Nivalis Nights was supplied by ION Lands for evaluate. Thanks!
Nivalis Nights is lastly right here. I completely loved Cloudpunk again in 2020. Regardless of some efficiency and story flaws, its cozy driving mechanics and voxel cyberpunk world captivated me, particularly after essential updates launched a first-person mode. ION LANDs has been engaged on the sequel for years. I received’t sugarcoat it: Nivalis Nights was one among my most anticipated video games for 2026, and I’m thrilled to have it in my fingers.
At first look, Nivalis Nights‘ sport design might sound uncommon. In a basic cyberpunk world dominated by firms (what else is new?), you inherit a dilapidated noodle store after the proprietor mysteriously departs. From there, Nivalis progressively unfolds as you broaden your budding enterprise empire. I wasn’t anticipating a administration sim from a Cloudpunk sequel, however I used to be pleasantly shocked by how nicely it’s executed. There’s lots to cowl, and Nivalis goes deeper than you may anticipate.
We don’t typically see life or administration sims within the cyberpunk style. The closest instance I can consider is Shadows of Doubt, however Nivalis Nights presents considerably extra depth. Whereas the sport has flaws, notably with efficiency, my pleasure is nicely justified. Nevertheless, I can’t advocate it for the Steam Deck.
Let’s begin with the ambiance, as ION LANDs completely nails the visible design. It was my favourite side of Cloudpunk, and Nivalis Nights elevates it to a brand new stage. The town of Nivalis options a number of small, open zones interconnected by taxis, boats, and metro rail somewhat than a single open world, doubtless as a consequence of efficiency constraints. Whereas metro and taxi transitions have pleasing loading screens, I want they have been extra immersive and allow you to journey in actual time. Fortuitously, you’ll be able to skip these transitions.
Every thing in Nivalis Nights is voxel-based, from roaming NPCs to the cityscapes. Whereas the explorable areas are smaller than I anticipated, it’s nonetheless a fairly expansive world to delve into. This sport oozes environmental particulars, and I discovered exploring the streets and crevices of Nivalis a deal with, even when the sport sometimes struggled. Mix the beautiful visuals with wonderful audio design, and Nivalis is a delight to expertise.
The builders have meticulously handcrafted the town of Nivalis, constructing upon the Cloudpunk lore with a wealth of rewarding aspect quests. The sport is wealthy with intrigue, that includes an android serial killer, avenue distributors locked in fierce competitors, interference from the federal government’s Corpsec, and a very annoying landlord who presents more and more absurd challenges to keep away from eviction; these are only a few highlights. The sport boasts a whole bunch of absolutely voiced characters, a few of whom supply romance choices as their storylines progress.
You start by establishing a small noodle bar, hiring workers, satisfying prospects, increasing the menu, experimenting with new dishes, and rising your enterprise from there. With the steering of your AI companion, AVA, Nivalis Nights progressively received me over as I delved into its gritty, ultra-capitalist world. Whereas it embraces many conventional cyberpunk clichés, the sport distinguishes itself with strong voice performing and compelling characters. The writing is far stronger right here than it was in Cloudpunk, that’s for positive!
The administration side is powerful, with quite a few unlocks, permits, and workers to supervise. You may even rent a supervisor to deal with every day operations, like restocking substances, releasing you to discover and immerse your self on the earth. Renting greenhouses to develop greens and different crops cuts down on prices, and the financial system continually shifts, so it’s essential watch out together with your finances, particularly early on. Whereas the sport may have been a purely sandbox administration sport, its sturdy emphasis on story actually elevates the expertise.
Nivalis Nights has one main flaw: efficiency. Voxel video games like Shadows of Doubt are sometimes performance-intensive, and this sport isn’t any exception. Even on lowered settings, I skilled vital framerate drops and frequent stutters. Fortuitously, I by no means encountered crashes, so the first concern for me is total efficiency enchancment. Past the stuttering and framerate dips, the sport’s technical state appears acceptable. Whereas just a few patches have introduced minor enhancements, there’s nonetheless a lot work to be finished.
Past efficiency, a number of smaller enhancements would improve the expertise. Extra interplay with the open world can be welcome, as would an elective toggle for all times simulation mechanics, particularly given the sport’s deal with constructing a restaurant empire. Monitoring goals on the map and figuring out the subsequent plan of action will also be difficult at instances. Lastly, the day/evening cycle feels too fast; a full day lasts lower than 20 in-game minutes, which regularly pressures me into fast-traveling to navigate the town. Regardless of these points, and notably the efficiency issues, I’ve genuinely loved the sport.
Nivalis Nights – Steam Deck Efficiency
Nivalis Nights has an “Unknown” ranking on Steam, with ProtonDB providing a Platinum ranking. Whereas the sport does boot on the Steam Deck, its efficiency is so poor that we can’t advocate it.
Noah’s early impressions upon launch have been clear: skip Nivalis Nights on the Steam Deck. This stays true, which isn’t stunning, since even RTX 5090 customers are experiencing efficiency points. Whilst you can technically play the sport on the Steam Deck, the expertise is like adorning a Christmas tree with somebody’s intestines. In addition to making the room odor, there are higher methods to do it. The devs have been pushing out patches continuously since launch, so Nivalis Nights may very well be playable sooner or later. For now, skip it.
Accessibility
Nivalis Nights is offered in English, French, German, Spanish, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, Simplified Chinese language, Conventional Chinese language, and Turkish. Solely English has full audio translation, nevertheless.
Nivalis Nights has some accessibility choices accessible, together with VSync, look sensitivity, Invert Y and X axis, mouse sensitivity, and toggle dash. Graphical choices are additionally respectable, together with scalable FOV, shadow decision, and lighting particulars. There are customizable keybinds, however no colorblind help.
Conclusion
Nivalis Nights is an interesting expertise. Whereas years of hype typically result in deep disappointment, that’s definitely not the case right here. ION Lands has crafted one thing actually inventive, and I used to be repeatedly shocked by the sheer quantity of content material packed into Nivalis. Administration sims with a narrative are uncommon, not to mention one as intricately woven as right here.
The enterprise empire mechanics are surprisingly in-depth, and this, mixed with an fascinating narrative and wonderful world-building, actually units Nivalis other than its rivals. It’s a stunning sport to get misplaced in, with a various forged of characters and personalities that infuse this company realm with life.
Nevertheless, regardless of my enjoyment of Nivalis Nights, its technical state is a obvious challenge. Nivalis is a demanding sport, and whereas I anticipated some efficiency points, I didn’t anticipate to see gamers with top-tier PC rigs struggling. Nivalis Nights wants vital under-the-hood work to enhance efficiency, and hopefully, ION Lands can clean out its optimization woes. I may use a little bit extra world interplay and the choice to extend the time per in-game day, however these are minor nitpicks. For the love of Nivalis, although, give me mercy and permit me to set a hotkey for the fishing rod!
Finally, I like to recommend Nivalis Nights as a sport that clearly reveals immense care and a spotlight in its creation. For its creativity and content material depth at $24.99, it’s a deal with, supplied the efficiency points are addressed. On your sanity, keep away from enjoying this on the Steam Deck for now.
Our evaluate relies on the PC model of this sport.
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