Infinity Nikki, the long-awaited open world spin-off of the Nikki mobile dress-up games, has debuted to rave reviews, with some even calling it a Genshin Impact rival, in its approach to adventuring and exploration.
Ahead of launch, there was plenty of doubt around this upcoming game, largely as the Nikki series had, to date, been more of a gacha-based dress up series, with lighter elements of lore creeping into its many adventures. Infinity Nikki aimed to chart a bold new avenue for the series, with a massive open world, hundreds of collectable outfits, and a more ambitious story.
Based on its early reviews, the game has been incredibly success in this experiment. Across a variety of reviews, Infinity Nikki has been called a revelation, with many praising its deep and rewarding exploration, as well as its dazzling suite of outfits, and its light-hearted story.
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Here’s the full review roundup, to get a better picture of how Infinity Nikki has been received so far.
IGN – 9/10
In a review for IGN, critic Carli Velocci praised the growth of the Nikki series, and how its major features have been adapted in Infinity Nikki. Velocci was particularly impressed by the game’s sense of beauty and style, and just how much there is to do in its world.
“Infinity Nikki is the ultimate evolution of the incredibly successful series that came before it. It is the peak free-to-play dress-up game, and while it’s still full of a few too many currencies and all the gacha pulls you’d expect from its mobile roots, it’s all in service of building a gorgeous, gigantic wardrobe worth getting excited about,” Velocci said.
Eurogamer – 4/5
Writing for Eurogamer, reviewer Jessica Orr labelled Infinity Nikki a true competitor to miHoYo’s Genshin Impact / Honkai Star Rail / Zenless Zone Zero mobile monopoly, thanks to its sprawling open world, its unique focus on fashion, and its level of detail. Orr noted a real sense of joy in the adventure, and labelled its story “endearingly silly” and “brilliantly absurd.” These vibes significantly buoyed Orr’s time with the game.
“If nothing else, it sure is nice see miHoYo have some proper competition for once, and I know I’ll still be returning to Miraland whenever I’m in need of a mood boost, whether that be in the form of humming along to catchy tunes while Whimcycling my way towards hot air balloons, or laughing at the melodrama in future story updates,” Orr wrote.
Digital Trends – 7/10
Over on Digital Trends, reviewer Giovanni Colantonio praised the style of Infinity Nikki, as well as its rich world-building, “approachable” gameplay, and the amount of things to do. While he was less enamoured by the game’s microtransaction system and its “boilerplate” world design, he was still impressed by the adventure, and its sense of delight.
“It turns out that even I’ve been dying for something like this, too; my time with Infinity Nikki has been nothing but joyful so far,” Colantonio said. “I smile every time I groom an undiscovered animal and watch it happily bound around as I do so. I can’t stop hunting for Whimstars, taking me to hidden caves full of secret outfit pieces. Even just the act of softly gliding through the air on a magical flower is a meditative act thanks to smooth movement.”
TechRadar – 4/5
TechRadar reviewer Jason Rodriguez shared similar feelings about the game’s positive, joyful vibe, praising its “vibrant” world design, “quirky” mechanics, and its rewarding exploration. While he did criticise time-gating and overt gacha elements, as well as a lacklustre combat system, these weren’t enough to dampen enjoyment, or make Infinity Nikki‘s world feel less spectacular.
“Infinity Nikki’s themes and cartoony designs tend to be bright, vibrant, and vivid, as though the whole experience is meant to be a joyful celebration,” Rodriguez wrote. “Even the theme song performed by Jessie J, ‘Together Till Infinity,’ which plays whenever I launch the game, is so upbeat that I can’t help but tap my feet to the tune. But what makes the world truly come to life is the use of various environmental features to aid in traversing these aforementioned regions.”
Those keen to jump into Infinity Nikki for themselves will be able to experience everything this game has to offer from 5 December 2024 (1:00 pm AEDT). The game will be free, with microtransactions, and is set to be available on PlayStation 5, as well as PC and mobile (iOS and Android) devices.
