its been mentioned by @phylaxis in the infinity nikki thread how the scale is a bit more realistic by just having about as many NPCs as there are buildings. similar to a yakuza most buildings you cannot go into but some quests will have you go inside or NPCs will come out which does make you imagine if there is more than you can see! also a lot of buildings will have a collectable on a roof, balcony, or stairway which is fun to be rewarded jumping around where you already wanna go!
I’m in the very late game of the main quest and doing the stylist battles, sorta like pokemon battles but with outfits based on a theme. a really cool thing it has these factions whose identities are secret at first. its only when you beat underlings, and rival factions that you unlock details about the identity of the big bad for a specific area/style. the game tracks everything for you automatically so you choose how much you want to engage but its really cute that they’ve made these intricate little social networks that make you wonder if every dorky NPC standing on a streetcorner forever is secretly the leader of a small group of stylists!