Infinity Nikki: The First Hands-On Preview

ign.com:

At last, an open-world game that measures up – literally. On the one hand, Infinity Nikki is the console-ready follow-up to the Miracle Nikki and Shining Nikki series of dress-up games on mobile from Chinese game publisher Infold. On the other, it takes some influence from The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, with ex-Nintendo BOTW director Kentaro Tominaga as its executive producer.

And as I discovered from three hours playing a packed new demo on PC, Infinity Nikki blends the best of these two disparate worlds – and tucks a ton of surprises under its sparkly belt.

As she digs through her attic in search of an outfit for the ball, titular heroine Nikki is thrown headlong into adventure when she finds an enchanted red and purple glittering dress in a wardrobe. Dancing with the dress, it suddenly pulls her and her talking cat-like pet/BFF Momo into a fantastical, mysterious realm. There, in the bowels of a crumbling castle, Nikki meets a cursed goddess named Ena the Curator, who grants Nikki with the Heart of Infinity and all its powers, sending her to Miraland and tasking her with reviving all the Miracle Outfits to save the world from evil. It’s like The Wizard of Oz meets Final Fantasy meets Paris Fashion Week, with a healthy sprinkling of Gravity Rush and The Neverending Story for good measure.

Just like in BOTW, Infinity Nikki has an impressive sense of scale and varied locations that encourage exploration. The rolling countryside and mountain backdrop of the opening Memorial Mountains location is Hyrule as interpreted by Studio Ghibli, while the village of Florawish is idyllic and alive, drenched in colourful flowers, and bustling with NPCs who give Nikki interesting lore updates or side missions. The village’s gorgeous European architecture is dotted with collectibles such as Blings (currency) and Whimstars (skill-tree points) that reward curious explorers, and Momo is always on hand to help out – temporarily viewing the world through his eyes allows you to