Infinity Nikki: Closed Beta Test Hands-On Impressions

A new closed beta test for open-world dress-up game Infinity Nikki is now underway on PC and mobile. Ahead of this, IGN got to check out a whole new area of the sprawling Miraland map, playing through two fun new dungeons and a challenging boss battle, while also trying out useful new abilities that help Nikki and her faithful feline friend Momo navigate the rich open world. The new locations I visited are known as Stoneville and Stonewoods Abandoned District. They stretch westward from Wishfield, which we explored in a previous demo. In contrast to Wishfield, which was full of lush forests, these are rugged mountainous areas with exposed rocks and soaring cliffs. These characteristic cliffs are called the Stonewoods, and you can tell from the map that these lines of Stonewoods of various heights stand atop a massive lake (or maybe even an ocean). Fabric dyeing and weaving thrive in Stoneville, with bright, lavender-like flowers covering the sides of the foothills there. Here and there, I saw flower farmers who tend the materials used in dyeing busy in the fields, giving us a glimpse of life on Miraland as they carried out their work. We also saw new creatures for the first time in these areas. Take for example the Sky Monarch, a huge bird that rests in the middle of the Stonewoods. Brush it while wearing the appropriate Miracle Outfit and the tamed bird will let Nikki ride on its back through the sky. Platforming is at the center of the gameplay here, as sub-director Kentaro Tominaga told IGN in a recent interview. While it may look impossible to simply walk to the top of the Stonewoods, the area is dotted with mechanics that will help you platform there, such as large leaf trampolines all around, Catapult Seals that launch Nikki into the air, and more. You'll find it surprisingly easy to climb up high. Reach the summit and next you'll be able to see yet another Stonewoods, just beyond heavy fog. Just like any good open-world game, you may not have any idea at first how to get there, but you'll get to enjoy the time thinking about how you will. You'll find the new Floral Memory Miracle Outfit useful in areas filled with locations like this one, as it lets Nikki glide gracefully through long distances in the sky. Nikki's regular jumps can be made higher and her falling speed made slower using the previously unveiled Bubbly Voyage Miracle Outfit, but this new outfit lets you mostly maintain your height and glide for long periods of time after jumping off a tall place, similar to the paraglider in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. I tried seeing what would happen if I flew toward a distant Stonewoods like the one I just mentioned, and discovered mid-air rings that you can fly through to speed up the Floral Memory outfit’s movement, letting me approach at a fairly high speed. There were also items that extend your skill usage time floating between these acceleration rings, and Nikki had arrived at the Stonewoods that looked so far away in no time at all. Platforming becomes even more important in the Stonewoods Abandoned District, given its extreme verticality. This is because with all of the Stonewoods on the map, the flow of platforming up to a high spot, gliding down with your Floral Memory, then arriving in a new location becomes even more important. While we previously got to experience plenty of fun exploration, varied outfits, a full-featured photo mode and more in Wishfield, these new areas were even more of an expression of what makes Infinity Nikki special as an open-world platformer. We didn't see any humans in the harsh environment of Stonewoods Abandoned District, but what do live there are fabric-covered ghost-like creatures, or spirits of clothes. Their village has a little bit of a Halloween vibe, a not scary but spooky theme that's brought to the forefront in the area’s new dungeon. Step into the dungeon and you're greeted by a train stuffed full of cargo. Halloween ghosts made from large sheets sit in between the goods. But once the train begins to move, the seemingly lifeless ghosts leap into action and try to capture Nikki. It's the kind of common situation you'll see in movies, where Nikki needs to dash and jump to run from the ghosts while proceeding to the locomotive at the front in order to stop the runaway train. Nikki gets carried off if the ghosts catch her, forcing you to mash the spacebar to escape – but if you fall off the train while trying to escape, you'll fall to the tracks and take damage. Combined with the immersion of the situation on top of a moving train, my heart was pounding all the way until I made it to the end. Another dungeon saw Nikki and Momo exploring underground caves connected with wooden transport carts on rails, with platforming elements broken up by thrilling rollercoaster-like sections. The boss battle pits Nikki against a giant feathered bird-monster in the center of a village in the Stonewoods Abandoned District. It wears heavy chains and has a large purple jewel buried in the crown on top of its head. Its fluffy appearance, shining gems and slightly frightening look are both unique and the exact kind of boss you'd expect from Infinity Nikki. To defeat it, you'll need to jump up the step-like platforms it creates in order to reach the top of its head, jump into the air, and pull off a ground pound in order to deal direct damage to the jewel. It takes three successful slams to defeat the boss, but that's easier said than done. The boss's attack patterns change after each successful attack to keep the player on their to, shooting beams out of the platforms or summoning crowds of low-level monsters. I only managed to beat it after a number of tries. Through adorable visuals, thoughtfully designed stages for exploration and solid action, the new areas we got to try out gave us a glimpse of the variety Infinity Nikki has to offer.