Anime fans and gaming nerds will tell you that this game was a joint venture between the game designers at Level-5 (Dark Cloud, Professor Layton) and the legendary anime house Studio Ghibli (Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke). Those are two fine parents for any video game to have, but much like a rock'n'roll supergroup, an abundance of talent does not always equal a stellar product. Is this a stellar product? Not completely, but it comes damn close.
The Setting
The gorgeous setting and top notch anime-styled character designs are Studio Ghibli's contribution to the stew. I love the look of their films, and the visuals in Ni No Kuni are remarkably similar and rather stunning. The rich colors, the interplay of light and shadow, and the attention to detail really bring the world of Ni No Kuni to life. Tall grasses billow in the wind as you stride across the plains, clouds drift overhead casting shadows on the ground below, and the ocean waves splash across the bow of your ship as you cut through the seas. Small details perhaps, but they add up to create a beautiful and immersive experience. In terms of the characters, the folks at Studio Ghibli have given them a clean, minimalistic appearance (generally free of sharp edges) that fits with the overall look of the world yet doesn't appear overly cutesy.
The Gameplay
Without a doubt, Level-5 has constructed a VERY solid RPG in Ni No Kuni. The battles are more or less turn based, but there's enough going on with them that they kept me engaged. Although you can take direct control of your three main party members, most of the fighting is done by tamed monsters known as "familiars". In fact, virtually ANY monster you encounter can be captured and trained to fight for you. If this sounds reminiscent of Pokémon that's because it basically is Pokémon. Now that I think about it, MOST elements of Ni No Kuni have a Pokémon meets Final Fantasy sort of vibe that gives the game a rather "traditional" feeling. Whereas many modern RPGs are looking to integrate more innovations into their design via things like action oriented battle systems, tower defense, and sophisticated job/class systems, Ni No Kuni's mission seems to be "highly refined, yet classic RPG gameplay". At its heart this is an old-school RPG with towns to explore, dungeons to crawl, shops to peruse, and monsters to tame and train. Between the characters and their familiars someone's ALWAYS leveling up, and there are loads of side quests and treasures to discover apart from the main campaign. Simply put, the gameplay might be familiar, but it's still compelling and fun.
The Story
I mostly enjoyed the story of Ni No Kuni. Though not nearly as somber and heavy handed as many modern RPGs such as Mass Effect and Final Fantasy tend to be, it nonetheless contains some dark aspects that give it some weight. At the beginning of the game, the main character's mother dies suddenly and it is his grief that allows him to open a portal to another world and clear his head by embarking on a grand adventure. I've had this feeling lately that, as much as I love them, video games aren't really the best medium for storytelling. Not that games CAN'T have good stories, it's just that many games (especially RPGs) take so long to finish playing that I think it's difficult for many game designers to keep the narrative thread going. What I enjoyed about Ni No Kuni's storyline was that it wasn't so complex as to be confusing, but not so simple as to be boring. I cared about what happened to these characters and the storyline was simple enough that I didn't have to invest a ton of time reading text or sussing out their back stories to stay interested.
Summary
Ni No Kuni is a new RPG that combines many classic elements of the genre to great effect. It's easy enough to pick up and play, but there are myriad distractions and sidequests for those who want to go further down the proverbial "rabbit hole". Yes, it's a grind in some spots, but the solid gameplay and the sheer beauty of the characters and the world they inhabit kept me coming back for more. If I could change anything about this game I would probably tweak the battle system just a bit and make it slightly more modern. Truth is, once you get the hang of them the battles actually become a tad easy. I would have liked the fights to have been slightly more engaging and require more strategy than just "find the enemy's weakness and hit it hard". At the beginning of this review I mentioned that, while I used to play these kinds of games all the time, I grew bored with RPGs and kept a certain distance from them for several years. I had hoped that in writing about it I could put my finger on one or two aspects of this game that made me enjoy it so thoroughly, but I fear that the answer isn't so clear... even to me. Nostalgia for the good old days is definitely a part of it, but really I think this is just such a charming, well crafted game that it draws you in with its sheer loveliness. Recommended.
Grade: A-
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