Niko has an internship with Tadpole Inc. to become a "professional friend", going from island to island in order to help other people out. Catch fish, create art, play volleyball, plant flowers, and explore the various locales... oh, and try to ignore your Mom's voice mails wondering why you've run away from home.
Here Comes Niko! contains examples of the following tropes:
- Abusive Parents: As Niko progresses through the islands, the voice mails from their Mom become more abusive. The one before the Public Pool has her offer to take Niko to a doctor to try and "Fix" them, and the one before Tadpole HQ has her demand that Niko return home so their family can stop looking for them, frustrated that she couldn't have a "Normal" child. However, Dad is trying his best to protect Niko, and advocates for Niko taking some time away from Mom, as seen in the ending.
- Animate Inanimate Object: There are two different arcade machines found throughout the islands that ask you to go inside them and retrieve a coin. Salmon Creek Forest also has a talking tree.
- Bait-and-Switch: At the Public Pool, there are three diving boards at different heights. You might think that you'll encounter Dustan at the highest one, but instead you find Fischer, and Dustan doesn't appear at the Public Pool at all.
- Bathos: The messages in bottles intersperse Niko's feelings on their life with their parents, with Pepper questioning how to use a clip-on-tie and learning how to make coffee art.
- The Cameo: Hat Kid can be seen chilling by the Public Pool. The Masked Kid and Elizabeth the IV are located at the Bathhouse, with Elizabeth chastising Masked Kid for getting lost when they were supposed to be with Hat Kid.
- The Casanova: Handsome Frog, who shows up in most levels to flirt with Niko, who seems flattered (or at least surprised).
- Fishing for Sole: A task that occurs on multiple islands is to help Fischer the fisherman, but if Niko doesn't dive where there's a fish jumping out of the water, they'll just pull up trash.
- Friendly Rivalry: Dustan, a white wolf that enjoys the challenge of reaching out-of-the-way places, considers Niko their rival in exploration and awards a Coin for finding him on each island. On the later islands, he also admits to enjoying Niko's company.
- Friendly Skeleton: At the Bathhouse, going through the line of white Torii gates to find the lost axolotl child Skippy leads to a giant skull rising up from the waters...who turns out to be a friendly spirit that was just playing board games with the kid while waiting for someone to pick him up.
- Furry Confusion: One of the animals you can catch for Fischer is an axolotl, which he says looks like someone he knows. Later on, you meet several anthropomorphic axolotls. Downplayed as the non-anthro axolotl isn't actually seen together with the anthro ones.
- Garden Garment: While the majority of animal people that Niko encounters wear area-appropriate outfits, the deer first encountered at Salmon Creek Forest just have leaves covering their sensitive areas.
- Heroic Self-Deprecation: In the train rides to new areas, Niko reflects on their current place in life, often considering themself a failure that couldn't end up with a "real" job.
- Invisible Wall: If you try to swim far enough away from any island, you'll be shot back to land, though you will get an Achievement for trying.
- Just a Kid: At the Public Pool, the pool floatie "murder" being investigated was committed by the child it belonged to, upset that their parents ignored their insistence that they were old enough to swim without it.
- Mentor Mascot: The game is filled with ordinary-looking frogs that contrast the various animal people. One of them is Pepper, who wears glasses and a tie, and is also Niko's new boss that instructs them on their duties.
- No Antagonist: The game doesn't have a Big Bad, enemies, or even any way to take damage. The closest it comes to an antagonist is Niko's mother, whose role is limited to a handful of messages and being the reason Niko took the job that led to the game's events.
- Once per Episode: Some tasks reoccur on almost every island Niko visits: reuniting the husband turtles Serchel and Louist, helping Fischer catch 5 fish, trading Casettes with Mitch and Mai, finding Dustan's hiding spot, playing volleyball with Travis or Trixie, collecting 30 bugs for Blessley, clearing the Arcade Machine bone-collecting and platforming challenges, and planting flowers with Little Gabi. There are also various island-specific tasks, such as helping the Frogtective solve their case at the Public Pool.
- Paper People: All of the characters have this appearance, but it's most prominent with Niko, who briefly crumples when falling from a great height or presses themself flat against a wall in order to jump from it.
- Plot Coupon: The main thing to collect is Coins, which are awarded for being a good friend, and are spent to unlock passage to new islands. Other collectables, such as Cassette Tapes and Keys, are used to earn more Coins.
- Punny Name: The two turtles have these, as "Serchel" is the one searching for his lost husband, "Louist". There's also Fischer, the fisherman.
- Queer Colors: The game's title uses light blue, pink, and white, the colors of the transgender flag. Niko, who has the same colors in their outfit, is strongly implied to be nonbinary/agender, as they are only referred to with they/them pronouns, and it's hinted that this is why they have a bad relationship with their mother.
- Running Gag: Fischer is almost always seen fishing in an area with a "No fishing" sign nearby.
- Signature Headgear: Niko is always seen with a white flower in their hair.
- Surprise Party: At the end of the game, Pepper decides to announce Niko's successful employment by hosting a party at Niko's (temporary) house, inviting all of the various people Niko has helped along the way.
- Surprisingly Creepy Moment:
- Whenever you've collected enough bugs for Blessley, she will creepily demand that you give them to her, and then eat them all while the screen goes dark and the music gets creepy, and Niko watches in horror.
- At the bathhouse, inspecting the tunnel will result in a light suddenly appearing as if a train was approaching while everything else distorts around it.
- Totem Pole Trench: The Frogtective investigating a popped floatie at the Public Pool is clearly three regular frogs with a trench coat and a hat.
- Unexpected Gameplay Change:
- There's an island off from the Public Pool that can only be reached by using a soda can. While there, you can't rotate the camera, so you're forced to make your way through the area as if it were a side-scroller. At one point, Niko says that playing this way suits them, likely because like almost everyone else in the game, they are in a 2D style.
- At Gary's Garden, you aren't able to fall into the water until the quest is completed, and there are checkpoints, as well as obstacles in the form of scissors that will send you back to the last checkpoint if they touch you (the same goes if you land in the water).
- World of Funny Animals: With the exceptions of Niko's family, the frogs, and The Cameos, every single character in the game is an anthropomorphic animal.
