Thursday’s PlayStation State of Play kicked off the fleet of direct-to-player showcases happening this June with several long-awaited trailers and updates, including a first look at gameplay for Infinity Nikki — a fashion-themed open-world RPG that expands on the characters from the popular mobile games, including Love Nikki and Shining Nikki.
The game doesn’t have a release date yet, but developer Papergames announced at State of Play that testing will begin in Q3 of 2024. The trailer includes tons of elements to get excited about: incredibly sharp AAA-level graphics, whimsical settings and costumes, and pastel-washed puzzles and challenges. Plus the game will be available on PS5 as soon as it’s released.
But folks might be even more excited about Infinity Nikki after watching clips from IGN reporter Daniel Robson’s three-hour demo of the game. Robson’s preview includes tons of exciting artwork and cutscenes from the game, but the glowing review of the gameplay is what will likely get both Legend of Zelda players and Love Nikki fans excited to get their hands on this for themselves.
:format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25473059/Screenshot_2024_05_31_at_4.38.14_PM.png)
Image: Infold/Papergames
Robson says players will be able to customize the lead character’s outfits to a degree that rivals Animal Crossing: New Horizons, and then use a high-powered in-game camera to shoot cute photos of them. You’ll have plenty of opportunities to enjoy the sun-bleached landscape (as Robson calls it “Hyrule as interpreted by Studio Ghibli”) from your perch on a magical glider, ride your bike through the countryside, and use your tools to catch materials for crafting new clothes and items.
The cheek-pinching cuteness of the game doesn’t take away from its weight as a challenging and engaging game, though (a dynamic other cozy open-worlds often suffer from, in my opinion). Robson reports that the Zelda-like puzzles and “shrines” are challenging without being frustrating, and well worth the payoff at the end — stunning animations that show off the level you’ve just beat.
There’s also some combat, including battles with monsters and other creatures that drop materials you can use to sketch and craft new outfits. The game will also eventually include online features, but IGN reported they won’t be available at launch.
As aforementioned, Infinity Nikki developers say it’ll be ready for testing around July 2024, and it’ll debut on PS5 at launch. IGN previously reported that the game will also be available on PC, Xbox Series X, iOS, and Android, but the developers haven’t released an official full list of consoles.
