Shift Up, the developers of Goddess of Victory: NIKKE, have dropped an April Fools parody showcase video for a mysterious game titled NIKKE2, and the level of care they’ve put into the announcement almost makes it hard to believe it’s a prank.
NIKKE director Hyung-Suk Yoo himself appears in the video (surrounded by a herd of 3D Doros), announcing that after long and thorough deliberation about how to expand the NIKKE IP, Shift Up has begun development of a new project slated for release in 2036. The goal of the supposed “project” is to transform NIKKE’s Surface gameplay into something players can experience directly, adding a whole new “dimension” to the NIKKE World, rather than just a new mode or event.
From around the 3:00 mark in the video, we get a “first look” at NIKKE2, which is where things get impressive. The trailer is fully 3D, depicting an original character (correction: this is Snow White’s new form) alongside familiar faces like Rapi, Rapunzel, Nayuta and Scarlet. The characters camp around a fire before the showcase transitions into what looks like actual action gameplay footage, with combat reminiscent of the Monster Hunter series.
After taking a brief turn to horror towards the end (with the protagonist being loomed over by a pair of Doros in a dark operating room), the showcase ends with the title “Goddess of Victory: NIKKE WORLD,” announcing that pre-registrations for the title will begin on April 1 ten years from now. The way “World” is designed in the logo bears an uncanny resemblance to a certain mainline Monster Hunter game.
