Step aside, Ariel! There’s a new little mermaid in town!
GODDESS OF VICTORY: NIKKE recently celebrated its two-and-a-half-year anniversary and, unlike some fandoms these days, this event was organized by the company backing the game locally—Tencent Games.
The event was on-theme, held last May 4 at Manila Ocean Park, with Commanders of all ages taking part in a fun day of activities centered around the anniversary and its banner unit for the event, Little Mermaid a.k.a. Siren. But what even is GODDESS OF VICTORY: NIKKE? Why is the anniversary relevant and how’d the event go?
The story so far
GODDESS OF VICTORY: NIKKE is a third-person shooter action role-playing game developed by South Korean studio Shift Up and published by Level Infinite. In terms of gameplay, think of it like an arcade shooter, but instead of seeing things in first-person, you’re shooting with a character. Being a gacha game, the characters you can use are unlocked by “pulling” for them.
In NIKKE, you play a rising star Commander, a human tasked with reclaiming the surface following the Rapture invasion. Raptures, you see, are techno-organic beings that have been waging war on the surface for over a century, even before the game’s current timeline. Alongside you in your mission are the Nikkes, cyborgs who were once human and have been modified, either voluntarily or forcibly (in the case of some criminals), to combat the Rapture threat.
The story of NIKKE has deepened over the past two and a half years, but to cut it short: there’s a reason why you, as the Commander, are turning the tide of battle—and the anniversary events explore this lore in more detail.
The original legendary Nikkes, hailing from the Goddess Squad and made up of models from the Grimms line, couldn’t stop the Rapture invasion. They only managed to stall it long enough to inspire others. The next generation of Grimms models came close but Red Shoes betrayed humanity. And wouldn’t you know it, she caused the Raptures to evolve faster, ultimately leading to humanity’s downfall. All of this happened during the 2nd anniversary event.
Now, half a year later, we find out what happened following those events. There’s a lot to take in but trust me when I say, it’s a fun slow burn.
The Event
What started out as a fun celebration (announced only a couple of days beforehand) proved to be an enjoyable experience for NIKKE enthusiasts. There was a free booth for anyone in the area, and a mermaid show for patrons who won raffles for Ocean Park entrance, or those who just wanted to join the fun.
Decorations adorned the lobby, with Siren (a.k.a. Little Mermaid) taking center stage, brought to life by veteran cosplayer Roxanne Kho. Cookies featuring chibi art of Siren were given out to participants, along with stickers, pins, mousepads, and other NIKKE paraphernalia featuring characters like Mihara, Mori, Grave, and last anniversary’s main unit, Cinderella.
Inside the park, NIKKE cosplayers Kach Phrase and Nayumi’s World joined Roxanne Kho, posing for photos with curious visitors, all within the unique setting of Manila Ocean Park.
Following several mermaid showtimes, the main event wrapped up with a raffle giving attendees a chance to bring home standees—true to tradition with past NIKKE events in the Philippines.
While the event may have been short and sweet (and even announced on short notice), the fact that the community came together is always something worth celebrating. Most community gatherings in gaming circles are fan-driven and rarely supported by the actual companies behind the games. But even in changing times, NIKKE is still going strong and with how the game’s shaping up, there’s no telling where the next celebration might take place. (There was a celebration in Star City previously!)
Nikke is available on both iOS and Android
Major upcoming milestones include a crossover with another Shift Up title, Stellar Blade, happening this June, and the third anniversary sometime in November.
Check out the official Nikke Philippines Facebook Page for updates and upcoming events: https://www.facebook.com/nikke.official.ph
