If you thought the outfits inInfinity Nikkicouldn’t get any more breathtaking, you better buckle up, buttercup. In all her glittering glory, Nikki manages to somehow surpass expectations once again with her most jaw-dropping outfits yet in this upcoming update. Best of all, they come with useful abilities which make each gown far more than just decorative.

You can even walk on water like some sort of anime girl messiah. Now maybe Momo can stop panicking at every puddle he sees.

The First Real Taste Of What’s To Come

Infinity Nikki has received several updates since its launch late last year, with the Fireworks Isle being the largest to date. Unfortunately, the narrative has slowed to a painful lurch in recent weeks and is in need of some serious help. Without much new story content to drive players forward, many of us have regressed into logging in for dailies, spending our Vital Energy, and logging out to rinse and repeat the next day.

And so, my journey into Update 1.5 left me absolutely gobsmacked. I had to remind myself to tackle the story quests because so much was added to Nikki’s existing content, like the ability to dye your clothes, obtain new color variants for glowing-up outfits, and the option to fully customize your ability outfits outside the default setup. Seriously, I spent hours just playing with colors and giving every hairstyle a dye-job to be the perfect shade of red.

Not only does this encourage you to try out new outfits and pull for the stunning five-star pieces, but the game now rewards you for upgrading multiple outfits – even the ones you don’t like. From new color variants to vibrant color palettes, those three star items that were busy collecting dust in your wardrobe now have a purpose.

Aside from the dazzling dress up features, the tutorial has been completely redone into a star-struck sapphic overture. The femme fatale that leads you across the cosmos gives you more questions than answers, but that didn’t bother me. The sweet sound of her silken voice carried across the sea of stars as celestial whales dove through space and time.

I know it sounds like I’m exaggerating, but I’m not. This is just how Nikki goes.

A Completely Rewritten Beginning

While I struggled to enjoy the revamped tutorial due to a series of game-breaking bugs, it nonetheless took my breath away in the moments where I wasn’t perpetually falling for and being told to trust in the raven-esque mistress guiding me through the rumbling skies. This new tutorial provides background information for the new social aspects of the game and the reasoning behind how multiple Nikkis can be in one place at the same time.

Even though I generally detest when live-service games completely change the tutorial (looking at you, Elder Scrolls Online), this one feels like a natural progression. Plus, with the numerous streamers all preserving their initial playthroughs at launch online, the original tutorial and lore isn’t really gone for good. Maybe one day Nikki will get to her graduation ball, but it won’t be anytime soon.

Any reservations I had about the new tutorial were swept away by the ballgowns and orchestral music that reminded me of how Infinity Nikki takes itself seriously. It’s more than just a dress up game–it’s about the connection between friendship, wishes, and magic. The hyperfeminine world of Miraland calls to everyone, and even my partner found himself drawn into the whimsy of being draped in shimmering silks and jewelry.

If you don’t experience a high while jumping off a cliff in ten-inch heels without taking fall damage, you’re playing Infinity Nikki wrong.

A Bubbly New Chapter

As far as the storyline goes, this update starts off slow. However, throwing you directly into the new region filled with bubbles and rainbow lakes is a quick and easy way to set Nikki and Momo free. I found myself less willing to follow the Pieceys desperate for a human’s help and instead chasing bubbles to appease my inner child.

Fear not though! The bright and colorful Bubble Season masks the dark and dreary lore that Nikki is well-loved for. While the preview contained multiple bugs that prevented me from moving forward properly, my years of gaming helped me find workarounds and alternative means for exploration.

Serenity Isle is an all new region inspired by the innocence and wonder of bubbles, and the Pieceys who call it home are steeped in the belief that a good bath is all you need to keep the negative aspects of life at bay. A ritualistic cleansing of the soul, if you will, but presented as a modern day bubble bath.

As Nikki embarks on this adventure, I can’t help but wonder what’s to come. If this is what the 1.5 Infinity Nikki update looks like, how much bigger will the 2.0 anniversary update be? The initial statements that this version of Nikki’s adventure to Miraland takes place in an alternate universe have now been proven true, though the showcase hinted at something much more: that this is not Nikki’s first adventure to save Miraland from destruction.

Veteran fans will know that this is very true.

The main takeaway from my preview is that we’ve only scratched the surface of what an open-world Nikki installment looks like. With an ever-growing fanbase and a development team that cares deeply about the feedback given with each update, the sky is the limit. Infinity Nikki is setting the stage to tie new and old plotlines together, weaving together the fabric of space and time in the process to save Miraland once and for all.