In the running for Game Of The Year, a new contender has recently risen from the midst. Released just this month on Dec. 5, Infinity Nikki is an open-world, free-to-play adventure game entirely themed around dressing up. I’ve been playing the game for about a week now, and I definitely have a few things to say about it–so let’s dive in!
Style competitions
In Infinity Nikki, you can collect a bunch of different outfits. Whether you craft them, they’re gifted to you, or you buy them with in-game (or real-life) currency. Specific outfits are called ‘ability outfits’, and by using them you can do all sorts of things. For example, the ‘floating outfit’ makes you float. The ‘purifying outfit’ is a combat outfit of sorts. So on, so forth. But, one of the main uses for collecting all of these clothing outfits is a game feature called ‘style competitions.’
In these competitions, you have what is essentially a ‘diva off’. Between you and an in-game NPC: Whoever can accumulate the most points by wearing the best outfit for the theme wins! There are also style competitions with ‘bosses’ within the games, who are called ‘sovereigns’. They are all based around a specific clothing type, for example, the first sovereign is called the ‘sovereign of cool’. To beat her you have to harness the power of ‘cool’ outfits! While the sovereigns are not the only NPCS you can fight in outfit competitions, they’re the most fun.
A fresh look at open-world games.
For many years, I’ve struggled with finding good open-world games that cater to my specific taste. Like a lot of cozy gamers out there, I prefer gaming to be a relaxing experience rather than a stressful one where I’m overwhelmed with rage due to not being able to defeat a boss. (Looking at you, Elden Ring…) Compared to Infinity Nikki, whose beautiful sights and inventive combat system are relaxing and not stressful at all, but still provide challenges… It’s a breath of fresh air.
I would also like to mention that this game is very feminine. Although any gender can play Infinity Nikki, it’s also nice to see a gaming company cater to their feminine audiences who are painfully underrepresented in the gaming community. Having a compassionate, female main character who is intelligent and level-headed is also lovely… Especially since open-world games with female main characters are hard to come by.
My Favorite Game Mechanics
Animal Grooming: Inifinity Nikki has a lot of unique features that are wildly popular with its players.
For me, one of my favorite features is ‘animal grooming.’ Which allows you to equip an animal-themed ability outfit, and pet / groom the animals located around the world. Not only are the interactions extremely cute, but they’re also very useful! Grooming animals allows you to collect their fur/feathers, which is used in creating new outfits to wear.
Taking photos: Infinity Nikki has a unique photo-taking system, which includes a lot of fun filters you can use in-game to enhance your photos. Although Infinity Nikki is generally a single-player game, if you upload your photos then others can view them and take photos with your character! There’s also an in-game liking system, and you can upgrade your cameras to get new poses, filters, and more!
Why is it so popular?
Dress-up games, especially in the early 2000s, have always been popular. I remember booting up my old Dell laptop to go on Girls Go Games and find whatever princess dress-up game I could find. With that in mind, and also the more recent popularity of ‘dress to impress’, a Roblox dress-up game that has accumulated a passionate fan base and collaborated with famous influencers it’s no surprise that Infinity Nikki has gained 20 million downloads within the first week of release.
Overall Game experience?
For people who love dress-up games, or beautiful open-world experiences, I recommend Infinity Nikki. The combat system is fairly easy to grasp, the game is incredibly detailed, and you’ll find yourself playing for hours.
