Nivalis Nights is out now on Steam

Publisher 505 Games and developer ION LANDS have released Nivalis Nights on Steam. The cyberpunk slice-of-life simulation is available now, wrapping up a development cycle that began with its initial reveal back in 2021.

ION LANDS previously explored this setting in their 2020 delivery game Cloudpunk. That title kept you moving through the air in a hovercar. Nivalis Nights grounds you on the streets, forcing you to interact with the people and the local economy.

You start by taking over a small noodle bar called Ramen Noir. From there, the goal is to expand your business empire across the neon-lit city of Nivalis. You'll manage the daily operations of restaurants and nightclubs. This involves hiring cooks, waiters, cleaners, and managers, while also setting their schedules and managing wages. It's a granular approach to hospitality. You have to balance the books while keeping the staff functional.

The launch trailer frames the journey as a literal climb. An older character hands over the keys to Ramen Noir, telling you to make enough money to buy your way out of the mud and keep climbing until you are above the rain. It's a classic cyberpunk setup, trading the usual mercenary work for hospitality management.

The simulation goes beyond standard business management. You have to navigate the city itself, which features a realistic weather system and a network of docks you can explore by boat. The city stretches from the ocean up to the clouds, and your physical location in that vertical hierarchy reflects your current wealth.

Sabotage under the cover of curfew

Running a business in Nivalis doesn't just mean serving good noodles. The city is dealing with CorpSec crackdowns and a curfew, alongside a subplot involving a serial killer. You can use the curfew to your advantage by illegally sabotaging your rivals. The developers note that competitors can do the exact same thing to you. I want to see how aggressive the rival artificial intelligence gets when you start encroaching on their territory.

When you aren't undermining other nightclub owners, you can retreat to the docks for a fishing minigame. The launch trailer shows a first-person perspective of this mechanic. You use a futuristic radar scanner to track catches in the polluted waters. A character named Ava acts as your guide for this, pointing out the best fishing spots and sharing local stories.

Apartments and chess tournaments

Making enough money allows you to buy and customize apartments overlooking the city skyline. You can decorate your own living spaces or customize apartments for the various characters you meet. The game includes a relationship system where you can make friends, find romance, or create enemies depending on your choices.

There are also side activities scattered throughout the districts. You can challenge non-player characters to mini-games, including a high-stakes cyberpunk chess tournament. It's a strange mix of mundane daily tasks and high-level corporate maneuvering. You can legally grow your own ingredients for the restaurants, or you can skip the farming and just ruin someone else's supply chain.

The game is out now on Steam with a 10 percent launch discount. It is bundled with the original soundtrack and Cloudpunk. For more details on the publisher's other projects, you can check the 505 Games blog.