Gaming Diary: Infinity Nikki 2.0 [Terra’s Call]

I was really excited for the release of this patch, as it marked the 1st year of the game and a whole new map. Excited to the point that I woke up at 4AM to be able to play as early as possible. What I didn’t include in my plan — even when I felt prepared enough and actually downloaded the patch in advance — was how long it would take me to fully download everything and actually be able to join the game. I also deeply underestimated how tired I would be, and ended up being cranky the whole day and taking like 3 super fast naps. Truly one of the weirdest day I’ve experienced! I felt like a child waiting for Christmas, and as a grown-up, this isn’t a feeling that I got to experience that often. Each patch is like a dopamine festival, with all the announcements and beautiful new outfits. But this 2.0 was truly something else!

Everyone was afraid of how the servers would handle this new massive expansion, after the infamous 1.5 update. Will our Nikki lose her hard earned diamonds? Will we be able to even enter the game? And unexpectedly, the launch was actually almost flawless. I haven’t seen any compliments or remarks about it on social medias, and it’s a shame because we have to give Infold the flowers they are due here.

This was also the second anniversary of Nikki, which came just a few days after my own. Because the island was decorated for Nikki’s birthday, I ended up taking a small photoshoot as if those gifts and balloons were placed just for me! I’m always gloomy during my birthday, so this will become a nice little tradition. It’s a bit silly but watching the livestream for Nikki’s birthday may also be another ritual. It’s a beautiful celebration where we get to see how Nikki is making an impact in real life, and as a result how our fundings into the game are being used. I can’t even be considered a dolphin by the gacha spenders standard, but it makes me happy to see how this little girly game is both making me feel connected to womanhood, and how it may actually be beneficial to great causes.

The limited banners

I was adamant at first that I would only pull for Behind Prayers because everything seemed so beautiful at first glance. And I wasn’t a fan of Born Flawless because of how monotonous it looked… Well, I completely changed my mind in the end since I ended up completing Born Flawless. From its name to its accessories, the hair, and of course the dress — everything is iconic about it. My favorite piece is the hairstyle, with this beautiful rainbow reflection and the galaxy strands. I initially didn’t like how wispy it looked, like an atrocious layering cut you’ll get after going to a bad hairdresser. But now I actually love it because it reveals the back so elegantly and it’s a nice compromise between a short hair which may look too boring and long hair that will cover most of the dress.

Every pieces work quite well with the Tide of Tears set that I also own, especially the backpiece that otherwise don’t work on a lot of other dresses.

The makeup is also in a class of its own with how etheral it makes Nikki look. I usually despise light-colored lenses since it makes Nikki look sick, but these ones somehow made her look otherworldly like no other. It’s funny how this outfit made me rethink my usual taste and styling choices!

The exploration

I haven’t finished exploring nor have I completed the story. But one of the parts of the map that striked me the most was the Coliseum, both inside and its surroundings. Everything seems so huge like there are still Titans wandering on this land and the Behemoths add a level of tension to the exploration. Wishfield felt whimsical and joyful, but here I felt exposed and weak. Infinity Nikki has already delved into more mature storytelling and dark atmospheres but I deeply felt it through this portion of the map.

I wasn’t excited for Itzaland at first because I didn’t understand how we could have mushrooms riding snails, it felt so random. And yet somehow when we went there it felt pretty natural. There’s a lot to love in Itzaland because of how diverse the landscapes are, which offer so many photo opportunities. Wishfield was pretty samey and even if there were some striking locations like the Swan Lake, or Queen Philomia’s castle, it doesn’t come close to the visuals of Itzaland. I still really like Wishfield because it was the perfect introduction, but I’m really impressed with what they did in this new zone.

My favorite outfit(s)

It’s hard to choose just one since I had so much fun with all the clothes that we got. I chose the first one since I used the dress from the Starry Nocturne set that I barely use. It goes nicely with the Born Flawless hairstyle which I will keep in mind for later styling sessions! And to share my love for the Born Flawless set, I selected this second outfit that looks tastefully sexy thanks to a beige dye on certain parts of the dress. Somehow, it looks like the dress is morphing into her skin which I found both beautiful and kind of scary!

The next patch

This will be a “filler” patch before once again a dual-banner and the Chinese New Year’s event. Nevertheless, I’m really excited for all the reruns that are coming up! I was really stingy with my pulls, and rightly so because we didn’t really know what we may have for banners and how easy it would be to get diamonds. Now that I have a better understanding of my own tastes and what the game offers in terms of outfits, I feel more confident to spend some diamonds even though I’m always a bit scared inside because that’s just how gacha games strive…