Infinity Nikki is a cozy gacha AAA that doesn’t skimp on mobile

The year’s end is fast approaching, with the last few game releases for 2024 trickling out. One such game has intrigued us with its launch, and it’s decent enough to clean the dust off your mobile controller. Infinity Nikki is out globally and has reached hype beyond expected, as the game received over 30 million pre-registrations in the buildup to its launch. You can download it now across Android, iOS, PC (Epic Game Store), and PlayStation.

Infinity Nikki is an open-world single-player-driven adventure title with dress-up gacha gameplay, published by Infold Games (a global publisher of Papergames). The development team is composed of veterans who worked on previous Nikki installments, including Kentaro Tominaga, who was the game designer for Nintendo’s Game of the Year, Breath of the Wild. If you’re familiar with other popular open-world works like Genshin Impact and Wuthering Waves, Infinity Nikki should appeal with its addictive puzzle and heavy exploration style

What to expect from Infinity Nikki’s story

It’s standalone, so no need to play previous entries

We recorded some gameplay so you can see the game in action on an Android device

Infinity Nikki sets players off to Miraland, a world suffering from a corrupted curse. In Miraland, fashion is power, and to solve various crises, you play as Nikki and her cat-like companion, Momo, who both get pulled into Miraland after touching an outfit. Nikki and Momo venture to save Miraland with their new-found fashionista powers. The game is also a standalone title from the previous Nikki games by Papergames. Though, it does take place in the same universe.

Infinity Nikki is a cozy cosmetic-based gacha

It brings more than eye candy to the table

You’ll want to earn style points and dressing contests to overcome the corruption threatening Miraland. Your power is in your clothes. So, instead of summoning for new characters and weapons, you’re gambling on cosmetics. Gachas often have the downside of being too greedy, where many require a serious grind if you plan to play without paying.

A cinematic that should provide a good idea of the polish on offer

The upside of Infinity Nikki is that it emphasizes exploration and breathtaking environments that look downright illegal to not packaged into a $50 game. The game is fully running on Unreal Engine 5, giving the 3D assets a huge glowup compared to its other mobile-only titles. Even if the game is seemingly beautiful on the outside, it can be hard to ignore the gacha elements — as there are legitimate concerns that this is another multi-platform mobile title looking to make a quick money grab with something flashy. But after playing a good bit of the game after its release, I’m happy to report that Infinity Nikki follows AAA standards with all of its content, much like Genshin Impact and Wuthering Waves, meaning there’s plenty you can enjoy without spending a dime.

Infinity Nikki also offers full cross-platform availability, making cross-saving between platforms possible; players wishing to dip between platforms won’t have to worry about starting over from scratch. You won’t lose your favorite outfits if you swap from mobile to PC, for example, but it does require binding your account to a login method or using Infold Games. Players looking to re-roll may want to use this option after they’ve finalized their accounts. Otherwise, swapping between versions is seamless.

Infinity Nikki is incredibly ambitious for Android

If you don’t mind gacha, this is a game that shouldn’t be missed

Infinity Nikki is incredibly ambitious, and I am all for it. It doesn’t recycle the exact same formula as other successful open-world titles — nor does it depend on twitch combat gameplay to drive the entertainment. It’s a much more chill, attractive exploration title laced with a guilty pleasure outfit collection system. The game launching as a gacha may deter some from playing, but thankfully, most monetization is optional, and the premium currency is always attainable if you’re willing to put in the work. Infinity Nikki is a great game to while away to end the year, especially with Christmas and the need to spend gobs of money directly around the corner; it’s nice to have a freebie that’s worth checking out.