Infinity Nikki review: a cozy, creative, and colorful romp

Just beware of timegating and gacha systems that are likely to stymie your progress and enjoyment.

Open-world gacha game,Infinity Nikki, is the fifth entry in theNikkiseries.

The franchise, developed by Papergames / Infold Games, was previously available on mobile devices only.

The screenshot shows the player gliding through magical rings in mid-air in Infinit Nikki

Do you want to reach a distant island?

it’s possible for you to do that by passing through floating rings that are suspended in mid-air.

Need to get to the top of a mountain?

The screenshot shows the player surrounded by lush, colorful fields in Infinity Nikki

There might be a seal that could toss you over yonder.

And, yes, theres also a bike that you’re free to ride across hills and fields.

However, the main downside is that comical and silly themes also causeInfinity Nikki’snarrative arc to falter.

The screenshot shows the player’s wardrobe and clothing selection. in Infinity Nikki

However, the most glaring issue here is actually tied to the gacha system itself.

Obtaining Whimstars tends to be an effortful and enjoyable endeavor.

Aside from Whimstars, there are orbs known as Dews of Inspiration, which are vastly more numerous.

The screenshot shows the player petting a cat in Infinity Nikki

These are given to a friendly dragon named Kilo the Cadenceborn, who then provides you with extra attires.

gold) and a Dig Pear Pal panel where you passively earn items after enough hours have elapsed.

After all, this is meant to be a cozy game, right?

The screenshot shows the player standing on a flying paper crane in Infinity Nikki

Coincidentally, certain foes, including bosses, have relatively simple, repetitive, and easily telegraphed attack patterns.

Combat is unchallenging to a fault that its something I tuned out most of the time while exploring.

To clarify, theres already content that causes you to use up energy.

The screenshot shows the Advanced Courses menu where the player can increase their Stylist Rank in Infinity Nikki

This and other magical modes of transport made exploration more rewarding.

Daily Wishes, as the term implies, come from the daily tasks you complete.

1,100, 1,600, 2,100 points, and so on).

The screenshot shows the player facing a boss named the Caged Greed in Infinity Nikki

A good example was when I encountered a progress-blocking bug as part of a quest.

Timegating also extends to Insights, which are gathering and combat-specific tallies.

Initially, I thought that these systems were put in place to combat gaming addiction.

Should you play Infinity Nikki?

Dont expect a challenge from most enemies and bosses.

Infinity Nikkidoesnt have much in the way of accessibility features.

Lastly, theres an option to respawn Nikki in case she gets stuck in the environment.

I playedInfinity Nikkion aTCLP755 TV at4Kresolution and mostly high tweaks.

Mygaming PChas anNvidia GeForce RTX 3080 GPU,Intel Core i9-10900K CPU, and 32GB of RAM.

First reviewed November/December 2024.