English
3.4
If you think this review will help others to quickly identify whether the game works for them, please LIKE in the end. Feel free to discuss in the Comment below.
———TL;DR Review———
1. Great graphics, wide range of selectable BGM (freedom of choices is always appreciated
); 2. No ground-breaking gameplay if you have played a game from PS Vita era, this is not something new;
3. there are holes in the plot, like average games overall, it's not all bad, just somewhere here and there not making sense personally;
4. ULTRA level of time consumption, if you have a life, DO NOT PLAY THIS GAME; the amount of time needed to MIN-MAX at the highest level can go up to 3-4 hrs; rewards to time consumption ratio is about 1:5...definitely one of the highest one for all the gacha games I have played, especially for a primarily IDLE game...
YAY//NAY: Nay...!
———Detailed Review———
Graphics:
Wonderful graphics overall. You can complain they completely wasted their potential by covering up the NIKKEs' assets...but I am not that much into their assets when I am playing a gacha game, in the end, these mean NOTHING...
The 2D designs, 3D modelings, 2.5D live animations, the chibi versions: all of them are above average, relatively, better than most average gacha games on the market. So well done in the graphics.
If you take a closer at each NIKKE, at the very least, not that many NIKKEs are completely identical! That is better than most of the bad animes with interchangable character designs XD
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Audio:
I wouldn't say all of their BGMs are in top tier quality, however, you can select your own BGMs. That is something most gacha games lack of. Apart from that, you get to collect them all via treasure huntings. It's fun, interactive and it opens up a system of choices and rewards. It's something enjoyable, it's nice.
Cool sound effects too, though I do expect more lines from the VOs overall.
———
Gameplay:
Are you not ENTERTAINED with the booties jiggling technology? Are you not SATISFIED by the boobs wriggling mechanics? ......
Personally, those are OLD features from SRW franchise...so I am not impressed by the old tricks. The shooter gameplay looks kind of new to average players, to me, as I have repeatedly mentioned: the WHOLE GAMEPLAY is nearly a replicate of a dead gacha game back from PS Vita era. Not even the idle elements look new. The basic combat gameplay is simplified to only COVER & STRIKE. In that PS Vita game I mentioned, it had manual control of where I want my character to go. Or if you want to compare this with a AAA failure — The Bureau: XCOM Declassified, even that massive disaappointment allows players to move to different vintage points as your character slowly advances and gains strategic advantages from FLANKING. What kind of LAME AI design would be created just so your ROBOTs//NIKKEs stay in the same location, and NOT FLANK THE ENEMIES AT ALL? AIs are specifically designed to be better than average human. If I am the Commander who can make a superior order, yet, DON'T ACTIVELY correct the bad strategies applied by your sub-coordinates...I am a BAD COMMANDER...
See? Our main boy is a bad boy and that makes me a sad boy...Hence, gameplay wise, its simplicity literally kills the strategic play. Imagine you can move NIKKEs to FLANK your enemies, gaining a strategic advantage and dish out more dmg.
The design of ONE-HAND control seems to offer most of our gentlemen a FREE HAND to do whatever they want. But with less control and less vision, that also means more restrictions on gameplay...based on the videos on YouTube etc., PC players HAVE MASSIVE ADVANTAGEs over mobile players as they have a COMPLETE WIDE VISION on the battlefield...which means SUPERIOR TARGETING PRIORITY. And that is something vital in the late game. By removing that option for mobile players, it is clear, because of the restriction, that has already caused me PROGRESS DELAYs. For a game heavily relying on Ranking for rewards, THAT KILLS our motive to continue as a F2Per. Again, when your entire F2P population is against your game, like what we are seeing within weeks after the launch, THAT'S GONNA LEAVE A MARK...
Despite how much the developer EMPHASIZEs on STRATEGICAL gameplay in their survey, the balancing of the game literally proves them WRONG. Where maxed-out SR and R tier NIKKEs are NO LONGER feasible picks for Campaign in the early game or game modes in The Ark, SSR tier NIKKEs have proven to be THE ONLY VITAL PICKs for any situations. Then, you need to make sure, you have a diversified SSR roster.....no skill needed in nearly 90% of all the stages I have cleared (all up to Chapter 10 of Campaign; 65 Levels of the Tower; 4 zones of the Lost Chapter; Level D of Annihilation......); no STRATEGICAL picks can be applicable (if you can't clear it with a SR and R mixed squad manually, you can always simply AUTO MODE your way out with a full SSR tier squad......); you can't beat a stage with an UNDERPOWERED squad? Your overpowered squad shall totally clear the stage easily then.
So...I guess they did promote this clearly before the release: NIKKE is a titties-&-booties game, DO NOT PLAY this if you are expecting more...and I clearly have not read the Terms & Conditions...
I didn't know: a game without GAMEPLAY can still be fun as a GAME. I truly thought that is called a piece of art, not a game at all.
———
Plot:
At this point, I think we all have to agree to disagree that the plot for this game is absolutely PERFECT and LOGICAL. There are certain area that are seemingly less optimized and less ideal; sometimes even finding it odd when they are being told in the story. But this is a gacha game, it's not a AAA flop like God of Wok or Borderland 3, or a AAA scripted nudity movie like Bayonetta...
DON'T hold a high expectation on the plot from a game that FOCUSES your POV entirely glued to BUTTs and 80081€5. They didn't think it through...
———
Value: (PLEASE read the end to get more details)
I will simplify this to this sum-up:
"If you are ONLY min-maxing via completion of Daily & Weekly Missions, you won't be able to min-maxing to a competitive level where you can keep up with the in-game requirments; you won't be able to gain rewards from Rankings that worths HOURs of rewwards."
Basically, if you only LIMITED to playing 60mins on NIKKE per day, you won't be able to complete the 70 missions from the Launch Event...because simply, within 60mins, you can't get a lot advanced in Campaign or the other areas.
The Rewards:Time Consumption ratio is approximately hitting 1:6 at the highest point. On average, 1:5 when you compare to most of the average gacha games on the market. * (more details in the end on the ratio)
If you are a busy person who wants a simple game that gives you boobs and butts, buy an adult game, it saves you more and it will be more rewarding. If you are F2Ping this game for the same things, STOP COMPLAINING.
———
General Scores without personal opinions:
6/10 —
8 if you really love big butts and boobies...NGL...
General Scores based on my experience and preference:
2/10 —
A game with gameplay that is not fun at all? BAD.
If the only selling points in this game are boobies and butts, why don't you turn it into a hentai anime instead...
A good game requires great graphics and visual designs; a wide range of memorable BGMs that paired perfectly well to the plot or the visuals; impressive VOs; fun and unique gameplay that lasts for some time; a logical yet intriguing story that allows players to immerse themselves into the world; FINALLY, it should be rewarding for the players in every aspects mentioned.
A game that only satisfy our visual and audio needs (or sexual desires in this case)? That just sounds like a sex tape...perhaps, [Goddess of Victory: NIKKE] does sound like a title of a sex tape...instead of Victory, maybe "Sex Appeals" could be a better option.
(All of my reviews are usually made after running a week or longer of testrun thoroughly without using any guides from Internet. No loopholes is abuse for rewards:time consumption ratio. I count ALL AVAILABLE DAILY+WEEKLY+MONTHLY rewards for the rewards part; every 30 minutes of playing as the basic unit for time consumption. So Rewards:Time Consumption ratio shows approximately how much time you need to perfectly min-maxing per day)
(In the case of NIKKE and games at launch, the launch event is also taken into consideration since most launch events are newbie-based to welcome new players. Whereas the actual regular Rewards:Time Consumption ratio for NIKKE is around 1:2, during the launch period, it is at a whooping 1:6; so it's not surprising for the overall negativities from the public)
(Average time needed for min-maxing on AUTO-Mode:
Approximately ~1min-1min20secs per stage;
2mins for Annihilation;
5-10mins for Lost Chapter;
All SKIPs for every SKIPPABLE scene saves around 3-5mins per day depending on Campaign progress and everything;
5-15mins+ for Simulations depending on how many Sectors;
Gifting and Purchasing from Shop takes around 2-3mins;
Leveling up NIKKE and equipment takes 1-2mins;
Regular logins for Outpost rewards takes 2-4mins;
I only managed to complete 70/70 missions from the Launch Event on Day 13, pushing Campaign to beginning of Chapter 10, Tower to Level 65...do the math...not to mention the time where I failed and retried for using squads consist ONLY SR and R for STRATEGIC testruns...)
More Reviews of This Game More
GranblueArin
2.0I updated my review. Yes, the gameplay is appealing but sadly, i don't see a bright future for this game. Given that 10Cent is in charge, the shop is expensive af, more important, the game is leaning to CENSORSHIP. The gacha rate is bad, enemies health scale is way off from players dmg esp starting from chap 12. #10centout.
Dummy-kun
2.75First things first: THIS IS AN IDLE GAME. Adjust your expectations accordingly before going in. Graphics: worse than I thought. Even after you chose high quality (this game weirdly defaults to low quality no matter how good your phone is) the graphics are still bad. The character sprites are somehow still kind of blurry, and the environment still look pixelated somehow. Anyone who has watched trailers of the game will expect lots and lots of butt jiggle, but in reality, many of the girls' behind are covered by either a coat/jacket/shield/whatever OR by your thumb since the gameplay is press and drag. Sound: I haven't played with sound enough to rate it. However, from what little I heard, the jp dub is good. From what I see in reddit, people at least praised the voice acting in multiple dubs, not only jp, and the BGMs are also allegedly good. Gameplay: it's a rail shooter. Think house of the dead or time crisis, if you're familiar with arcade games. Whether you manual or auto it, both have advantages and disadvantages. Auto will aim at random enemy, even if the boss has already appeared. Meanwhile manual, you'll get bored fast since the girls' skills are so bland; it's either increase some stats, or just pure damage skill. Your skill activation speed is also inferior to auto, except in cases where you want to hold it. However, there are some contents where you have to manual, and from my experience in CBT, those will at least be more interesting since the difficulty is higher. Story: it's good. It's not too edgy, yet it doesn't take itself too lightly either. There's a balance between serious time and the jokes. This is what makes it shine compared to other idle games since it actually has a good, coherent storyline. Value: only the one time packs are worth it. You shouldn't ever buy crystals directly unless you're a whale. The battle pass is also overpriced in my opinion, not to mention the grind for it is also awful. Additional notes: 1)the loading screens are atrocious. Initial loading after you boot up the game is very long, the game also asks you to choose a server everytime you log in even though you've already made an account. The in-game loadings, while not too long, are numerous. Main menu to stages? Loading. Go back? Load again. Go to the base? Yep. Enter a stage and exiting it? You guessed it. It is so irritating. 2) beginner gacha experience is horrible. Note the "beginner" word. First, you can't delete an account. Well, you can, but there's a 30-day wait period. Next, you can only access the gacha after clearing stage 1-4. ALL. MANUALLY. Fortunately you can skip the tutorial dialogue to speed it up a bit. THEN, when you finally got to the gacha section, your first 10-pull will always include an SSR. Nice, right? Nope. As of launch, NIKKE boasts 44 SSR characters, with performance ranging from broken to "why is she an SSR?" and there are a LOT who tilt to the latter. If you don't care about rerolling and only want the ass, you won't have to experience this hell, but others who care to get at least 1 good character, like me, will suffer. I rerolled 14 times and by that time I'm already sick of repeating the stages so I finally relented and just use what I got. For account changing process, one thing that is good is that you can use salted emails, so you don't need to create a bunch of emails to reroll. One email is enough. After you got through that, the launch gift is really underwhelming. 20 rolls in total for a dupe intensive idle game (which genre usually shower players with pulls) is very lackluster, especially compared to another game that I reviewed recently, Path to Nowhere, where you easily get around 30 or 40 pulls at the start. Tl;dr it's an idle game. A very, very polished idle game, yes, but still an idle game. At least there are SOME actual gameplay here. The fan service is nice too, although it's held back by the aforementioned drawbacks. All in all if you like idle games, or if you've always wanted to try one, NIKKE is good to try.