashion-based fun with a sprawling, atmospheric adventure. As Nikki and Momo battle and curtsy their way across this vast open world, players will discover a wardrobe’s worth of overlapping gameplay systems to discover.
There’s more than a touch of Ghibli and Final Fantasy to this vast and varied world, and as Nikki and Momo explore each new enchanting region and discover its unique flora and fauna, they will find magical Whimstars that allow Nikki to collect and harness the power of Whim. Whim is a power gifted to Miraland by the Gods as a way to defend against darkness. Harnessing the ancient power of Whim hidden inside each magical outfit, Nikki finds a wealth of magical abilities at her disposal.
In order to improve – and unlock – vital new abilities, Nikki will need to find Whimstars. These precious stars are obtained via everything from careful platforming, canny puzzle solving, clearing out murky dungeons or for the luckier adventurer – merely by happenstance!
Each new ability outfit will help Nikki in different ways, allowing her to interact with and react to the dynamic world around her. The Floating Outfit allows Nikki to hover gracefully, the Gliding Outfit summons a giant flower for high-altitude flights, and the Shrinking Outfit lets her sit on a comically large Momo’s head as he helps the dynamic duo explore small spaces, just to name a few.
With our glamorous heroine and her powerful new wardrobe, Nikki can harness the different abilities of each eye-catching new outfit to help her on her adventure.
Shopping with style
While a world of excitement and wonder awaits you and Nikki in Infold Games’ latest, it’s just as important to ensure Nikki looks good while saving the world. You see, not all outfits in Infinity Nikki are made for gaining magical abilities–sometimes you just wanna look good!
Infinity Nikki makes a clear distinction between ability outfits and cosmetic outfits. The ability outfits are necessary to play the game and unlock new areas and can be created using materials and Whimstars found throughout the Miraland. Cosmetic outfits are an opportunity to personalise Nikki; you can craft your very own chic creations and even complete challenges based on how thematically appropriate your style is.
While out on your journey, Nikki will discover a wealth of incredible crafting materials, ranging from everything from insects and flowers to tufts of fur from the adorable animals that populate the land. Taking the time to help out NPCs you meet on your travels will even reward you with rare crafting materials and extra blueprints that can be used to craft brand-new outfits.
You’ll also encounter a whole range of adorable little creatures on your travels, who can lend you their fur. Assuming you have the right outfit, most animals will welcome your petting (although others will make you work for it!), with many needing their fur to be trimmed and groomed. The fur can be used for crafting even more outfits – so get scrubbing those creature tooshies!
As you aim to become a fully-fledged Stylist – special individuals that can harness the power of Whim – you will meet various Stylists’ Guilds across Miraland. Dada and her younger sister Bebe are two stylists that you will encounter early on, with the siblings wanting to enlist your chic self in the Florawish Stylist Guild. There are various factions within the Stylists Guild, each offering differing stylistic quirks, and it’s up to you which you choose to join. With hundreds of individual outfits to collect – and many more to come – there’s a whole world of fashion-based fun waiting in Miraland.
Fashionable friends
Throughout your quest to rid Miraland of the Dark Essence, you will encounter an array of charming and stylish characters, including Florawish’s handsome crafting specialist Giovanni, the aspiring Wish Collector Intern Nonoy, and Kilo The Cadenceborn – an adorable blue dragon who reads you poetry. Each new region is teeming with a cast of colourful and lovable characters that you’ll be thrilled to befriend.
A fun and intuitive photo mode allows you to capture your favourite moments, snapping the gorgeous vistas you encounter, a new friend you’ve made, or the first outing of that amazing new dress you’ve worked so hard to unlock!
While Infinity Nikki is largely a single-player adventure, you will be able to connect with other players at community events that have yet to be announced – so get your best gown ready. We could tell you more, but that would spoil the fun!
Infinity Nikki will be available from December 5th, 2024 on PC, PS5, iOS, and Android.