#i know you probably saw it elsewhere in the nikkinet

[stellacaerulea]

Paper announced a new Nikki figurine, and I'd like to make a not-so-short rant on the subject - feel free to state your views on the matter afterwards

Disclaimer: this entire text is my opinion on the matter and in no way an irrefutable statement

This week another SN figurine was announced, with Nikki in an unknown Cloud-style outfit. I mentioned that before in other occasions in the community at large, but why is it that only Nikki gets anything outside of the game?

People constantly come to the quick conclusion that, well, Nikki is the protagonist and all so it's only natural that she gets most of the attention, but there's a noticeable difference between getting most of the attention and getting all of it. The only character to get anything at all outside the game - applies to both Love Nikki and Shining Nikki - is Nikki and, by proxy, Momo.

Earlier I heard in my server that "she is the protagonist, so she's the game's selling point" - fact is, Nikki alone isn't strong enough of a selling point. Anyone somewhat familiar with long-running gacha RPGs knows the other characters are often just as, if not more, important as the protagonist and appropriately, they get a share of the spotlight outside their games.

Think about other games in this segment I know which one you're gonna think about. While the protagonist's story is the driving motor of the game, what we actually hear/read most is the stories of the people surrounding the protagonist, and as a result the game becomes more of a collection of stories of interesting people, and said interesting people gets just as much attention as part of the game as a product as the protagonist does, to the point that often the protagonist is ignored.

Of course we don't want Nikki to be ignored, even though I personally have been finding her a bit flat as a character as of late. But consider: when was the last time we saw artwork of other characters in their birthdays or other big events outside the game (say, holidays) that weren't reflection arts or concepts? To be honest I've seen it around 5 times ever since TW SN was released - April 2019.

Likewise, I made that survey a few months ago, asking if you were interested in merchandise from anyone other than Nikki, to which the crushing majority said yes. And I know for a fact, half the community would be fighting tooth and nail for a Lilith figurine with a sparkly silver dress, or maybe Loen in some action pose [edit: my gf arrived as I was typing and added she'd kill for a figurine of the Goddess of Desire]. We could have gotten a short animation (even if it was live2D mostly) of Ashley's past which is a very popular story and honestly how most people even heard of Shining Nikki to begin with or some slice of life about Aeon and Marina taking care of the personality mirrors in the Ark. But instead, anything that isn't Nikki herself is neglected and treated as secondary even if in practice they are most of what makes the game.

In short, my point with all this is to express my disappointment with how a world meant to be rich and attractive is neglected and the game is treated as if it were only pretty clothes on a silly (affectionate) pink-haired girl. Of course the game would decline as it has been lately. We can have a dress-up with pretty clothes anywhere. Just ask Archosaur.