Infinity Nikki might be the coziest (and most stylish) open-world game ever

I have played plenty of open-world games over the years. I’ve run over pedestrians in the Grand Theft Auto series and slayed minions of the Templars in Assassin’s Creed. I’ve done the never-ending grind of free-to-play offerings with gacha mechanics, such as Genshin Impact and Wuthering Waves. In these titles, I was always actively on the move, going from point A to point B and tackling every objective imaginable. Now, there’s Infinity Nikki, which is a different (and much gentler) beast entirely.

Marketed as the “coziest open-world game,” the upcoming title brings the popular Nikki mobile series to consoles in style. After playing the Infinity Nikki demo at a special media session during the Tokyo Game Show, and speaking to Infold Games global public relations manager Zexu Shi, I can see the appeal. The world activities themselves are relaxing, and the grind isn’t nearly as incessant as games like it. Even the treatment of animals is humane. All of those choices confirm that the marketing pitch isn’t an exaggeration; Infinity Nikki really is a cozy change of pace that the open-world genre needs.

Exploring in style

My one-hour-long play session began with the titular Nikki and her pet cat, Momo, trapped inside an instanced dungeon. There, I had to make my way across train cars by jumping off ledges and gliding to reach the next platform. What surprised me initially was how Nikki’s clothing instantly changed whenever I glided, from something that looked like a white bridal gown to that of a shimmering blue summer dress.

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Zexu asked me to open the menu to check Nikki’s dresses. He then asked me to distinguish between those with icons and those without. The former are considered part of the core mechanics, such as fishing, catching bugs, taming animals, planting crops,