Nivalis Nights Review – New Life Under Neon Lights

Ever wonder what it’s like to run your own noodle bar in a cyberpunk, futuristic world from dawn to curfew, meeting new people every day? If so, Nivalis Nights is for you, and running a noodle bar is just one of the many experiences you’ll have throughout the game. Nivalis Nights is a cyberpunk-based, first-person life simulation game.

You wake up to Ava, your executive assistant automaton, telling you you’re running late for your appointment. Confused and worried, you ask Ava questions and learn the meeting is with Thaddeus, and you’re running extremely late. Gathering your stuff, you leave Lowtown and head into the city to talk to Thaddeus, and you learn he plans to leave the city and give his restaurant to… you.

Nivalis Nights unfolds quickly as you learn that you are inheriting the noodle shop, all of Thaddeus’s debts, and all of the responsibilities that come with being a normal face around the city. You immediately start meeting a variety of different people around town in a mad rush to find ingredients and get the business started. Ava helps you along the way, since she can read how people react to what you say. After you select your dialogue, you immediately see how it affects your relationship with each person.

Restaurant management is the core of Nivalis Nights, with lots of other side quests. The player needs to choose which dishes to serve, buy the right ingredients, take orders, serve customers, and pay expenses with the income they earn. The tutorial spells this out pretty well, though side quests pop up along the way. You even have to visit other restaurants and practically beg them for new recipes because you are starting fresh with only chicken noodle soup. It’s a great way to familiarise yourself with the city while also building your business.

You can start hiring workers one by one to automate the restaurant as much as possible. You start with a cook already, Banor, then hire a waiter, and then finally, managerial staff. The game progression feels strong, since you can start getting help with the noodle shop really early on. The one drag, though, is that you inherit 50,000 Lims of debt from taking over for Thaddeus.

What makes it even worse, though? There is a serial killer, Aseptic, targeting people who have large outstanding debts. Lucky for you, there is the LUZ – Localised Unity Zone – where people are not allowed to enter or leave. Additionally, there is a curfew every night, as the serial killer seems to be striking late at night. The restrictions are explained well by Ava, but it sometimes feels very stressful trying to get everything completed with all the main and side quests on any given day before the curfew comes.

You can genuinely tell how much effort was put into Nivalis Nights. You meet dozens of people, each with their own voice acting. Characters feel distinct and memorable, rather than clashing and muddying the game. You start remembering familiar people and places, and your little part of the city starts to feel like home. Players can start using the greenhouse to grow their own ingredients, giving them more say in what their shop serves and what it’s known for. It also adds another aspect to the game, allowing more customisation and making your choices feel special and unique.

Nivalis Nights has absolutely stunning visual design and a distinct identity. The contrast between the buildings and the neon lights is striking, flashing brightly even after curfew. The environment around you always has something to stop and gawk at. Everything feels extremely thought out and intentionally designed. I would say that the environment is some of the most beautiful and eye-catching that I have ever seen. While I feel most beauty comes from natural landscapes, the crowded city aspect of Nivalis Nights gives the game a different kind of beauty that cannot be overstated.

The sound design is also quite wonderful. A wealth of ambient sounds makes the streets feel truly lively, not just visually lively. The soundtrack shifts to quieter areas as well, and everything feels extremely thought out and intentional. The game’s emotional effect is also interesting; you start off feeling isolated and lonely, then quickly build relationships and create a community in a city where people are on edge.

Technically, I had no issues with Nivalis Nights while playing on max settings. Everything felt extremely well thought out, and the team has released multiple patches that fixed small bugs that were previously happening.

Overall, Nivalis Nights feels extremely strong and has broad appeal for a wide range of gamers. You can tell how much work went into this game, and it really doesn’t feel like a repackaged game or a remake of something we have already seen. Nivalis Nights will be staying with me for awhile, even with a curfew.

Angel reviewed Nivalis Nights on PC with a provided review code. This review is based on the version of the game available at the time of writing, and our score will not be changed.