Played Stellar Blade? Try NIKKE, the Free Shooter From the Same Studio
Before Stellar Blade, Shift Up built a free-to-play hit with the same eye for character design and post-apocalyptic sci-fi. NIKKE is the easiest way to get more of that style.
Stellar Blade put Korean studio Shift Up on every gamer’s map: a ruined Earth, a fight against alien invaders, and character design people could not stop talking about. What many players don’t know is that Shift Up already had a worldwide hit before Eve ever drew her sword: Goddess of Victory: NIKKE.
The two games even crossed over in an official Stellar Blade × NIKKE collaboration. If you finished Stellar Blade and want more of that world-building and style, NIKKE is the free way to get it, and it has a native PC client.
What is Goddess of Victory: NIKKE?
A free-to-play third-person shooter RPG developed by Shift Up and published by Level Infinite. It has been on Windows since February 2023.
The setup will sound familiar to Stellar Blade fans: mechanical aliens called Raptures have destroyed the surface and pushed humanity underground. You are a Commander leading the Nikkes, android soldiers built to take the surface back.
In combat:
- you field a squad of up to five Nikkes, lined up behind cover;
- each one carries her own weapon type (assault rifle, SMG, shotgun, sniper rifle, machine gun or rocket launcher);
- you aim and shoot yourself, while movement, cover and reloading are automatic;
- the tactical layer is chaining Burst Skills across the squad at the right moment.
Why Stellar Blade fans will feel at home
Same studio, same DNA. The art direction, the striking character design and the “humanity’s last stand against alien machines” story all come from the same team.
A post-apocalyptic sci-fi world. Ruined cities, alien threats, a hidden human refuge: the world-building scratches the same itch.
Boss fights are the highlight. As in Stellar Blade, the giant enemy encounters are where the game shines, and where your squad choices really get tested.
What is different
Be clear on this: NIKKE is not an action game like Stellar Blade. You don’t dodge or parry. You aim, time your bursts and build the right squad. The long-term game is about collecting and upgrading Nikkes, with a gacha system for new characters. Story chapters, events and collaborations keep coming.
Character design leans heavily on fan service, as in Stellar Blade. If that bothered you there, it will bother you here too.
Your first evening: how to start well
- Install the PC client with the button below. Progress is shared with the mobile version.
- Play the campaign for the first hour. It unlocks free recruits and explains bursts.
- Learn Burst chains early. Mixing Nikkes with Burst I, II and III skills is the key to everything.
- Don’t spread your resources. Level a core team of five instead of everyone you pull.
- Check the events tab. Limited events and collaborations give a lot of free rewards.
Who it is for, and who should skip it
Try it if you loved Stellar Blade’s world and characters, you enjoy squad building and short shooting sessions, or you like story-driven gacha games.
Skip it if you want Stellar Blade’s action combat, or if you dislike gacha systems and fan service.
Our take
NIKKE is the other half of the Shift Up story: the free-to-play hit that funded the studio’s rise. It plays nothing like Stellar Blade, but if the world and characters are what hooked you, it is the easiest place to get more. And it costs nothing to find out.
Commanded your first squad? Tell us in the comments how NIKKE compares to Stellar Blade for you, and who your favorite Nikke is so far.
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Installed Goddess of Victory: NIKKE? Tell other players what you thought after your first session — the good, the bad, and whether it's worth their evening.