Key information
Nivalis Nights is developed by Ion Lands as a follow-up to their neo-noir delivery adventure Cloudpunk. The game reimagines that stylish dystopia as a unique mash-up incorporating elements reminiscent of Cyberpunk 2077, Stardew Valley, and Dave the Diver.
Playing in first-person, the reviewer notes that the jagged pixel-art world is richly detailed and evocative, complete with a Vangelis-inspired soundtrack, though accompanied by a stubbornly wonky framerate, some odd bugs, and a fiddly user interface with overbearing overlays and unhelpful waypoint markers.
Gameplay revolves around entrepreneurship after inheriting a run-down noodle bar and its debt. Players must expand menus, upgrade decor, hire staff, manage wages and schedules, and utilize a downtown greenhouse to grow crops and manufacture substitutes, eventually aiming to open a nightclub or build a full-on business empire.
The experience is available now on PC via Steam, offering players a refreshing life sim experience featuring fully voiced dialogue, fishing via a rusty trawler, stealth elements, and a shopping list of story-driven side quests.
