If you've seen and enjoyed the films of Studio Ghibli, then you'll feel right at home with this game; it's all designed and rendered to match the look and style of the films. Once you leave Motorville and enter the other world, you'll become immersed in a universe full of magic, whimsey, and wonder. It's a world populated by fairies, monsters, steampunk kingdoms, weird animal people, and majestic landscapes. The game has its share of cuteness and its share of epicness. Above all, it presents a vast world with dense mythology and deep storytelling; it's like a hundred times more satisfying as Ghibli's films, because it's all spread out so far and so wide, and there's always something to explore.
The game itself plays out much like other JRPGs on the market; you spend your time gathering a party, roaming around the landscape, and fighting your way through hoards of monsters with hundreds and hundreds of battles. As the game progresses, you grow more powerful, learn new spells, find new companions and creatures, and eventually fight your way to the finale. Grinding for experience and loot can be repetitive (especially if you're aiming for the platinum trophy and looking for those elusive alchemy ingredients), but the main story keeps things rolling pretty well. Overall, whether playing the main quest, bounty hunting, or running errands, the game is consistently engaging, highly immersive, and incredibly addicting.
The story is great; it starts off tugging the heartstrings really hard, for its opening is quite tragic. As the story goes on, it turns into a sprawling epic that digs deeper into the myth and history of the fantasy world; some of the revelations, especially regarding the White Witch, are pretty invoking as well. The story is full of lovable characters; even the villains are lovable, once their motivations are revealed. Classic themes of good-vs-evil emerge, but what makes this game unique is that it's not all swords and sorcery; the good and evil exist more on an emotional level, and most of this conflict involve fixing hearts that are broken. It's not only a different mechanic for some of the quests, but it's also a fresh new take for fantasy fiction in general.
This game runs smooth and reliably. It uses pretty basic graphics that emulate cell-animation (with some quality anime cutscenes on occasion). Despite not having terribly detailed textures or renderings, the game looks great for its given artistic style. Gameplay is quite easy, with an intuitive control scheme. There are oodles of tutorials available, making the game accessible for young, old, experienced, and unexperienced gamers alike. The levels and world design are pretty decent, and there is a ton of places that can be explored. Voice-acting (for the English version) is good. The game is written well-enough, although I think it has a tendency to over-explain the objectives and over-simplify things. Designs for all the settings, characters, props, creatures, and everything else is highly imaginative and fantastic. Music is really great as well.
Throughout the game, I could easily identify countless references to the Studio Ghibli films: My Neighbor Totoro, Porco Rosso, Nausicaä - and really, the whole thing plays out a bit like Howl's Moving Castle. Even on its own merits, however, Ni No Kuni is still a phenomenal world all on its own, filled with endless hours of addicting gameplay, emotionally powerful storytelling, and whimsical experiences. At the time of this writing, it stands as my favorite JRPG, and it is highly recommended for gamers young and old.
5/5 (Entertainment: Perfect | Story: Perfect | Game: Very Good)
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