Infinity Nikki is Inspiring Gamers to Bond Over High Heels and Earrings 

Infinity Nikki proves that dress-up games can be just as impactful as any blockbuster title.

Seeing a feminine dress-up game being acknowledged as a “real” game is groundbreaking. Twelve years ago, when Papergames first developed the Nikki franchise, they were told that dress-up games were too niche to successfully break into the competitive gaming market. The monumental success of Infinity Nikki is proof that there is a community of gamers who want to save the world while wearing an iridescent ballgown and heels.

In Infinity Nikki, Nikki and her cat Momo embark on a journey across Miraland’s seven nations to uncover clues about the lost miracle outfits. Each of the beautiful nations have a unique landscape and fashion style. To fully explore the expansive world, Nikki relies on abilities granted through her ability outfits. The first two ability outfits that players unlock are the floating and purification abilities. These abilities help Nikki solve puzzles, perform platforming sequences, and “purify” enemies. Other ability outfits allow the player to catch bugs and—of course—fish. Materials collected while exploring can be used to craft whimsical outfits.

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As someone who spends an embarrassing amount of time on character customisation, Infinity Nikki is like a dream. There are 1000+ clothing pieces that can be added to Nikki’s wardrobe. The items you collect range from detailed lace dresses to futuristic punk hoodies. The game categorises each piece by theme: elegant, fresh, sweet, sexy, or cool. Having a fashion game that includes more than a few styles is refreshing. Going into this game, one of my largest concerns was whether players would be limited to the elegant style showcased in the trailers. The developers surprised me by allowing players complete control over Nikki’s vibe. The player can adjust everything from her hairpieces to her skin tone. Currently, the game only has three skin tone choices; however, Infold and Papergames are working on expanding the range of tones to represent their player base better. Hopefully, we will see that in the next major update!

Except for the skin tone and a couple of base outfits, all of the customisation pieces are acquired through crafting, completing quests, and gacha pulls. I recommend that players unfamiliar with gacha games read about the system before deciding if they want to spend money on additional pulls. Compared to other Gacha games, I’ve found that Infinity Nikki has been extremely generous with gifting crystals – the currency used to make pulls. I recommend following the game’s Discord or Reddit page to keep track of active codes. Other than codes, crystals are earned through story progression. It is entirely possible to play this game for free. I’ve unlocked over one hundred pieces without spending money on the game.

An overflowing amount of passion was put into developing Infinity Nikki. This incredible team consists of over one thousand people, including developers who worked on Witcher 3, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Genshin Impact. Some puzzles feel like they were plucked straight out of a Zelda shrine and plopped into an early 2000s Barbie movie. These similarities to Breath of the Wild are unsurprising considering that Kentaro Tominaga, the sub-director of Infinity Nikki, worked for Nintendo before joining Papergames.

Infinity Nikki isn’t just another Zelda-like game, though. It offers a much cosier experience than other open-world games. Infinity Nikki’s mechanics are very forgiving, making it a perfect game for players who want to enjoy low-stakes gameplay. The combat system is limited to two attacks: an auto-aimed ranged ability and a ground-pound ability. The best part is that Nikki’s health is automatically restored seconds after injury. Players can focus on exploring the endless pastures without worrying about difficult enemies waiting to ambush them.

Players are connecting with Infinity Nikki in a very special way. The game’s accessibility has drawn in a demographic of feminine gamers who haven’t felt represented by a game in this way before. There aren’t many digital spaces where high-femme individuals can express themselves so openly—especially in the gaming community. This past week, I have watched a handful of Twitch streamers play Infinity Nikki. Every channel I’ve visited has been extremely welcoming. Even people who don’t usually play/watch video games are tuning in to express their excitement about the game. It is refreshing to be part of such a positive community. I highly recommend checking out Knimbley (she/her) on Twitch and YouTube to sample the cosy vibes. I’ve only recently found her streams, yet I experienced so much warmth.

I hope that future updates will encourage more community interaction. Currently, you can connect with other players by sharing snapshots. Players can leave Nikki’s captioned selfies scattered across Miraland for other players to find. Once another player wanders across the photo, they can join in or add the player as a friend. An unexpected use has also emerged. Many players use the photo function to pass on hints for puzzles and hidden stars. Nikki is a girl’s girl, and so are the players! I feel so validated by how supportive the Nikki community is. If you want to meet some stylish friends, you can download Infinity Nikki for free on mobile, PC, and PS5. 

This dreamlike game likely won’t win Game of The Year; however, it deserves to win Miss Congeniality. Infinity Nikki has won my heart, and the hearts of millions of gamers.