Nico Adventures

***Nico Adventures*** is a series of action-adventure games and films created by Jay Stevenson. All forms of media created for the franchise is produced by J-Games. The series followed a yearly release cycle spanning 14 years from 2006 to 2020. All games are exclusive to video game consoles developed by J-Games.

*Nico Adventures* gameplay varies from game to game, but focuses on small, open world levels whereby the player has to navigate, fight enemies and solve puzzles. The games also feature a Role-Playing element, including side quests. Most of the games feature a main overworld, where the player can form bonds with other characters in-game, learn more about the narrative, practice gameplay mechanics and find hidden collectibles. Each game features its own, self-contained narrative, although some games' storylines are connected. Despite the focus on small-scale open levels, the series also features a variety of linear levels, including driving segments, as well as some shooting segments. Each game ends in a boss battle between the player and the game's main antagonist.

The protagonist of the game series is the titular Nico, a brown bear resembling the design of a children's plush. Nico's brother, Pico, is also a playable character from the third game onwards. The game's antagonists differ from each title, though a recurring organization found within the franchise is the "Gecko Mafia", a large group of criminal geckos. Other notable villains are Carl, a previously supporting character, and Elektarah, a demon who creates crystals and appears as the game's final antagonist, as well as the antagonist in the fifth game.

The series spans 15 games. Each game also has it's own movie, adapting the entirety of the game's story into an animated feature-length film. All movies were made the following year of release, and mostly follow the game's story, although there are some minor changes found throughout.

Since release, *Nico Adventures* has seen positive reviews from critics, praising its gameplay, controls, characters and soundtrack. The game's animation has received critical acclaim: when released in 2006, *Nico Adventures* has a potential output of 3840 × 2160. Visuals were a big focus point for the developers, who wanted to ensure J-Games' releases would "stand the test of time". The response to the games' narratives have been mixed: some releases have featured wildly popular storylines, whereas some have been heavily criticized. A Golden Age for the series has been popularly defined as beginning with the third release of the series, and concluding with the sixth, spanning 2008 until 2011. Many critics noted the series saw a drop in quality in the mid 2010s, following financial struggles for the company and fatigue from the yearly release schedule.

*Nico Adventures* has been a commercial success worldwide. The series has sold over 500 million copies as of 2023. Many regard it as the franchise that made J-Games a successful company, as it was a key selling point of the company's first video game console, the J-1. The series' opening titles have been labelled as iconic, and would often be used to promote each release. Each video game has a different theme song, with artists producing them including Daft Punk, Madonna and Tina Turner. Nico and Pico became hugely popular characters and the face of the company in 2010, with the former being the most searched-for fictional character on google in 2009. The series concluded in 2020, but continues to be sold digitally and in stores worldwide.

## Release History

* *Nico Adventures* (2006)
* *Nico Adventures II* (2007)
* *Nico Adventures: Partners in Crime* (2008)
* *Nico Adventures: Isolation* (2009)
* *Nico Adventures: Perilous Diamonds* (2010)
* *Nico Adventures: Mystery* (2011)
* *Nico Adventures: Origins* (2012)
* *Nico Adventures: The Lost Keys* (2013)
* *Nico Adventures: Paradigm* (2014)
* *Nico Adventures: Algorithm* (2015)
* *Nico Adventures: Contact* (2016)
* *Nico Adventures: Research* (2017)
* *Nico Adventures: Something About Us* (2018)
* *Nico Adventures: Cloned* (2019)
* *Nico Adventures: The Final Chapter* (2020)