There was a lot of anticipation for this new update since it was among the bigger ones: a double 5-stars banner, a brand-new map to explore (and the first one to be accessible from the Sea of Stars)… Like other players I felt both excitment and a bit fear, as the 1.5 update left quite an impression when it first launched, and it was the only big update that we’ve gotten so far. But I was still quite optimistic and even felt the urge to watch the livestream to catch glimpses of what was to come— in Chinese mind you!

The new zone

Danqing Island is a stunning new location and offers a lot of new picturesques sceneries that makes for perfect photo spots. Unlike Serenity Island in 1.5 which felt a little bit too similar to the Abandonned District, Danqing Island was a true discovery— from the new NPCs models to the environment assets. It rekindled my love for exploring that I first felt when the game first launched. I even bit the bullet and bought a new graphic card to get the best experience out of it!

Collecting Whim Jades and Danqing Jade Souls is still as addictive as ever. I feel like they overdid it a bit because they were quite a lot of them but there’s no real pressure to collect them all (aside from the limited event that rewards for gathering a portion), so you can take it at your own pace.

The story

I loved the first chapter of the story, it felt really omnious and had a dark-tone that took me by surprise even knowing how the Nikki franchise can quickly turn creepy. It’s also the first time where we see Nikki traverse to another timeline through the Sea of Stars and have recollection of past memories. It still a bit confusing for me, but at least it made the Sea of Stars a little bit more personal. Since the 1.5, it’s just been a place to quickly do our dailies and franckly it felt a bit lifeless. Some days I was dreading going there because it was too lonely and depressing. Either you seem like the only one online, or you meet new Nikkis but can’t even see their outfits or faces! It would be nice if each update bring something new to this area. The first day of the patch, there were a lot more players around and it was genuinely fun to see this surge of activity. It really felt like a special day, and I loved it!

Finishing the chapter 2, I must say that I got lost a bit on the plot. I figure at this point that the writing style can be a little too convulated for my taste. I always feel like I’m missing something— not because I’m inattentive, but because of how the story is presented. Still, I really enjoyed it. I just wish that they would tone down a bit on the “go talk to X” objectives, because these are not fun! At one point, you have to talk to three different static scrolls, other times at drawings that are barely animated. These interractions tested my patience and the dialogue didfn’t feel worthwhile enough to justify it. So maybe I’m really distracted after all…

The limited outfits

I didn’t pull for any of the 5-stars banners because I’m not a fan of the Linlang-inspired style and I can’t see myself using the pieces with other outfits and mix matching them. But that’s not a negative thing for me since I really splurged during the 1.7 and needed this break! But I made a mistake by pulling for the 4-stars outfit Roaming Sword… I really felt like I needed it solely for the hair (which came last of course) and the mask, but when I completed the outfit I just felt a sense of regret… It’s not a nice feeling to have in a game where ressources are so spare but that’s inevitable to make some mistakes. And I still believe that with the right pieces, I will be super glad to have pulled for it! (at least I’m trying to reframe my splurging in a positive way…)

The highlight of the patch

It’s hard to point one thing in particular, but if I had to choose one thing that stuck out to me it would be the new chessboard minigame. I’m usually a sucker for this kind of thing, but here I just gave up. Even during the tutorial I had to get help from the assistant. I tried to search for another Nikki to play with, but I think that we collectively rejected this game since I couldn’t find anyone! I beg of you, Infold: never release a game like this ever again! Why do you always have to trick us with incredibly hard and brain-twisting puzzles like this minigame and the mazes in 1.6…

My favorite outfit

I’m really glad that I pulled for the Tides of Tears 1st evolution just to get new dye palettes. The sleeves are so versatile and look so pretty with everything, like this dress even with the clipping! Even though I didn’t get the new 5-stars outfits, I felt right on theme for Danqing Island with this lovely dress from the Starlit shop.

The next patch

I wasn’t expecting the Stardew Valley collaboration at all! In fact, I didn’t even think of a collaboration outside of outfits ones. But now that I’ve been thinking about it, we did get one with the Sichuan Green Foundation… I wasn’t all that invested in the idea of a home update. I’m not a Sims player partially because creating my house and laying out furnitures really overwhelms me. But after watching the Epic Game trailer, I suddenly got really excited! This will mark the end of our little duo being homeless, which brings warmth to my heart. Nikki is always the one helping everyone and their mother, yet she doesn’t even have a house to return to. But this will soon end thanks to this next update. Maybe Momo will even get his own BBQ…

And this new feature looks truly high quality and magical. It almost feels too good to be true to have this level of housing customization in a F2P game. Sometimes I still get these sudden bursts of realization about how, if you want to, you can play completely F2P and still enjoy such a gorgeous world and stunning graphics. As for this update, what excites me most is the idea of capturing and collecting furniture!

This update motivated me to do an unsual thing: prepare outfits for the occasion! I’m now ready to harvest crops and design my home and take pictures of furnitures in the outer world. The residents of Miraland are never out of surprise when it comes to Nikki, they saw her wandering with huge ballgowns and now they will see her take pictures of chairs and tables…