✤MURO Market : Infinity Nikki✤

 Hello everyone! Today's topic is another game I've been fixated on lately - Infinity Nikki!

    Infinity Nikki is a free-to-play gacha game (from 'gachapon', it involves a game mechanic where you spend currency to obtain random items, like from a gachapon machine) based on fashion with an open world, straightforward but customizable combat, a great photography system, puzzles, a surprisingly mature and lore-rich setting, platforming, and a lot of great outfits. In this setting, stylists are able to channel the magical power of Whim through the outfits they style. This is the latest game in the Nikki franchise created by Infold Games.

I watched The Glorious Style Savvy Series (And Its Sad Little Cousin) by Li Speaks recently - and it had a brief segment in the intro about Infinity Nikki and the stereotypes of 'girl gaming'. Paraphrased, Li explains that there's a self-perpetuating cycle in the gaming industry where games marketed towards women are considered either less serious or less likely to obtain market success than other games. When this mentality affects the developers of games in that market, there's a drop in quality that then perpetuates the idea to the consumer that 'girl games' are inherently lower quality. Li Speaks makes a lot of interesting videos about the history of various 2000s media marketed at girls, if that's a subject you'd be interested in hearing about further!

    Infinity Nikki is proof that this isn't true. It's easy to brush off the story at first, seeing all the cutesy game terms and the idea of a world ran on the magic of fashion. But tucked away in side quests and books scattered throughout the world, the setting is bleak beneath its pastel-pink veneer. 

 

There's a war going on, with the Umbraso people fleeing their homeland as refugees to escape the Order of Light. Violence is alluded to and death openly discussed, though no blood is shown and there's no on-screen fighting more intense than a shove, a punch, or a scratch. The god of the setting, the Wishing One, is presumed dead and his descendants the Faewish Sprites are left without purpose. This game suggests a 13 or older player, but I would rate it as intended for 16 or older.

 

    The closest game I would compare this to is Genshin Impact by HoYoverse (formerly MiHoYo). In Genshin Impact, you craft weapons and items to make your characters stronger. In Infinity Nikki, you craft clothing items and increase each item's score in five categories - Elegant, Fresh, Sweet, Sexy, and Cool. Both games have fishing, gathering, gliding, collectibles scattered around the world to encourage exploration, and even boss battles. 

 

    I was a big fan of Genshin Impact when it came out, and I would recommend this game to most people who like the genre. The only players I think wouldn't appreciate this game are anyone who dislikes a 'cutesy' aesthetic or anyone whose main draw to games is difficult combat. Gacha mechanics can also be a point of contention for people who find them predatory.

 

That's all from me for this post! Thank you for reading and see you next time!