Gaming Diary: Infinity Nikki 1.9 [Music Season]

My new favorite feature: Housing Rythm Game!

While everyone was busy trying to recreate Notre-Dame de Paris, playing non-stop to compete in the building contest… I, on the other hand, was stuck in the Sea of Stars, trying to be agile with my fingers and improve my score in a rhythm game alongside four other Nikkis. I definitely wasn’t living the same experience!

This update unlocked a memory of me younger playing Osu! and being terrible at it, yet still playing just to enjoy the songs, setting aside the main goal of the game — getting the best score and increasing the difficulty. It also reminded me of another core memory from my teenage years: Vocaloid songs. At the time, I knew there was a dedicated rhythm game, but for some reason I never played it back then. Later, I completely forgot about Vocaloid. I was under the impression that I was bad at those types of games anyway, and I barely touched Osu! after that.

So when this update launched, I was curious about the rhythm game. I got greedy and tried the hardest level first — and failed miserably, of course! Then I switched to easier stages and still struggled. But slowly, I began to improve. Just like anything else, time and practice are key.

With this renewed confidence, I gave in and bought Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA Mega Mix+, and what a rollercoaster of emotions that was! I underestimated how fun it would be to play older songs I already knew — and all the songs I had somehow missed.

Rhythm games can be quite anxiety-inducing since you need to stay extremely focused, and one mistake can break your combo. At that time, I was approaching a stressful period, and I played compulsively whenever my mind went blank from stress and feeling overwhelmed with life. Having something like a rhythm game level to channel your stress into can be surprisingly cathartic. Heightened senses and fears actually serve a purpose there: they help you focus on what’s in front of you (quite literally!) instead of dealing with that diffuse, daunting feeling that something bad might happen when you’re anxious.

In the end, I even managed to snatch a perfect score! (Mind you, it was on an easy level, but I still felt incredibly accomplished lol.)

So in conclusion, I encourage you to step out of your comfort zone — even in gaming! It can build your confidence and positively impact real-life projects, or simply give you a boost when life feels a bit too hard to handle. Either way, pushing your limits in a safe way like this can truly help.

The Limited Banner

This game can be paralyzing with FOMO and the feeling that something even better will surely come out later, so I need to hold onto my crystals like Winnie-the-Pooh holds onto his honey jars before winter comes.

So I was sure of myself: I would not pull for this 5-star!

And yet, I somehow failed that resolution miserably — I ended up doing 100 pulls! And I didn’t even like the 4-stars… But my mind was set on getting that collar, and I did get it as my Ocean’s Blessing.

Even in retrospect, I don’t regret it at all. I rarely pull for makeup (and I’ve regretted skipping it before, since makeup can really enhance outfits in this game), but this one was just too good to pass up: the long glittery eyelashes, the extravagant eye makeup with a beauty mark, the fabulous lips covered in sparkles…

I was actually quite lucky with my pulls since I got the dress among the five 5-stars I obtained. Too bad I hate it! Something about the fabric and the glitter makes it difficult to dye properly, and I really dislike how it looks at the bottom. But I’m trying to appreciate it, since the gacha gods decided to bless me with it…

Momo’s Cloak

One of the highlights of this game that hasn’t been discussed nearly enough is the fabulous Momo’s Cloak that makes him look like a ballerina! I was clenching my fists during this whole patch, asking myself the forbidden question: Should I buy it or not?

After a lot of deliberation, I came to the conclusion that it wasn’t worth 300 f♥♥king stellarites — and that Infold would pay for their crimes. Why would they put such a price tag on a piece of clothing for the cat?! If Nikki doesn’t get 300-stellarite outfits that often, Momo will have to compromise too!

It didn’t help that this masterpiece was literally the first thing you saw when launching the game, right there on the loading screen!