The story of Nivalis Nights
The developers call Nivalis Nights story-led, with the noodle bar as one part of a bigger life sim. The story is written to reach an end, with no time limit and no combat, and on Reddit the lead writer named its four main threads: betrayal, mystery, murder and debt. You can also leave all of it alone and just run the bar.
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Is there an ending? | Yes. The story is written to reach an end. |
| Is there a time limit? | No. |
| Can you skip the story? | Yes. You can run the bar and ignore it. |
| Is there combat? | No fighting or shooting. |
| How long is it? | Long, the lead writer said on Reddit, with no hours given yet. |
Not a sandbox
Players who expected a free-form city sim keep asking what there is to do beyond cooking and fishing. The lead writer’s answer is that the bar is one part of a bigger game: “Shop management is only part of the game. It’s more a life sim.” The writer is just as blunt about the comparison people reach for: “It’s not a Sims game at all.”
“We’ve always been story-led, and we generally make non-violent games without combat or shooting.”
Lead writer, ION LANDS
The day-to-day side is on how a day plays.
The four story pillars
Asked on Reddit what the story is about, the lead writer named its main threads: “Betrayal, mystery, murder and debt”. Asked whether the serial killer is the main plot, the answer went on: “It’s one of the 4 story pillars. But there is also a fifth pillar that we don’t want to give away.”
Murder is the pillar the official videos touch on. The city has a serial killer, and the wanted poster in the video above names it: Aseptic, an android. Everything known about Aseptic and the other named people is on the characters page.
An ending, but no clock
The story is built to finish: “It has a defined story it wants to tell, and a specific ending we want players to reach.” Some of the game keeps going after that, and your choices change the route there.
Nothing forces the pace. “You can ignore the story if you want.” Talking to people, solving the murders, making friends and romance are all optional, “But there’s no time limit or anything.” The same goes for rivalry: sabotaging other businesses is a choice, and the lead writer says “It won’t impact on you if you want to play this way.” More on rivals is on running your businesses.
How long is the story?
No hour count has been given. Asked on Reddit, the lead writer pointed at the four linked pillars and the number of choices: “But even speedrunning it, It’s a long story.” Real playtimes will only exist once people finish it after launch.
Side stories
Around the main plot sit the stories of the people you meet, each with its own thread. The writer picked out one on Reddit: “There’s a little sub story about putting a band back together that I really enjoy.” How those people become friends, partners or rivals is covered on friends, rivals and partners.
Who wrote it
The lead writer also wrote Cloudpunk, set in the same city, and said on Reddit that the two stories connect: “There are a lot of connections story wise to Cloudpunk, but I don’t want to spoil any.” The writing was not a solo job: “The Shadows of Doubt writer, Stark, worked on this with me.” How the two games relate is on the Cloudpunk page, and the studio itself on the developer page.